Do we need studies or not? This is an interesting dilemma in the new IB Psychology course. In my previous post, I wrote an example essay with no studies. I found it difficult, but not impossible. It didn’t surprise me, however, that I found it hard to talk about the concept. The Big Six are all about research. Or maybe …
An essay without studies: Is it possible?
I’ve just sat down to write an example essay for the new Paper 1. Then I thought to myself, “Do I need to use studies?” My first instinct was to follow my cheeseburger essay format, since this makes the most sense to me. However, I thought I’d challenge myself . Is it possible to write an essay without studies? Let’s see. The …
Tips for Teaching “The Concepts” in IB Psychology
One of the biggest changes in the new IB Psychology curriculum (first exams May 2027), is the introduction of six concepts: bias, measurement, causality, perspective, change and responsibility. These concepts are the basis of critical thinking in Paper 1 essays and analysis of an unseen study in Paper 2. With suggested key terms only, how do we teach students these …
The HL Advantage: Why HL IB Psych is easier to teach than SL
Is Higher Level IB Psychology now easier than SL? Perhaps it’s not for the students, but in this post I’ll explain why I’d much rather teach HL than SL in this new course. We’ll break down the distinctions and how we can make the most out of the extra HL time. In my previous post, I outlined the dramatic increase in content …
Teaching Tip: Why you’re struggling to keep up with the new curriculum...and what to do about it.
Do you feel like you’re just skimming over the surface of the content in the new IB Psych curriculum without enough time for each topic? In this post I’ll explain why it feels this way and provide some (hopefully) helpful tips. If you’re new to IB Psych, this feeling of flying through content to “cover everything” while your students tread water …
Depression in the Real World: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has been quite open about his bouts of depression over the years. He said his “…struggles with his mental health began years ago, but he didn’t always have the words to express how he was feeling.” Johnson’s first battle with depression was during his days at college when he was playing American football. Johnson wanted to …
Need ideas for HL Only Classes? Here’s a simple unit plan for Paper 3
By next year (2026) all the teacher support packs will be ready with complete lesson plans, workbooks, etc., but in the meantime you might be looking for a simple unit plan that requires little planning. The following ideas were devised in collaboration with Paul Wright. Paul and I were working through what to do with HL-only classes once a week. …
Travis’s Course MapFor those planning on teaching with the textbook - IB Psychology A Student's Guide (2nd Ed.)
Content, contexts and concepts – planning for this new course can make your head spin. Once you get into it, it’s actually quite straightforward. The following course map might be helpful even if you’re not planning on teaching with our new textbook. It could give you some ideas. I often joke that 90% of my teaching is marketing. It’s not …
Timeline of TSP Release – New IB Psychology Course
The following timeline is provided to give teachers an idea of when to expect the release of each Teacher Support Pack (TSP) that supports each chapter in our new textbook. Pre-order complete set of Teacher Support Packs and SL eBooks (Link) Sample Course Outline Please bear in mind it takes approximately 2-4 hours of work per lesson to create these materials. …
Are you ready for the exams? Roll the dice and see for yourself.
