Monash researcher and lecturer Dr Karen Marangio joins forces with six psychology teachers to discuss the newly-forming Australian Teachers of Psychology network.

Psychology teachers are uniting across Australia in an effort to raise the profile of psychology in Australian schools. They are also aiming to address some of the hurdles within the profession.

At a recent conference, Australian Psychology Learning and Teaching (AusPLAT) 2021 designed for psychology educators across various (school and tertiary) settings, a larger representation of secondary school teachers participated than ever before.

As a result, a new group, the Australian Teachers of Psychology (ATOP) Network, was formed with the members driven to make positive change for teachers and teaching of psychology in Australia.

A modern solution to an age-old problem

ATOP will foster great opportunities for teachers and students, promoting excellence of teaching psychological science in schools. As a collective it can raise the profile of psychological science, contemporary Australian research, and advocate for psychology’s place in the curriculum. Ideally these steps should be teacher-led, and with small steps over time.

These are teachers who will change the status quo. They come from diverse teaching backgrounds, and work in all kinds of schools. Some are new, others highly experienced, and lead the curriculum in their state or territory. All are united in the challenge of building a supportive and productive network to raise the profile of teachers and teaching of psychology in schools.

Why do they want a new network? Here are their insights.

Raise the profile of psychology

The teachers want to raise psychology’s profile and the value of psychologists, as it is a subject that is often misunderstood by others in the school community, by curriculum authorities and the general public.

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Psychology is an extremely popular senior secondary study in most places it is taught, both in Australia and internationally.

This year, approximately 50,000 Year 11 and 12 students across Australia are studying Year 11 and 12 Psychology.

Consequently, there is a large cohort of teachers of psychology. Given psychology’s popularity in schools, these teachers should be commended for engaging students to learn psychology.

	SARAH: Psychology is a passion of mine and I firmly believe that all students should have access to studying some area of psychology at school. It is a subject which can be misunderstood but is so relevant to young people as they navigate their teenage years.
	BRIDIE: I feel very passionate about this subject and feel that there should be a place for it in every secondary school. Instilling in teenagers the knowledge of how their brains work can provide some understanding for them as they navigate the tumultuous adolescent years of developing their identity. It is my hope that, at the very least, students will understand themselves and their relationships with their peers with more clarity and this may alleviate some of the mental health problems that typically develop at this time.
	HANNAH: Teaching psychology provides a unique opportunity for students to learn how to think in a systematic manner about the world they live in and be exposed to opportunities to understand their own mental wellbeing.
	STEPHANIE: I feel that psychology, as a school-based subject, presents a unique, but rewarding challenge to teachers. It has been one of the most popular subjects offered in the VCE program for a long time and students enjoy the opportunity to learn more about themselves and others.
	AMRITA: I am passionate about helping teachers to teach psychology and to elevate psychology as a subject, not only in QLD but nationwide.

Overcoming isolation and making connections

Psychology teachers are often the only teacher of psychology in their schools. They may or may not have had access to psychology courses when they studied initial teacher education, nor have a psychology tertiary background. The teachers could be in rural or remote schools, and not all states and territories have accessible teacher networks or conferences for teachers that allow teachers to connect.

A culture of support at their schools can make a huge difference for teachers, and ongoing curriculum-making opportunities with teachers of psychology across school settings (Marangio & Heyting, 2021).

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	SARAH: As a new teacher to psychology I really struggled to know what to teach and how much depth to teach the subject in. I reached out to other psychology teachers around me and learnt so much. WA is such a large and remote state it is easy to feel isolated and alone when teaching a new subject for the first time.
	BRIDIE: Establishing a new subject in schools is no easy task and I have come up against countless obstacles when seeking connections and guidance on developing this. I am thrilled to be a part of a select group of like-minded teachers who share a common goal. The Australian Teachers of Psychology Network is the perfect platform to connect with other teachers, address these hurdles and work towards the dream of psychology classes being catered for in the curriculum and delivered across more schools throughout Australia.
	HANNAH: If you are feeling isolated as a psychology teacher you are not alone, and here's an idea to fix it.
	STEPHANIE: Students don’t always recognise the complexity and difficulty of the subject before embarking on their psychology learning journey. This imposes a challenge to teachers, who, in many schools work as the sole psychology teacher or that may be early career teachers working in a high-stakes environment.
	KATE: Networking is incredibly important across states as most teachers find themselves to be the only psychology teacher on-site.

Embedding psychology in the curriculum

While psychology is a very popular subject, it is not part of the official Australian curriculum, and is not taught in New South Wales. It is omitted in the F-10 curriculum in each state and territory, although many schools teach it anyway, especially at Year 9 and 10 level.

Teachers want this change, giving psychology the status and recognition it deserves. A network will help build on the great work already happening across Australia.

	SARAH: Ultimately, it’s a dream of having psychology embedded in the curriculum in years 7-10 so all students can experience the benefits of learning this subject.
	AMRITA: With psychology being a relatively new subject in QLD, we have really relied on states like Victoria, to provide insight into teaching psychology at a high school level. An Australian teachers of psychology network provides us with a unique opportunity to learn from each other and develop new ideas about how psychology is taught, for example, finding authentic ways to imbed Indigenous perspectives into the curriculum.
	KATE: I was part of a national group who created a proposed Australian Psychology Curriculum a few years ago (APS website). It has never been taken up by ACARA, and now it is time to lead another push for psychology.

Championing teachers’ professional careers

Research shows psychology’s marginalised place in the curricula has flow-on effects for the teachers who teach it . Teachers want to engage with and support each other’s professional career pathways, and increase the scholarship of teaching and learning of psychology in Australia. However, accessing mentors and professional learning opportunities varies across states and territories, and engaging with psychology education research is limited in Australia.

