Educational Psychology: A Tool for Effective Teaching Lesson 1 PDF

EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY: A TOOL FOR EFFECTIVE TEACHING LEARNING OBJECTIVES ∙ Describe some basic ideas about the field of educational psychology. ∙ Identify the attitudes and skills of an effective teacher. ∙ Discuss why research is important to effective teaching and how educational psychologis...

EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY: A TOOL FOR EFFECTIVE TEACHING LEARNING OBJECTIVES ∙ Describe some basic ideas about the field of educational psychology. ∙ Identify the attitudes and skills of an effective teacher. ∙ Discuss why research is important to effective teaching and how educational psychologists and teachers can conduct and evaluate research.  Contents Historical 1 Background 2 Effective Teaching 3 Why Research is important  1 Historical Background  Since “Psychology” is a study of human behavior and mental processes, Educational Psychology - is the branch of psychology that specializes in understanding teaching and learning in educational settings.  Educational Psychology founded by the following pioneers: William James John Dewey E.L. Thorndike  ▪ Known for his textbook, Principles of Psychology (1890) ▪ Gave a series a lecture called “Talks to Teachers” in which he discussed about the application of Psychology to educating children ▪ Argued that laboratory psychology experiments often can’t tell us how to effectively teach children. ▪ He emphasized the importance of observing teaching and learning in William James (1842- classrooms for improving education 1910)  ▪ Established the first major educational psychology laboratory in the United States, at the University of Chicago in 1894. ▪ Argued that children learn best by doing ▪ Reasoned that children should learn how to think and adapt to a world outside school and learn how to be reflective problem solvers. ▪ Believe that all children deserve to John Dewey (1859- have a competent education 1952)  ▪ Focused on assessment and measurement ▪ Promoted the scientific foundations of learning ▪ Argued that one of schooling’s most important tasks is to hone children’s reasoning skills ▪ Promoted the idea that educational psychology must have a scientific base and should focus strongly on measurement. Edward Lee Thorndike (1874-1949) Like other disciplines, educational psychology had few ethnic minority individuals and women involved in its early history.  Pioneering African American psychologists, who conducted research on African American children’s self-conceptions and identity (Clark & Clark, 1939). Kenneth Clark - The first African American president of the American Psychological Association in 1971. Mamie and Kenneth Clark  Conducted research showing that intelligence tests were culturally biased against ethnic minority children in 1932. George Sanchez  The first individual to use the term gifted to describe children who scored exceptionally high on intelligence tests (Hollingworth, 1916). Leta Hollingworth LET’S REVIEW AND REFLECT ☺ How is Educational Psychology defined? John Dewey argued that children should not sit quietly in their seats and learn in a rote manner. Do you agree with Dewey? Why or why not? RAISE YOUR HAND! Pinalabas ng klase dahil maingay Binato ng chalk/eraser Napingot o Nasabunot Sinabihang pangit ang sulat Napalo ng yantok o ruler Pinatayo sa harapan Minura ng teacher  2 EFFECTIVE TEACHING The Truths about Teaching are.. Effective teaching is not “one size fits all.” Teachers must master a variety of perspectives and strategies and be flexible in their application Success in teaching requires the following key ingredients: (1)Professional knowledge and skills, (2)Commitment, motivation, and caring. 1. Professional Knowledge and Skills a. Subject-Matter Competence b. Instructional Strategies c. Thinking Skills d. Goal Setting and Instructional Planning e. Developmentally Appropriate Teaching Practices f. Classroom Management Skills 1. Professional Knowledge and Skills g. Motivational Skills h. Communication Skills i. Paying More Than Lip Service to Individual Variations j. Working Effectively with Students from Culturally Diverse Backgrounds k. Assessment Knowledge and Skills l. Technological Skills  a. Subject Matter Competence ▪ An effective teacher must have a deep understanding of the subject matter. ▪ This is just more than being familiar with the facts but also have the different ways on how to carry out the ideas  b. Instructional Strategies ▪ Constructivist approach - A teacher would give them opportunities to meaningfully construct knowledge and understand the material while guiding their learning (Johnson, 2010). ▪ Direct instruction approach - is a structured, teacher- centered approach characterized by teacher direction and control, high teacher expectations for students’ progress, maximum time spent by students on academic tasks, and efforts by the teacher to keep negative affect to a minimum.  c. Thinking Skills ▪ Effective teachers model and communicate good thinking skills, especially critical thinking. ▪ Critical thinking - Thinking reflectively and productively and evaluating the evidence.  d. Goal Setting and Instructional Planning ▪ Effective teachers set high goals for their teaching and organize plans for reaching those goals (Anderman & Dawson, 2011). ▪ In planning, teachers need to figure out which things students should do, when, in what order, and how. (Chapter 12, p. 399 of Educational Psychology by John Santrock)  e. Developmentally Appropriate Teaching Practices ▪ Competent teachers have a good understanding of children’s development and know how to create instruction materials appropriate for their developmental levels (Bredekamp, 2011; NAEYC, 2009).  f. Classroom Management Skills ▪ An effective teacher is keeping the class as a whole working together and oriented toward classroom tasks. ▪ Effective teachers establish and maintain an environment in which learning can occur (Jones & Jones, 2010; Mertler & Charles, 2011).  f. Classroom Management Skills ▪ The best teachers have very few discipline problems, not because they are great disciplinarians, but because they are great teachers. (Chapter 14, p. 490)  g. Motivational Skills ▪ Effective teachers have good strategies for helping students become self-motivated and take responsibility for their learning (Anderman & Dawson, 2011) ▪ Students are motivated when they can make choices in line with their personal interests. ▪ Effective teachers give them the opportunity to think creatively and deeply about projects.  