3. Learning Reflection . . .
One of the first things that we will do is to
explore your thoughts on educational
psychology and learning in general.
At our first class meeting, we will get you
started on completing your first Learning
Reflection.
We will think about questions like these:
4. Learning Reflection . . .
What is learning?
How do you know when it happens? How do you
measure it?
What are some characteristics of effective teachers?
Ineffective teachers?
Is content knowledge enough? (In other words, would
someone who knows everything there is to know
about chemistry make a good teacher?)
Are teachers born or made?
What is educational psychology? Why should we
study it?
5. Being an “Intentional” Teacher
Robert Slavin, our textbook author, has
coined the phrase “intentional teaching”,
which is worthy of our attention.
Intentionality: Doing an activity or lesson for
a reason. Involves critical thinking and
asking guiding/planning questions.
6. Being an “Intentional” Teacher
Intentional teachers ask themselves:
What am I trying to accomplish?
What are my students’ needs and
experiences?
What approaches/resources are available to
challenge all of my students?
How will I know if my students learned or if
they need modifications?
7. One more question:
Are these the same thing?
What the teacher is teaching
What the students are learning
8. Let’s practice what we’ve
covered so far & pretend…
You are a fourth grade teacher teaching a
lesson on state capitals.
What questions would you ask yourself
before you write your lesson plan?
What kinds of decisions would you need to
make?
9. What is “educational psychology?”
Educational psychology is
the study of learners, learning, and
teaching.
the accumulated knowledge, wisdom, and
theories that teachers possess to solve
their problems & challenges in teaching.
10. Why study educational psychology?
Good teaching =
RESEARCH + Common Sense/Practice
Effects of research on education:
Affects state legislatures
Curriculum writing
Professional development
School structures
11. What research methods are used in
educational psychology?
Please review chapter 1 for more in-depth information
on the following research methods:
Core methods used in collecting educational
psychology data…
Experiments
Correlational studies
Descriptive studies
Action Research
12. Experiments
Experiment – a carefully regulated
procedure in which one or more of the
factors believed to influence the behavior
being studied is manipulated and all other
factors are held constant.
Experimental group Control group
Peer Tutoring Nothing, no change
13. Correlational & Descriptive Studies
Correlational Study – a study that describes the
relationship(s) of variables as they naturally
occur.
Descriptive Studies – study that identifies and
gathers detailed information about something
of interest (e.g. surveys, interviews,
questionnaires)
14. Action Research
Method used by most teachers
Action Research – research carried out by
teachers and/or administrators to solve a
specific classroom or school problem or
improve teaching or other educational
strategies.
15. Any questions?
Please see chapter 1 for more information or
ask a classmate or the instructor.
Here’s to a great semester!
