Psychology Teaching Resources
Here are some brief revision summaries for Edexcel bio-psychology topics (but probably useful to others). They cover: drugs and the brain, evolution and aggression, genes and aggression, brain structure and aggression and hormones and aggression.
Here is a two lesson sequence on an Edexcel ‘key question of relevance to today’s society’ for biopsychology (zip file of all resources). It’s on the question of whether it’s a good idea to use drugs like Methadone to treat drug addiction. It assumes you’ve set advance reading on the topic. In lesson one the students debate the issue, and in lesson two they plan and write an extended response about it. The lessons are designed to help the students understand what an examiner will be looking for in their responses to this type of question, so teachers of other specifications YMMV.
Here are two lessons on recreational drugs. The first helps students understand the range of mechanisms by which different recreational drugs affect synaptic activity. There is a lesson plan, slideshow and an activity in which students must work out the effect of a different drugs on postsynaptic firing rates. The second lesson explores where our understanding of cannabinoids comes from and contains different activities to get students thinking about biopsychological research. There is a lesson plan, a slidehow and a reading on cannabis research. Edit: here is a link with more detail on the reciprocal teaching routine. Also, I forgot there was a Socrative quiz to go with this lesson.