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or even create board games and comic strips. The product demonstrates that the students
understand how to apply the psychological concepts and understand the concepts well
enough to teach their peers. One of my favorite postdiscussion activities involved groups
creating scale-model laboratories representing significant psychological experiments.
When it came time to review for the AP psychology exam, the models provided an excel-
lent visual reminder of the theorists. Who could forget a Ken doll posing as John Watson?
Or electrodes attached to a toy cat simulating Hobson and McCarley’s (1977) sleep exper-
iments? Appalachian State University student, Courtney Bell (personal communication,
June 21, 2007) comments on her AP psychology literature circle experience:
In small groups, I could hear what others thought about the same material, and often they would
bring such different views and thoughts on the material that I got a more clear understanding of
the theory. All bring their own experiences and their own insight to each discussion that usually
we were able to delve deeper into the material than if we simply read out of the book.
How exciting for a teacher to see students not only reading and enjoying the material but
also learning how to articulate their ideas, listen to their classmates, and create memorable
products that demonstrate an application of their knowledge.
References
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Hobson, J. A., & McCarley, R. W. (1977). The brain as a dream-state generator: An activation-
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