what is educational psychology?
is the discipline concerned with the study of teaching and learning.
Applies the methods and theories of psychology
total learning process
everything involved in learning including but not limited to students, teachers, the classroom and school dynamic, the nature of learning in general and the forces that contribute to it, and evaluation of learning.
Lee Shulman's (1986) definition of expert teaching
expert teachers are proficient in a variety of different knowledge areas:
-Knowledge of content
-Pedagogical content knowledge
-general pedagogical knowledge
-knowledge of learners and learning
General pedagogical knowledge
an understanding of methods that apply to many subjects.
Pedagogical content knowledge
an understanding of means for teaching specific subject matter.
What else is necessary to become and remain an expert teacher?
The ability and willingness to practice.
Reflective thinking!
reflective thinking
thoughtful and inventive, multi-directional.
Three advantages of reflective thinking:
-Helps you to better assess knowledge needed.
-You naturally become more aware of the learning environment thereby making learning easier and more enjoyable for students.
-It helps you to depend on yourself.
Descriptive research
uses surveys, interviews, or observations to describe opinions, attitudes, or events.
Correlational research
is the statistical process of looking for relationships between two or more variables. Correlation does not equal causation, though.
Experimental research
systematically manipulates variables in attempts to determine cause and effect.
Principles
summarize the results of large numbers of research studies with consistent results.
Theories
research supported explanations that help to explain principles.
Development
the orderly durable changes in an individual resulting from a combination of learning, experience, and maturation.
synaptic density levels
50% higher in four-year olds than adults.Both findings concerning neural activity suggest that early in life is an optimal time for cognitive growth and development