Chapter 1 Educational Psychology/Reflective Practice

Themes of the Chapter

Learning how to understand learners and to promote their learning helps teachers feel more comfortable and successful. Students are diverse and some have special needs Theory and research play major roles in educational psychology and reflective practice

Guiding Questions

What is educational psychology? What primary concerns do beginning teachers have? What is reflective teaching, and how is it different from technical teaching? How can teachers recognize, adapt, and respond to diverse learners and students with special needs? How do educational psychologists use theory and research?

Missions of Educational Psychology

Enhance theoretical knowledge of basic psychological processes Improve educational practice

Learning

A relatively permanent change in behavior or knowledge as a result of experience

Teaching

One persons interpersonal effort to help others acquire knowledge, develop skill, and realize their potential

What Expert Teachers Know

Broad and deep subject matter knowledge How-to instructional strategies Knowledge about learning environments Knowledge about educational materials

Concerns of Beginning Teachers

Classroom discipline Motivating students Special needs Assessment and grading

Teaching Efficacy

A teachers judgment of, or confidence in, his or her capacity to cope with the teaching situation in ways that bring about desired outcomes

Teaching Efficacy Categories

Efficacy for classroom management Efficacy for student engagement Efficacy for instructional strategies

Examples of Statements of Efficacy

Classroom management: I can prevent behavior problems in the classroom. Student engagement: I can develop interesting tasks that students will enjoy.
Instructional strategies: I can teach writing very well.

Metaphors for Teaching

Entertainer Coach Lion tamer Choreographer Party host

Circus master Traffic cop Ship captain Air traffic controller

What Would They Say?

Give examples of how teachers might describe their teaching if they adopted the metaphor of teacher as:

Entertainer Coach Lion tamer Choreographer Party host

Circus master Traffic cop Ship captain Air traffic controller

Benefits of Having Metaphors for Teaching

Facilitates reflection Serves as a standard for self-evaluation Helps initiate desired changes in teaching

Two Modes of Teaching

Technical teaching: Teaching situation is predictable and calls for routine action

Classroom experience>Constructive learning experience

Reflective teaching: Teaching situation is surprising and calls for conjectures, information gathering, and decision-making.

Knowledge about teaching and learning> Constructive learning experience

Model for Reflective Teaching: RIDE

Reflection Information gathering Decision making Evaluation

Your Turn

Ms Newby is afraid that she will not be able to handle students misbehaviors

How might she solve this problem using the RIDE model?

Diverse Learners

Response to diversity Equality Accommodation

Instruction for Students with Special Needs

Individualize instruction Rely on direct and explicit instructional practices Meticulously arrange or structure the learning environment Provide external supports, such as calculators, tape-recorded textbooks, adaptive furniture, special lighting or acoustics Closely monitor students progress and provide systematic feedback Teach skill-based strategies, such as how to generate questions while reading

Theory

Why is theory important?

An intellectual framework that organizes a vast amount of knowledge about a phenomenon so that educators can understand and explain better the nature of that phenomenon

Why is Research Important?

Provides evidence that assists teachers make appropriate choices in the classroom

Research Methods

Descriptive studies
Correlational studies Experimental studies Action research

Descriptive Studies

A research method used to describe the educational situation as it naturally occurs what typically happens, how teachers teach, and how students learn and develop Example research question: How do Ms. Newby organize the physical layout of her classroom?

Correlational Studies

A research method used to measure two naturally occurring variables and summarize the nature and magnitude of their relationship in numerical form Example research question: How is measured intelligence related to school achievement?

Experimental Studies

A research method used to test for a cause-and-effect relationship between two variables Example research question: Is reading program A better than reading program B for teaching first graders to read?

Action Research

A research method carried out by teachers in their own classrooms to inform and refine their personal theories of teaching and classroom learning Example research question: Do I ask boys more questions than I ask girls?

What Kind of Research?

I want to decide if boys in the 6th grade benefit more from cooperative learning than girls? I want to decide if completion of homework is associated with better achievement I want to examine the number of errors present in the 8th grade science book I want Maria to tell me about her experiences in solving a math problem?

Critical Thinking of Teachers

Supplement their subjective ways of knowing with objective, data-based ways of knowing and go beneath the surface of their idea

Guiding Questions Revisited

What is educational psychology? What primary concerns do beginning teachers have? What is reflective teaching, and how is it different from technical teaching? How can teachers recognize, adapt, and respond to diverse learners and students with special needs? How do educational psychologists use theory and research?