Copernican Revolution . org
Transforming Our Lives through Self Reflection and Psychology
A psychology professor's collection of lessons fostering self-discovery through online activities, hands-on classroom experiences, engaging lectures, and effective discussion prompts.
Home    |    Online Activities    |    Engage In Class    |    Pedagogical Essays    |    Course Specific    |    Katie    |    Search
Class-Specific Teaching Resource

Developmental Psychology

How do we grow through infancy, childhood, adolescence, and adulthood? How do nature, nurture, our individual differences, and our active choices matter?

A little baby becoming a grownup would feel like a miracle if it didn't happen every day. But how? I personally feel awe about children's development. Understanding my own childhood and other people's development is what brought me into Psychology. I've taught many specialized topics in human development. And I've designed and conducted studies with every age, from weeks old infants into emergent adulthood.
Oscar the Grouch and two and half year old Kevin "KT" Grobman.
Kinda' a Different Person, Kinda' Still the Same
two year old me and my drawing number one (art show, 8 years old)
β€œ
"Why should anyone be frightened by a hat?' My drawing wasn't a hat; it was a boa constrictor digesting an elephant. Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them. So then I chose a new profession, and learned to pilot airplanes. ... At a glance I can distinguish China from Arizona. If one gets lost in the night, such knowledge is valuable.
Antoine de Saint-ExupΓ©ry, The Little Prince

Theories of Development

Parenting Styles
Diana Baumrind's Parenting Styles with her original descriptions, contemporary findings, and an essay doubling as a Q&A lesson. πŸ€”βœ’οΈπŸ“–πŸ’¬
Attachment Styles - Getting Stuck in Unhelpful Boxes
Teach and learn about Attachment Styles, and especially how we get stuck reenacting unhelpful patterns based on John Bowlby's concept of canalization, a kind of confirmation bias.
Jean Piaget - Did he do a Science of Developmental Psychology?
Actually, Piaget's theory is scientific - empirical, falsifiable, replicable, and avoids pseudo-science βœ’οΈ

Language

Create Your Own Language Game
A psychology class game illustrating children's language development by having students create their own language, inspired by making real Ludwig Wittgenstein's philosophical ."language games." πŸ”οΈπŸ§©
Notes for Teachers, with legend:
I hope you find something helpful for your classes! ~ Katie

self-reflection online activities
πŸ“ˆ individual differences:
🎨 demonstrate concept in action
πŸ’™ sensitive

engaging classroom experiences
πŸ”οΈ individual hands-on learning.
πŸ’¬ class-wide discussion:
🧩 breakout groups:
πŸ€” engaging lecture (e.g., vivid examples)

pedagogical research & essays.
🍎research
βœ’οΈ personal essay reflections about teaching
πŸ“– reference documents (e.g., handouts, how to guides)