Aside from the fact that we’re all science students and three out of four of us have studied psychology in the past and two of us still currently study it.
It is not offered in most schools until years 10 or 11 and there is no curriculum below VCE for it so we thought we could try to adapt to a year 10 level
Psychology is the study of human behaviour and the mind, something that we can all relate to
It involves areas of study such as the brain, memory and sleep to name a few so the real life applications are clear
The brain is the centre of the nervous system and controls the other parts of the body. It is a complex, fascinating organ that is under ongoing research. Scientists have only scratched the surface to understanding the brain’s structure and functions
Psychology is considered by many to be a ‘soft science’ and overlooked
Why we have chosen a website as the format of our curriculum resource:
Allows students and teachers to browse the resource in their own time
Many students nowadays are ‘digital natives’ and have access to the Internet and other digital technologies and so they would be able to navigate the resource
We can add interactive activities to the resource to engage students and prompt creativity and enable students to apply knowledge in a new setting
VCAA: Unit 1 Psychology: “On completion of this unit the student should be able to describe how understanding of brain structure and function has changed over time, explain how different areas of the brain coordinate different functions, and explain how brain plasticity and brain damage can change psychological functioning.”
The basic structure and function of the central and peripheral nervous systems as communication systems between the body’s internal cells and organs and the external world
The role of the neuron (dendrites, axon, myelin and axon terminals) as the primary functional unit of the nervous system, including the role of glial cells in supporting neuronal function
The basic structure and function of the hindbrain (cerebellum, medulla), midbrain (reticular formation) and forebrain (hypothalamus, thalamus, cerebrum)
The role of the cerebral cortex in the processing of complex sensory information, the initiation of voluntary movements, language, symbolic thinking and the regulation of emotion, including localisation of function.