learning, teaching, and educational psychology

Educational Psychology, 11th EditionISBN 0137144547

© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.All rights reserved.

Learning, Teaching, and Educational Psychology

Chapter 1

Educational Psychology, 11th EditionAnita Woolfolk0137144547

© 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.All Rights Reserved.2

The Role of Psychology in Education

I. Learning and Teaching TodayII. What is Good Teaching?III. The Role of Educational

PsychologyIV. Preview: Theories for

Educational PsychologyV. Diversity and Convergences



What Would You Do? Read “What Would You Do?” on p. 3

What would you do to help all your students to progress and prepare for the testing?

How would you use the intern so that both she and your students learn?

How could you involve the families of your non-English speaking students and students with learning disabilities to support their children’s learning?



Big Questions Who are the students in today’s classrooms? What is the No Child Left Behind Act? Does teaching matter? What is good teaching? What are the greatest concerns of beginning

teachers? Why should I study educational psychology? What roles to theory and research play in this field? Describe three families of theories explaining

learning and development and three issues that run through these theories.



Learning and Teaching Dramatic Diversity: Students Today

Have many different backgrounds Come from diverse families Face difficult challenges Many have disabilities

Teachers are less diverse 91% are white



No Child Left Behind Reauthorization of Elementary and Secondary

School Act of 1965 All students in grades 3-8 must take

standardized tests once per year All students must take one standardized test in

high school AYP- Adequate Yearly Progress Schools must report results separately for

groups such as minorities and students with disabilities



Do Teachers Make a Difference?

Teacher-Student Relationships “The association between the quality

of early teacher-child relationships and later school performance can be both strong and persistent”

The Cost of Poor Teaching Less effective teaching can contribute

to lower academic gains



What is good teaching? A science, or an art? Are teachers

sages on stages or guides on the side? Teachers must be knowledgeable and

inventive Use a range of strategies Use research-based strategies for

managing classes Flexibility Knowledgeable about your students



Beginning Teachers Concerns

Classroom management Motivating students Accommodating students with differences Evaluating student work Dealing with parents Getting along with other teachers

Difference between new and experienced teacher:

New teacher- “How am I doing?” Experienced teacher- “How are the students doing?”

Educational psychology provides new teachers the foundation they need



Role of Educational Psychology

Educational Psychology and teaching Began with early educators and

psychologists observing children in classrooms

Educational Psychology today Research on teaching and learning Child/adolescent development Motivation Others?



Educational Psychology Is it just common sense?

How do we find answers to many of our most pressing challenges in the classroom?

Often, we rely on common sense responses that may not serve students well.

Educational psychology is a field dedicated to the scientific study of teaching and learning.



Using Research Descriptive Studies

Survey results Interview responses Video or audio of classroom

interactions Correlation Studies

Ask: what is the relation between two variables?



Using Research Experimental Studies

Random assignment Cause and effect

Single-Subject Experimental Designs Examines the impact of an intervention

Microgenetic Studies Study cognitive processes in the midst

of change



Using Research The role of time in research

Short term observations Longitudinal studies

Teachers as researchers Action research (problem-solving

investigation)



Using Scientific Research NCLB- educational programs and

practices receiving federal funds must be based on “scientific research” Observations or experiments Valid and reliable data Clearly described and repeatable Must be peer reviewed



Theories for Teaching Theory: “an interrelated set of concepts

that is used to explain a body of data and to make predictions about the results of future experiments”

Principles and theories are both useful- Principles will help you with specific

problems Theories will provide new ways of

thinking about problems



Theory Preview Jean Piaget

‘Natural’ cognitive development Lev Vygotsky

Sociocultural Theory Sigmund Freud

Dream analysis, sex and aggression Erik Erikson

Psychosocial theory



Contextual Theories Lev Vygotsky-

Zone of proximal development Development within the context of

human interaction Urie Bronfenbrenner-

Bioecological model for development Many diverse contexts for

development



Diversity and Convergences Students are increasingly diverse, while teachers

remain primarily white and middle class.

Diverse approaches to research can address a variety of problems.

No Child Left Behind seeks to close the gap between high achieving and low achieving students. Is it working? If not, how would you fix it?

learning, teaching, and educational psychology

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