	SARAH: Having the Australian Teachers of Psychology Network is vital to the ongoing support of psychology teachers across the country in order to promote Psychology as a subject and equip teachers with the knowledge and resources they need.
	HANNAH: As an early career teacher, there is an increased importance to have the ability to access mentors, resources and a community of teachers who can support and supplement your teaching practice. As I become more experienced, it then becomes a great opportunity for me to help others. As part of this, I am excited about facilitating a national network of psychology teachers, especially early career, to provide curriculum, pedagogical and collegial support to one another. My motivation for joining ATOP is to help facilitate the creation of a national network that provides access to targeted professional development, networking, and most important collegial support to improve the profile of psychology in schools and teaching outcomes.
	STEPHANIE: An Australian network has the potential to support teachers of the subject at a number of touch points in their career, acting as a source of valuable professional learning, whether it be through informal conversations and sharing posts filled with ideas and resources, providing a platform for teachers to link up with one another and collaborate, designing and providing specific professional learning events, the opportunity to find coaches and much more. It will facilitate teachers of the subject in raising the profile of psychology as a subject and ensure that psychology teachers feel they are supported with professional learning which is specific, tailored to them, and is targeted at building their capacity in the teaching of psychology.
	KATE: We have the beginnings of a national network of teachers, kickstarter by the AusPLAT conferences four years ago. We recognise and value evidence-based knowledge and practice and want to deeply consider such work as a community of teachers and teacher educators.

Forging beneficial and sustainable relationships with a range of professional subject organisations

Teachers want to take an active role in a professional association that supports and advocates for teachers, students and the discipline. In Australia, almost every subject on offer in schools has a professional subject teacher association but opportunities for teachers of psychology vary between states and territories. For instance, engagement with science teacher associations is strong in some places, increasing or wavering in some, and non-existent in others.

Internationally, there are different structures for connecting psychology associations with secondary school teachers of psychology, each offering value for the teaching profession.  While Australian Psychological Society (APS) membership costs are prohibitive for teachers, the AusPLAT Conference has opened the opportunity to liaise with educators from both secondary and tertiary settings, and the APS Psychology Education Interest Group are keen for this engagement to continue.

There are exciting possibilities for a network to engage with teacher and psychological associations to forge co-beneficial and sustainable relationships in the future. Such a network could expand and develop affiliations with other associations, rather than replicating what already exists & works well (Marangio, 2021).

	SARAH: The main reason I wanted to help establish the Science Teachers Association WA Psychology Teachers Committee (PTC) was to support other new teachers as they learnt their way around the syllabus to come to understand  this important subject area.
	AMRITA: As a representative of the Psychology Teachers Association of Queensland (PTAQ), the only psychology teachers association in Australia, we support the notion of a national voice to support all psychology teachers who teach students about the human mind and behaviour so they can not only better understand themselves but also others.
	KATE: We have the beginnings of a national network of teachers, kick started by the AusPLAT conferences four years ago. We recognise and value evidence-based knowledge and practice from tertiary colleagues in Psychology and Education, and we have a lot to offer tertiary psychology in return. As a follow up to this conference, a Facebook group of Australian Secondary Teachers of Psychology was founded that now stands at over 400 members.

Moving forward

Bridie concludes:

"The Australian Teachers of Psychology Network is the perfect platform to connect with other teachers, address these hurdles and work towards the dream of Psychology classes being catered for in the curriculum and delivered across more schools throughout Australia.”

With special thanks to the teachers in this article for their generosity, insights and commitment to working together to support teachers and teaching of psychology in Australian schools.

With much appreciation to the AusPLAT community for their ongoing encouragement.

Contributors

	Sarah Langley Guildford Grammar School, Perth, Western Australia I have been teaching psychology for 15 years, and was one of the founding members, and currently chair, of the Science Teachers Association of Western Australia (STAWA) Psychology Teachers Committee (PTC). The PTC works closely with SCSA (School Curriculum and Standards Authority) and psychology teachers across WA to support staff in their delivery of Psychology syllabi.
	Bridie Youd Exeter High School, Tasmania I am in my 10th year of teaching at EHS, a small regional secondary school in Northern Tasmania. Last year, I was given the opportunity to introduce a year 9/10 option class in Psychology. I am currently studying my Graduate Diploma in Psychology.
	Hannah Lewis Brighton Secondary College, South Australia I am currently completing my third year of teaching in a South Australian school, with this being my second year of teaching senior secondary psychology.
	Stephanie Walton Melbourne Girls Grammar, Victoria I have taught Psychology at senior schools in the UK and Melbourne. I also teach the Learning Area of Psychology in the University of Melbourne MTeach (Secondary) course. I have examined for A-Level Psychology, IB and VCE.
	Amrita Moss Mt St Michael's College Ashgrove, Queensland I began my career in 2016, and in 2019, QCE (Queensland Certificate of Education) introduced psychology as a new senior subject. I have led workshops and examination roles. I am an adjunct associate lecturer for the University of Queensland and currently the president of the Psychology Teacher’s Association of Queensland (PTAQ).
	Kate Cutts Plympton International College, South Australia I have taught secondary Psychology for 17 years, curriculum and methodology at the University of Adelaide for 15 years and into the Masters Program at the University of South Australia, Education Futures. I created my own education consultancy specialising in professional development for Psychology teachers in SA and NT.

References

Marangio, K., Heyting, E. (2021). Queensland teachers’ perceptions of support for teaching psychology during the initial two years of implementation of the new QCE Psychology. 23. Australian Psychology Learning and Teaching (AusPLaT) Conference 2021, Newcastle, Australia.

Marangio, K. (2021). Secondary psychology and professional associations: the Australian context. 12. Australian Psychology Learning and Teaching (AusPLaT) Conference 2021, Newcastle, Australia.