The following is based on the new curriculum first exams 2027 The following strategy will test your readiness for the essay question in Paper 1, Section C of IB Psychology. To review, there will be two essay questions, both from different contexts. The question will combine an area of study (topic) with one of the six concepts (bias, perspective, …
Mr Dixon’s SAQ Learning Outcomes for IB Psychology
Learning outcomes guide teaching and learning. For teachers, they tell us what we need to teach. For students, they guide revision for the exams. While writing exam tips for IB Psychology, I found the IB’s learning objectives in the guide quite misleading in some ways (read more here). This is why I wrote my own. I’m posting here in case …
The (many) questions I have about the new learning objectives in IB Psychology
Learning objectives tell teachers what to teach and students what to learn. It’s nice to see them back in the new IB Psychology Guide. But…they’ve put me in a quandary – do I use them? What’s the problem? Let’s take the approach objectives to begin with. You’ll see below the learning objectives for the sociocultural approach. At first glance, the …
One Essay – Six Concepts
Content knowledge is king in IB Psychology. It’s the foundation upon which all other critical and conceptual thinking skills are built. In this post, I put this idea to the test by writing one essay that could address six different concepts. The purpose of this post is not to encourage rote memorisation of entire essays , but rather to show …
Cognitive Dissonance in “The Simpsons”
In the new SAQs students can use real world examples or studies. I thought I’d use an episode of The Simpsons to show how cognitive dissonance can explain divorce. However, my editor Tara Hasan wisely advised me that kids today wouldn’t get the reference. So thankfully I have this website for just such an occasion. In this post I’ll explain …
ChatGPT is a dirty rotten liar…see for yourself
If you’re a student using ChatGPT for other AI for your research paper, please read this carefully – it could save your bacon. If you’re a teacher struggling to convince your students of the perils of AI-driven research, this post might help. A few weeks ago I was writing about cultural differences in morality. I spent hours trying to find …
RETRACTION: I was wrong – You DO need to teach all four contexts
The benefit of publishing ideas is you get them tested. Thanks to John Crane who recently showed me I’d overlooked two important aspects of the Paper 1 and Paper 2 assessments (and for Christopher for posting the question). Paper 1B and 2B are linked to the contexts (developmental, learning, health and relationships). This means if a student didn’t learn about …
SL in One Year – It’s PossibleSample One Year Course Outline
This is a sample course outline that shows how you can cover everything in a logical order. The units are from this textbook. Sample Two Year Course Outline Travis’ IB Psychology Course Outline – SL in One Year This is a one year SL course. The IB recommends 150 hours. Please know I have never taught SL in one year, …
Sample IB Psychology Course Outline (for first exams May 2027)
This is a sample course outline that shows how you can cover everything in a logical order. The units are from this textbook. Sample IB Psychology Course Outline – HL Only This is a Two Year HL course mapped onto a Northern hemisphere timetable (from St Maur, Japan’s schedule). YEAR ONE Semester One (65 lessons) Focus: Knowing the basics, including …
Beware the Booby Traps in Class Practicals
Sometimes I feel like a little kid running excitedly across a field towards a fancy new playground when I’m planning for this new course. Other times I feel like the field’s littered with landmines. A false step and I might blow up my leg, or in class I might miss something that has big ramifications down the line for students. …
How to get 7s in Paper One?Build a course on content, not concepts.
If you’re struggling to build your course on concepts, this post will explain why. About 12 years ago I realised how irrelevant command terms were for IB Psych exams. I lamented over lost time and energy spent focusing on these, at the expense of better things, like content. Since then I’ve tried to show you all what I learned. I …
One Word = Six Concepts: Beneficence
The 3Cs are confusing at first, but brush away the smoke and mirrors and you’ll see that if you teach psychology like you always have, your students will be well-prepared. In this post, I’ll show how one simple word could be used to evaluate research methods and linked to all six concepts. The Paper One essay in IB Psych will …
Product and Pricing List – 2025 ThemEd’s IB Psychology
All prices in USD. VISIT OUR ONLINE STORE. The below guide has been made to help with budget proposals. Textbooks $69.90* per copy IB Psychology: A Student’s Guide (2nd edition – print) (Link) $49.00 per individual license to view the full Book (single user access) (Link) $59.00* per copy IB Psychology: A Revision Guide (2nd edition – print) – TBC …
The Triple Cheeseburger Essay – IB Psychology
On the surface it seems like the new essays in IB Psych, Paper 1, Section C, are completely different to the old essays. Now there’s content linked with concepts and put into contexts and there’s no need for studies or critical thinking. However, scratch a little deeper and you’ll see nothing’s really changed. In this post I’ll explain my triple …
In Defense of Memorization
When Winston Churchill was at Harrow School he memorized all 70 stanzas of the poem “Horatius at the Bridge.” Highlands Latin School in Kentucky now gives students “The Winston Churchill Award” for anyone that can do the same. But memorization is a sin in modern education, I hear you say. Why on earth would well-meaning teachers be encouraging memorization? With …
Teacher Tip: First step to planning for the new IB Psych course
If you’re not sure where to begin planning for the new course, this post might help. Those of us used to teaching with the approaches and options combined, have a bit of a conceptual head start. However, it’s made incredibly easy by this new course which appears to be designed to be taught this way. #1. Start with the contexts, …