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Let’s begin our study of this discipline by considering three Educational Psychology and Becoming a Professional Teacher professionalism and its impact on student learning are receiving increasing attention in American education. Policy makers are raising the standards for teachers and are asking te...

Let’s begin our study of this discipline by considering three Educational Psychology and Becoming a Professional Teacher professionalism and its impact on student learning are receiving increasing attention in American education. Policy makers are raising the standards for teachers and are asking teach- ers to become professionals who know and can do more (Bransford, Darling-Hammond, & Let’s see what professionalism means. Characteristics of Professionalism Definitions of professionalism vary, but most include the following characteristics A commitment to learners that includes a code of ethics The ability to make decisions in complex and ill-defined contexts Reflective practice A body of specialized knowledge , “What does it mean to be a ‘profesSional’?” Commitment to Learners Professionals also have the ability to make decisions in complex and ill-defined situations. The examples she would use The sequence of activities she would follow during the lesson Which students she would call on and the order in which she would call on them The specific questions she would ask How she would respond to students after they answered or failed to answer a question reflective practice, the process of conducting a critical self-examination of one’s teaching The accumulation of richly structured and accessible bodies of knowledge allows indi- viduals to engage in expert thinking and action. In studies of teaching, this understand- ing of expertise has led researchers to devote increased attention to teachers’ knowledge and its organization. This is the reason you’re studying educational psychology; it provides a professional knowl- edge base that will help you make decisions that maximize student learning. Pedagogical content knowledge is an understanding of how to represent topics in ways that make them understandable to learners, as well as an understanding of what makes specific top- ics easy or hard to learn Knowledge of content and pedagogical content knowledge are closely related, but they are not identical. Instructional strategies are important components of general pedagogical knowledge. Regard- less of the content area or grade level, teachers need to know how to involve students in learn- ing, check their understanding, and keep lessons running smoothly. Classroom management is a second major component of general pedagogical knowledge. All teachers need to create classroom environments that are safe, orderly, and focused on learn- ing Knowledge of learners and learning is essential, “arguably the most important knowledge a teacher can have” Exist. Developmental differences refer to differences in students’ thinking, memory, emotions, and social relationships that result from maturation and different kinds of experiences. Developmentally appropriate practice refers to instructional practices that match teacher actions to the capabilities and needs of learners at different developmental levels. The current focus on teacher knowledge and professionalism is part of a broader emphasis on Reforms Accountability is the process of requiring students to demonstrate that they have met specified standards and of holding teachers responsible for students’ performance. Research, the process of systematically gathering information in an attempt to answer professional questions, is a second important source of teacher knowledge. Research exists in many forms. In this chapter, we consider five of the most common Descriptive research Correlational research Experimental research Qualitative research Action research Descriptive research, as the term implies, uses tests, surveys, interviews, and observations to describe the status or characteristics of a situation or phenomenon A correlation is a relationship, either positive or negative, between two or more variables. on correlational research, the process of looking for relationships between variables that enables researchers to predict changes in one variable on the basis of changes in another without implying a cause–effect relationship between them.A correlation is a relationship, either positive or negative, between two or more variables