Things to consider when creating the curriculum materials:

1. Aims/Objectives:
Found throughout the standards listed in each unit in conjunction with the
description of the project in Element 5a. Students are challenged in each unit to
make connections between the content and the world they live. This may be
through and extensive project or a small assignment.
2. Experiences of students and teachers:
Much of the burden for learning is truly on the student as they are responsible for
meaning making. The teacher will be more of a facilitator guiding students in
directions that will push their understanding of the material.
3. Vertical and Horizontal Alignment:
Vertical organization of the curriculum is aligned by the unit layout. Most units
afford freedom of choice, but the unit domains are laid out with progression in
mind. Students start with an introduction into the broad field of history and
methodology in psychology, then move into specific domains.
4. Forms of ongoing assessment:
Summative assessments options are provided as a guide to opportunities to allow
students to experience or connect psychology content outside of the classroom.
The unit layout affords teacher discretion on formative assessments to ensure
students understand content as they are fulfilling the summative assessment
requirements.
5. Curriculums potential:
I feel this curriculum leaves room for continual improvement as much of the
learning is based off student application rather than rote memorization, therefore
allowing the teacher/student freedom to modify the choice options within a unit.
6. Hidden and null curriculum:
When I think about hidden curriculum one of the struggles I feel I will see in my
students is taking the time to make connections from what is learned in class and
to reflect on how it impacts them daily. There are few students who start or have
conversations around seeing the content of psychology in their life, but many
others seem shocked that what they are learning indeed impacts them outside of
their grade. Most of the time my students expect to learn only from lectures and
not retain information that they read on their own as important or essential. That
is something that I will need to focus on for my students to be successful as many
of the potential forms of assessment, that much of the learning will come from
their making meaning of the material.
Null curriculum is quite overwhelming to process through. I do not start my class
handing students a syllabus; instead they get to experience content in action. The
syllabus comes later. I slowly dissect and model the expected behaviors as each
could be encountered in class; such as how to turn in materials and retrieve them
in the classroom or how to use the online gradebook. I would imagine that the

assumption that each student is in the room with the desire to study and learn
about psychology would fit the null curriculum.
I feel this process could continue indefinitely. I feel I will continue to discover and
uncover these parts of the curriculum as I progress through the implementation
process. I imagine there will be many things I find as hidden or null that I will
immediately need to modify to help my students develop successful habits.