My students have enjoyed playing a whole-class version of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” (there’s a PowerPoint template on www.Psychexchange.co.uk). The PowerPoint is very professional looking, and has questions on the Biological Approach but could be adapted in lots of ways. It’s certainly engaging!

They’ve also enjoyed Psychology Bingo – give each student a blank grid, approx. 5 by 4. Have them put a key term in each space (e.g. reliability; validity etc) from a list you give them. The list needs to have several more terms than there are spaces on the grid, and could be put up as a PPT slide, an OHT or on a smartboard so each student chooses their own terms. Someone then reads out the definitions in random order, the students cross off the key terms if they have them on their card. This could then be developed as an exercise in groups, each group devising their own Psychology Bingo game based on a topic or area.

Annalise.Abraham@reigate.ac.uk

Compare and Contrast

To get across the tricky idea of similarities and differences between different studies I’ve made some snap cards. One card for each study, the students play snap in pairs, but instead of ‘snapping’ the matching cards they snap whenever two studies are from the same approach or perspective. When that happens they have to identify one similarity and one difference between the two studies – and write it down of course!

It’s taken me considerably longer than I had anticipated to make these things but there’s enough of each to make 9 sets for the OCR specification – I’m still glueing them to the backs of playing cards. Alternatively you could just write the names of the studies on pieces of paper. Not as flashy but somewhat easier. Or write/print/stick onto coloured card!

Louise Lomas,
louiselomas@talktalk.net