Classroom Happenings: From Complex Ideas to Novel Presentations

Why do we act the way we do in different situations? Students in Upper School Psychology Teacher Kristen Householder’s AP Psychology class are exploring the complexities of human behavior, and they recently used unusual ways to illustrate this … with Peeps and rice!

Peeps, those squishy marshmallowy candies popular in Easter baskets, are not just for nibbling on. Ms. Householder’s students used the sugary, pastel chicks and bunnies to convey concepts that can be difficult to understand. 

“Social psychology is the study of how individuals’ thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by other people and groups, and how these processes shape experiences in social situations,” explained Ms. Householder. “In class, we discussed topics such as biases and stereotypes. I wanted my students to gain a deeper understanding of these topics, so I tasked them with creating dioramas, with Peeps taking center stage.” 

Lee Woodrum ’26 was assigned the Stanford Prison Experiment, a controversial 1971 experiment in which 24 male college students at Stanford University were randomly selected as either guards or prisoners. They were then placed in a simulated prison to play their roles. This resulted in the “guards” gaining authority while the “prisoners” lost their autonomy. Due to the rapid escalation of abuse that the students who played the role of prisoners were subjected to, the experiment ended after six days.

Lee based her Peeps diorama on a famous black-and-white photo from the Stanford Prison Experiment in which two “guards” surround a “prisoner.” Lee said, “I chose to recreate this scene with Peeps as the characters in a jail setting.” Flickering lights (battery-operated candles) complete the eerie scene. 

One of the requirements of the assignment was that students could not write the concept of their project on the dioramas. This allowed them to view each other’s dioramas in class and try to guess the correct term or concept based on the scenario.

The Rice Baby project allowed students to engage with the AP Psychology development unit in a new and innovative way. Students created their own “babies” out of socks, fabric, and pom poms, and were responsible for carrying and caring for them over seven days. Throughout the project, they applied key developmental theories — such as Erikson’s psychosocial stages and Piaget’s cognitive development stages — to scenarios they designed involving their child. 

“Because much of psychology focuses on the application of concepts, this project provided an opportunity for students to deepen their understanding of the content,” noted Ms. Householder. 

Both projects allowed students to use their imagination to design scenarios that clearly illustrated specific concepts, and both align with Steward's core values of individuality and innovation.

“These kinds of hands-on projects help me learn AP Psych concepts because they test you on the concepts in an innovative, engaging way,” said Lee. “You turn into an active learner.” 

“Students had a lot of fun with these assignments,” said Ms. Householder. “This was also a refreshing break from straight lecture-based instruction! Because so much of AP Psychology focuses on applying terms and concepts to real-life scenarios, the Peeps and Rice Baby projects provided perfect opportunities for meaningful practice.”