The goal of our Practical Psychology sequence is for students to gain a working understanding of their brains in order to better navigate their lives.

All Rock Creek students take a Practical Psychology class where they learn scientifically-evidenced practices for managing their own lives and relating to others. This class meets once a week throughout all four years of middle school. While we teach social emotional learning, we go far beyond it, drawing on insights from across psychology, from behavioral economics, and from evolutionary biology. Practical Psychology teaches students useful tools and strategies to help students learn more effectively, procrastinate less, and make good decisions. Students also learn research-based strategies to help them manage negative feelings, develop a positive sense of identity, and build strong and healthy relationships. 

In middle school, the sequencing of our Practical Psychology program aligns with students’ development. 

In 5th & 6th grade, we focus on teaching foundational knowledge and skills to help students become individuals who thrive. We pull from cognitive science to help students master research-backed practices to help them learn efficiently, build productive habits, and manage challenges like anxiety & procrastination. Students also learn what we know scientifically about the determinants of wellbeing–for example, examining the connection between our bodies and minds. They audit & rework their schedules from the perspective of wellbeing, experimenting with adding practices that have been demonstrated to enhance wellbeing such as spending time outdoors and meditating. 

In 7th & 8th grade, we focus on teaching foundational knowledge and skills to help students thrive interpersonally, and the curriculum is designed to support students as they mature and their interior lives become more complex. In a unit on the Science of Social Connection, students learn insights from social, evolutionary, and clinical psychology about why human connection matters and how to form stronger and healthier relationships. As part of this, they learn from research on boundaries, rejection, and resilience. Students apply what they are learning to their own lives, completing a project that increases social connection. In the unit on Identity & Prejudice, students learn about identity formation, tribalism, and prejudice. Students again apply what they are learning to their own lives, completing a project that will improve something (maybe even the school itself!) using the insights from this unit. And in Decision-Making, students learn about the two primary ways we make decisions, about the role of emotions in decision-making, and about cognitive biases that influence our decision-making. They are introduced to the concept of choice architecture and complete a project where they implement it in their lives.

Our approach to Practical Psychology helps students internalize its insights for the long-term.

We don’t just teach concepts and skills, we have students build a practice of applying them in their lives. At the end of each Practical Psychology class, students have time for reflection, writing and then sharing about how they will apply what they learned over the next week. At the beginning of the next class a week later, students share how it went. They then set next steps for how they’ll adjust as they implement again for a second week before moving into the week’s new content. Consequently, the class doesn’t just build knowledge, it builds the habits of applying knowledge and tinkering with your approach to life and work. This equips students with ideas and skills they can use to better navigate their lives long after the class ends, throughout their lives. 

Practical Psychology makes students our witting co-conspirators in creating an effective education and a vibrant school culture. 

The concepts and skills of Practical Psychology that we teach our students are the same ones we use to design our school and classes. This means that as we teach them to students, they will be able to genuinely collaborate with us on ways we could improve the school. While some would be overwhelmed by this, at Rock Creek, we welcome it. It is the difference between a team where only the captain has all the information to make good decisions and a team where everyone has all the information to make good decisions. There are many ways the latter beats the former and very few where former beats the latter. At Rock Creek, we are a team where all teachers, students, and staff will have the knowledge to be able to make suggestions to improve our design and operations. Practical Psychology is a big piece of the puzzle. 

Practical Psychology develops agency.

The Practical Psychology program equips students to navigate the uneven terrain of life–both within their heads and in the outside world. Whether it’s better managing a tendency to procrastinate or getting themselves to exercise or socialize when they don’t feel like it because they know how much these practices contribute to wellbeing, Practical Psychology doesn’t just teach students what works, it helps them construct lives that work, lives they find meaningful.