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, …
Example Essay: “Strategies used to measure theory of mind.”
The following is an example essay I wrote for the new curriculum. It answers the (problematic) question on the specimen paper. I’ve included a commentary along the side of this which shows my thinking about how to approach these new essays. In a nutshell, I haven’t changed a thing – students need to explain the topic, explain research and think …
When East meets West in the Treatment of Depression
The following is adapted from one lesson in my new course. I love this example of unity between ancient and modern ways of knowing, so I wanted to share it. Herbal Remedies From the topic “Cultural Differences” in the chapter “Depression” In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioners believe depression is caused by a lack of vital energy (qi) which is …
Seriously?
In the new IB Psych curriculum we’ve been given 45 hours to teach “data analysis and interpretation.” No thanks. I’ll have a hard enough time staying awake in that let alone my students. Here’s a workaround that will give you 20 extra hours in your course. IB Psychology curriculums are convoluted and complicated beasts. Luckily, they’re filled with loopholes we …
The T-REX SAQ
The first two questions in IB Psychology Paper One (new syllabus) are designed to be “quick wins.” They’re 4 mark SAQs that can be answered in about 250 words. I want to keep things simple so students go into exams with confidence. I also love a good acronym. So here’s my T-REX SAQ structure that can answer any SAQ. Don’t believe me? …
How to use real world examples in the new SAQsOne topic - two possible answers
In the new IB Psychology course (first exams 2027), the first two questions in Paper One are SAQs. These are 150-250 word answers that explain a topic and use an example. Previously, supporting examples always had to be studies. Now you have the choice – a study or a real world example. In this post, we’ll look at the same …
Key Study: Rats in an fMRI (Brydges et al., 2013)A fun and fascinating study to highlight the Three Rs of animal research
Animal experimentation is contentious. Some argue they’re valuable and worthwhile, while others question their validity and ethicality. The fundamental issue with animal research is that animals cannot provide informed consent and most animals are euthanised at the end of the experiment. But what if researchers could use brain scanners on live rats so they didn’t have to kill them? That’s …
5 Things to Love About the New IB Psychology Curriculum
My natural disposition is to be a bit of a jumped up pr*#k who’s a bit too full of himself, so I’m trying to be more Jonathan Haidt and less Jordan Peterson these days. With this in mind, I recently went on a mental gratitude walk through the new guide and realised five things I love about it. #5: Learning …
Tips for Teaching Concepts in IB Psychology
Originally posted on MyIB forum and adapted here in case it helps. The biggest challenge facing IB Psychology students and teachers in the new curriculum is the introduction of the SIX CONCEPTS: change, measurement, perspective, causality, bias and responsibility. This adds a lot of research method content to an already content-rich course. So here are some ideas I’m playing with …
Does fluoride affect IQ?
You might have seen the debate about fluoride and IQ in the news recently. I didn’t know much about the subject, so I decided to spend a few hours deep diving into the research. Fluoride has been used since the 1930s to help protect teeth. It’s a mineral that strengthens tooth enamel reducing the chance of cavities. In many places, …
Travis Dixon’s New Textbook for the New IB Psych Curriculum: A Timeline
Thank you to everyone who has been posting and writing to me asking if I’ll be writing a new textbook for the new IB Psychology curriculum, due to published early 2025. The answer is: OF COURSE! With the new subject brief being published by the IB, it has allowed me to start writing (IB Psych Subject Brief). Northern hemisphere schools …
How to explain a psychological study
Whether it’s for an extended essay, a test or an exam, writing about psychological studies can be a challenging task. This post is designed to help you focus your attention and efforts so you can write the best explanations possible. We’ll begin by breaking down the studies and then look at some examples. The Short Answer 100-200 words Focus on …
The Working Memory Model (Baddeley and Hitch, 1974)- A Simple Summary
At first glance the working memory model can be very complicated and overwhelming. This post will break it down into four simple steps so you can understand it. Step One: What is “working memory?” Step Two: What are the “slave systems?” Step Three: What is the “central executive?” Step Four: What is the “episodic buffer?” The Working Memory Model 1. …
Key Theory & Studies: The empathy-altruism hypothesis (Batson et al. 1981 & 1982)An explanation of prosocial behaviour
Why do people help others? It’s a simple question but it intrigues psychologists because it doesn’t make sense evolutionarily speaking. In this post we look at one simple explanation: empathy. Why do we humans help one another when there’s nothing to be gained for ourselves? This seems to contradict what we know about evolutionary psychology – that we instinctively look …
Key study: Working memory and a dual task study on chess (Robbins et al. 1996)
Looking for a study that supports the working memory model? Here’s a good one. Working memory is the stuff we’re thinking about right now. The working memory model (WMM) was an elaboration of the multi-store model of memory (MSM) as it zooms in on the short-term store and explains how our short-term (working) memory actually works. If you can comprehend …
Can you bench-press your way out of depression?The relationship between strength and depressive symptoms.
The common explanation for increased rates of depression for boys and men is because they’re unwilling to seek help and talk about their feelings. Personally, I have my doubts about this explanation. An alternative explanation is that men are becoming physically weaker, and this is leading to the psychological problems. But what does the research say? Before we get to …
The Warrior / Worrier HypothesisA biological explanation of stress
The following is adapted from our textbook, Stress: A Student’s Guide for IB Health Psychology. Are some people naturally more stressed than others? The Warrior / Worrier hypothesis says yes. This theory identifies the specific gene that explains stress levels. The Basic Theory How do genes affect stress? How you respond to stress could be based on your COMT gene. …
#1 Best Study Tip for IB Psych: Write Things Down
Only 3% of IB Psychologists will get a 7. That means if your goal is a 7, you need to be working harder than 97% of all other IB Psychologists. Are you? If you’ve read the other 9 exam tips, you might be. Following this final tip could be the decider. In my experience, there seems to be one factor …