Educational Psychology: Effective Teaching

Educational Psychology

• Educational psychology focuses on understanding teaching and learning processes within educational settings.

Effective Teaching

• Effective teachers emphasize the method of learning over the content itself.
• Effective teachers instruct students on reading comprehension, idea formation, and critical thinking.
• Effective teachers involve students in the teaching and learning process.

Historical Background

• William James (1842-1910) emphasized the importance of observing classroom teaching to improve education, suggesting lessons should stretch a child's understanding.
• John Dewey (1859-1952) viewed the child as an active learner, advocated for quality education for all, and established the first major educational psychology lab in the U.S.
• E. L. Thorndike (1874-1949) initiated assessment and measurement in learning and believed educational psychology should have a scientific base with measurement as a central focus.
• Mamie and Kenneth Clark (1939) researched African American children's self-conceptions and identity.
• George Sanchez (1932) demonstrated cultural biases in intelligence tests against minority children.
• Leta Hollingworth (1916) first used the term "gifted" to describe students with exceptionally high intelligence test scores.

Behavioral Approach

• B. F. Skinner (1938) defined psychology as the science of observable behavior and controlling conditions.
• Programmed learning developed in the 1950s and involved reinforcing learning goals through a series of steps.

The Cognitive Revolution

• Bloom's taxonomy of cognitive skills (1950s) includes remembering, comprehending, synthesizing, and evaluating.
• Cognitive psychology (1980s) includes memory, thinking, and reasoning.

Teaching as Art and Science

• Science and the art of experienced practice both play roles in a teacher's success.
• Educational psychology draws knowledge from broader psychology theory and research, as well as educational psychologists' and teachers' experiences.
• Teaching remains an art as improvisation and spontaneity are sometimes needed outside of science.

Qualities of Effective Teachers

• Effective teachers need professional knowledge and skills.
• Effective teachers need commitment, motivation, and caring.
• Effective teachers exhibit subject-matter competence and implement appropriate instructional strategies.
• Effective teachers model and communicate good thinking skills.
• Effective teachers set high goals and organize plans for reaching those goals.
• Effective teachers create developmentally appropriate materials and activities.
• Effective teachers manage classrooms for optimal learning.
• Effective teachers use effective strategies to promote student motivation and communicate well with students and parents.
• Effective teachers provide individual attention, work effectively with students from diverse backgrounds, have good assessment knowledge, and integrate technology.
• Effective teachers have a good attitude, care about students, invest time and effort, have confidence, and bring positive attitudes and enthusiasm.

Characteristics of Best Teachers

• 79.2% of teachers have a sense of humor.
• 73.7% of teachers make the class interesting.
• 70.1% of teachers have knowledge of their subjects.
• 66.2% of teachers explain things clearly.
• 65.8% of teachers spend time helping students.
• 61.8% of teachers are fair to their students.
• 54.4% of teachers treat students like adults.
• 54.2% of teachers relate well to students.
• 51.9% of teachers are considerate of students' feelings.
• 46.6% of teachers don't show favoritism.

Characteristics of Worst Teachers

• 79.6% of teachers are dull/have a boring class.
• 63.2% of teachers don't explain things clearly.
• 52.7% of teachers show favoritism.
• 49.8% of teachers have a poor attitude.
• 49.1% of teachers expect too much from students.
• 46.2% of teachers don't relate to students.
• 44.2% of teachers give too much homework.
• 40.6% of teachers are too strict.
• 40.5% of teachers don't give individual attention.
• 39.9% of teachers lack control.

Research in Educational Psychology

• Research is important to provide valid information, objectivity, and informed expert opinions.

Descriptive Research Methods

• Observations include laboratory, naturalistic, and participant observation.
• Other methods include interviews, questionnaires, and standardized tests.
• Physiological measures, case studies, ethnographic studies, focus groups, and personal journals/diaries can be used.

Correlational Research

• Correlational research measures the strength of the relationships between two variables, but does not equal causation.

Experimental Research

• Experimental research focuses on cause versus effect using independent and dependent variables.
• Its reliable to establish cause and effect with experimental and control groups.
• Random assignment is vital in experimental research.
  • Independent variable: The influential, manipulated, and experimental factor.
  • Dependent variable: The factor that is measured in the experiment.
  • Experimental group: Experience is manipulated.
  • Control group: Experience is treated like the experimental group except for the manipulated factor.
  • Random assignment: Assigning participants to experimental and control groups by chance.

Additional Types of Research

• Program evaluation assesses the effectiveness of a program.
• Action research solves classroom or school problems.
• Teacher-as-researcher involves teachers improving their teaching practices through their own studies.

Quantitative and Qualitative Research

• Quantitative research uses numerical calculations with experimental and correlational designs.
• Qualitative research gathers descriptive information via interviews, case studies, ethnographic studies, focus groups, and personal journals.
• Mixed methods research blends different research designs or methods.