For anyone interested in learning more about teaching – researchers, teachers and grad students – all welcome! The APS Annual Convention offers a number of educational sessions on the teaching of psychological science. These sessions include the annual Teaching Institute preconference, the Society for the Teaching of Psychology Talks and the APS-David Myers Distinguished Lecture on the Science and Craft of Teaching Psychological Science.

The 2025 Teaching Institute program offers informative talks and practical advice from experts on the teaching of psychology. The Teaching Institute begins with an evening workshop on Wednesday, May 21, and continues with a day-long program on Thursday, May 22. An additional registration fee is required. Stay tuned for our exciting lineup of speakers!

All updates to teaching sessions will be posted on this webpage, so please check back regularly for comprehensive details on each session.

APS Teaching Institute

(additional registration fee required for the Teaching Institute)

Wednesday, May 21

Workshop

6:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Navigating Threats to Social Identities in the Classroom

Presenter:  Kimberly Rios, University of Illinois

In this workshop, we will discuss how multiple forms of diversity within classroom settings can be both learning opportunities and potential threats. We will complete small-group exercises related to how majority and minority group members’ identities influence their classroom experiences, and learn more about the psychological nature of identity threats.

Thursday, May 22

Opening Plenary

8:45 AM – 9:45 AM

Powerful Teaching: Unleash Learning in Your Classroom

Presenter:  Pooja Agarwal, Berklee College of Music 

Dr. Pooja K. Agarwal, cognitive scientist, associate professor, and author shares practical teaching strategies — all based on cognitive psychology research — that can be implemented in a minute or less, without additional prep time or grading. Think critically about teaching from a research-based perspective and transform students’ learning in your classroom.

AM Concurrent Sessions

10:00 am – 11:00 am

Beyond the Lab: Rethinking How We Teach Developmental Science

APS Fund for Teaching and Public Understanding of Psychological Science Session

Presenter: Sabine Doebel, George Mason University

Much teaching in developmental psychology draws on research from a narrow range of contexts, which, while valuable, skews our perceptions of what is typical or desirable in development. In this presentation, I will discuss and demonstrate engaging ways to teach child development that reflect a wider range of human behavior and experience.

Planning to attend this developmental science session? Fill out this form by April 4th to be considered for a stipend to help offset costs associated with the 2025 APS Annual Convention and the APS Teaching Institute.

The New Get Psyched Curriculum: How to Make Intro Psych Memorable With Five Pathways to Learning

Presenter: Pooja Agarwal, Berklee College of Music

Introductory Psychology has been taught the same way for decades. Lecture slides, question banks, and class activities are stale — for us and our students. Learn how to energize and revamp your Intro Psych course with five innovative pathways: Mini-Lessons, textbook-free Book Clubs, Co-LAB-orative Experiments, a Science Brief video project, and Psych Sandbox assignments.

Teaching Institute Poster Session

11:15 AM – 12:15 PM

Distinguished Lecture

1:30 PM – 2:30 PM

A Better Understanding of Job Burnout

Presenter: Christina Maslach, University of California, Berkeley

Burnout is an occupational phenomenon that results from chronic workplace stressors that have not been successfully managed. Research has identified the value of improving the match between people and their jobs by modifying these stressors. However, most intervention strategies focus only on individual coping, and ignore job improvements.

PM Concurrent Sessions

2:45 PM – 3:45 PM

Show Don’t Tell: Using Video to Diversify Teaching About Child Development

APS Fund for Teaching and Public Understanding of Psychological Science Session

Presenters:

Rick Gilmore, The Pennsylvania State University

Kasey Soska, New York University

Karen Adolph, New York University

Video reveals the richness and complexity of behavior in socio-cultural context. Databrary—the world’s only digital repository for research video—solved the hard problems of how to share identifiable videos of infant and child behavior from around the world for teaching and research purposes.

Planning to attend this developmental science session? Fill out this form by April 4th to be considered for a stipend to help offset costs associated with the 2025 APS Annual Convention and the APS Teaching Institute.

Learning About Research By Doing Research: Teaching Research Methods Through Replication Studies With The Collaborative Replication and Education Project

Presenter: Michael Andreychik, Fairfield University

The Collaborative Replication and Education Project (CREP) is a framework for supporting students’ conduct of high-quality replications of recently-published work in psychology. In this session, I will discuss how CREP works and show how instructors can use (parts of) the CREP framework for their courses or research supervision.

Closing Plenary

4:00 PM – 5:00 PM

“If you just keep pushing it away, it’s gonna be harder and harder to learn about it”: Reflections and Lessons From Students and Teachers About Discussing Race in the Classroom

Presenter: Kristia Wantchekon, Georgetown University

In the last two decades, classroom conversations about race have gone through cycles of avoidance, prominence, and now widespread legal challenge. Drawing on insights from secondary and post-secondary students and educators, this talk will explore the triumphs and tensions of classroom discourse about race and offer insights for supporting such discussion in the uncertain times ahead.

APS 2025 Teaching Sessions

(Sessions included in your APS 2025 registration)

Friday, May 23

APS-David Myers Distinguished Lecture on the Science and Craft of Teaching Psychological Science

This lecture is sponsored by the APS Fund for Teaching and Public Understanding of Psychological Science.

Know Thy Impact: Major Findings Relating to the Science and Craft of Teaching Psychological Science

Presenter: John Hattie, University of Melbourne

Society for the Teaching of Psychology (STP) Talks

The STP Talks are sponsored by the Society for the Teaching of Psychology. 

Teaching Gender / Sex Diversity

Presenter: Sari van Anders, Queen’s University

An Intro Psych Course That Matters: What Our Neighbors Need to Know

Presenter: Sue Frantz, Highline College

Registration, Hotel & Travel Information