h. Communication Skills ▪ Also indispensable to teaching are skills in speaking, listening, overcoming barriers to verbal communication, tuning in to students’ nonverbal communication, and constructively resolving conflicts (Hybels & Weaver, 2009). ▪ Effective teachers work to improve students’ communication skills as well.  i. Paying More Than Lip Service to Individual Variations ▪ One of the struggles of a teacher is to facilitates discussion to students with various level of intelligence, learning style, way of thinking and the like. ▪ Differentiated instruction addresses this challenge by recognizing individual variations in students’ knowledge, readiness, interests, and other characteristics, then taking these differences into account in planning curriculum and engaging in instruction (Tomlinson, 2006).  j. Working Effectively with Students from Culturally Diverse Backgrounds ▪ In this world of increasing intercultural contact, effective teachers must be knowledgeable about people from different cultural backgrounds and sensitive to their needs (Bennett, 2011; Shiraev & Levy, 2010).  k. Assessment Knowledge and Skills ▪ Assessment is a material either quiz, recitation, reflection activity etc. to evaluate student’s learning and progress. ▪ An important aspect of assessment is to make it compatible with contemporary views of learning and motivation. Chapter 16, p. 551  l. Technological Skills ▪ Students will benefit from teachers who increase their technology knowledge and skills and integrate computers appropriately into classroom learning (Newby & others, 2011; Roblyer & Doering, 2010).  2. COMMITMENT, MOTIVATION, AND CARING ▪ Commitment and motivation help get effective teachers through the tough moments of teaching. ▪ Effective teachers have confidence in their own self-efficacy, don’t let negative emotions diminish their motivation, and bring a positive attitude and enthusiasm to the classroom (Meece & Eccles, 2010). LET’S REVIEW AND REFLECT ☺ What professional knowledge and skills are required to be an effective teacher? What is most likely to make teaching rewarding for you in the long run?  3 Why Research is important? Why Research is important? Research can help you provide with valid information about the best ways to teach children and it also can make you a better teacher. (McMillan & Schumacher, 2010).  RESEARCH METHODS 1. Descriptive Research - Observation - Standardized Tests - Case Studies - Ethnographic studies - Focus groups - Personal Journals and Diaries 2. Correlational Research 3. Experimental Research 1. Descriptive Research ▪ Has the purpose of observing and recording behavior. ▪ Ex: An educational psychologist might observe the extent to which children are aggressive in a classroom or interview teachers about their attitudes toward a particular type of teaching strategy ▪ Descriptive research cannot prove what causes some phenomenon, but it can reveal important information about people’s behavior and attitudes (Stake, 2010). 1. Descriptive Research ▪ Observation - It requires knowing what you are looking for, conducting observations in an unbiased manner, accurately recording and categorizing what you see, and effectively communicating your observations (Langston, 2011; McBurney & White, 2010) 1. Descriptive Research ▪ Standardized tests -They assess students’ aptitudes or skills in different domains. Many standardized tests allow a student’s performance to be compared with the performance of other students at the same age or grade level, in many cases on a national basis (Drummond & Jones, 2010). 1. Descriptive Research ▪ Case Studies - is an in-depth look at an individual. Case studies often are used when unique circumstances in a person’s life cannot be duplicated, for either practical or ethical reasons 1. Descriptive Research ▪ Ethnographic Studies - consists of in-depth description and interpretation of behavior in an ethnic or a cultural group that includes direct involvement with the participants (Plano Clark & Creswell, 2010) 1. Descriptive Research ▪ Focus groups - people are interviewed in a group setting, usually to obtain information about a particular topic or issue (Given, 2008). These groups typically consist of five to nine people in which a group facilitator asks a series of open-ended questions 1. Descriptive Research ▪ Personal journals and diaries -Individuals may be asked to keep personal journals or diaries to document quantitative aspects of their activities (such as how frequently the individual uses the Internet) or qualitative aspects of their lives (such as their attitudes and beliefs about a particular topic or issue) (Given, 2008).  2. Correlational Research ▪ The goal is to describe the strength of the relation between two or more events or characteristics. ▪ Correlational research is useful because the more strongly two events are correlated (related or associated), the more effectively we can predict one from the other (Howell, 2010; Levin & Fox, 2011). ▪ Ex: Is there a relationship between family satisfaction and academic performance of the students?  3. Experimental Research ▪ Allows educational psychologists to determine the causes of behavior. ▪ Educational psychologists accomplish this task by performing an experiment Program Evaluation Research ▪ Research designed to make decisions about the effectiveness of a particular program (McMillan & Schumacher, 2010). ▪ It usually focuses on a specific school or school system; in which case its results are not intended to be generalized to other settings. ▪ Ex: Has the technology being used improved the student’s academic performance? Action Research ▪ Research used to solve a specific classroom or school problem, improve teaching and other educational strategies, or decide at a specific location (Johnson, Mims-Cox, & Doyle-Nichols, 2010; Mills, 2011). The Teacher-as-Researcher ▪ Is the idea that classroom teachers can conduct their own studies to improve their teaching practices (Plano Clark & Creswell, 2010).  2 types of Research 1. Quantitative - a type of research which employs numerical calculations such as survey questionnaires to obtain results. 2. Qualitative – A type of research which obtain information using descriptive measures such as interviews, case studies etc. LET’S REVIEW AND REFLECT ☺ Why is research important in educational psychology? In your own K–12 education, can you remember a time when one of your teachers might have benefited from conducting action research regarding the effectiveness of his or her own teaching methods? What action research questions and methods might have been useful to the teacher?  Reference: Santrock, John (2011). Educational Psychology. New York Asynchronous Activities Activity 1: The Best and worst characteristics of my teacher Submission is today until 8:30 pm Asynchronous Activities ▪ Have an advanced reading about our next topic which is the Chapter 2: Cognitive Language and Development