Justin M. Boucher
It is my intention to use this unit in my Advanced Placement Psychology class, though it is applicable to anatomy or biology courses at the high school level as well. AP Psychology is a social studies course that is heavily rooted in scientific research and principles. Though psychology is indeed a social science, most social studies teachers have their background in history. This background can pose a challenge when presenting units, which are predominantly based in the sciences. The brain, the nervous system and the biology of the five senses are particularly poignant examples of topics, which the average history teacher might lack the background to sufficiently address. Thus this unit seeks not only to provide that background in the case of the nervous system and the brain, but also to provide an approach to this subject matter, which is accessible to both students and teachers.
The nature of Advanced Placement Psychology presents a number of challenges as well in terms of teaching neuroanatomy. In addition to the daunting nature of neuroanatomy as a subject, an AP psychology class requires that this topic be covered comprehensively and memorably in a very short period of time. It is this time constraint that poses the largest obstacle to full student understanding of the brain, given that the brain could be studied for years without gaining a full understanding. It is therefore extremely difficult to present students with the information they need to understand the brain, and then to be able to access that understanding later in the course.
It is particularly pivotal that a student be able to access this material later in the course, given that so much of the material in an AP Psychology course is linked in some way to the brain. After the history of Psychology and Research methods it is one of the first topics covered in the course. Given that this is a recurring theme throughout the year, the student's understanding of the brain must be comprehensive enough to do the organ justice, memorable enough to be accessible and quick enough to cover the whole brain in about a month or less.