The Value of Teaching Psychology
The past twenty years has seen a massive expansion of psychology teaching, at many levels of education, and across the world. For many students, their psychology course is part of their general education rather than a precursor to further study, but this in itself is valuable. Psychology is a very special subject, with a unique ability to reach into everyday lives. Studying psychology offers students a unique set of educational opportunities, which go much further than just learning about interesting subject matter. But teaching psychology also involves the dissemination of psychological knowledge. A better public awareness of fundamental psychological concepts has benefits, not just for psychology teaching, but also for the psychological profession and for society as a whole.
Dr. Nicky Hayes: Biographical notes
Dr. Nicky Hayes has been actively involved in psychology teaching for 23 years. She is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society, and Honorary Life Member of the UK Association for the Teaching of Psychology, and a member of the UK Institute for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education. She is qualified both as a psychologist and as an educationalist, and in 1997 she received the British Psychological Society's Award for Distinguished Contributions to the Teaching of Psychology. She is also an active researcher, and the author of several well-known textbooks, including "Foundations of Psychology". Nicky Hayes is familiar with psychology teaching at many different levels, ranging from postgraduate to pre-degree, and has extensive experience in developing both formal and informal forms of psychological assessment.