Educational Psychology:

Theory and Practice

Chapter 1
Educational Psychology:
A Foundation for Teaching
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ISBN:0-205-37338-0
 Organizing Questions

 What Makes a Good Teacher?

 What Is the Role of Research in
Educational Psychology?
 What Research Methods Are Used in
Educational Psychology?
 What Makes a Good Teacher?

 Knowing the Subject Matters

 Mastering Teaching Skills
 Can Good Teaching Be Taught?
 The Intentional Teacher
 Knowing the Subject Matters

Good teachers know

subject matter well
and are prepared
with a variety of
examples that bring
lessons to life.
 Mastering Teaching Skills

 Managing the Classroom

 Assessing Prior Knowledge
 Motivating Students
 Accounting for Learner Characteristics
 Mastering Teaching Skills

 Assessing Learning Outcomes

 Reviewing Information
 Communicating Ideas Effectively
 Can Good Teaching Be Taught?
“An outstanding teacher
does nothing that any
other teacher cannot also
do—it is just a question
of knowing the
principles of effective
teaching and how to
apply them.” (p. 5)
 Determinants of good teaching

 Self-Knowledge and Self-Regulation

 Decision Making
 Reflection
 Application of Education Research
 Components of Good Teaching

 Knowledge of the Subject and Teaching

Resources
 Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving
Skills
 Knowledge of Students and their
Learning
 Teaching and Communication Skills
 The Intentional Teacher

“Intentional teachers are

those who are constantly
thinking about the
outcomes they want for
their students and about
how each decision they
make moves children
toward those outcomes.”
(p.7)
Characteristics of the Intentional Teacher

 Purposeful Lesson Plans

 Experiments with Novel Techniques
that Arouse Student Curiosity
 Accounts for Multiple Ability Levels
 Uses Class Time Wisely
Characteristics of the Intentional Teacher

 Teacher Efficacy
 Open to Criticism
 Reflective
 The (Un)Intentional Teacher

“…there are teachers

with twenty years of
experience and there
are teachers with one
year of experience 20
times.” (p. 9)
Research in Educational Psychology
The goal of research in
educational psychology
is to test ideas about
factors believed to
contribute to learning.
 Educational Psychology Researchers

 Test Ideas Using Sound Research

Methodology
 Discover or Refine Principles and
Theories that Enhance Predictability and
Control in Educational Settings
 The Experimental Method

 Laboratory Experiments
 Field Experiments
 Single-case Experiments
Internal and External Validity

E
I X
N Laboratory T
T Experiments E
E R
R N
N A
A L
L
Internal and External Validity

I E
N X
T Field T
E Experiments E
R R
N N
A A
L L
Characteristics of Experimental Research

 Random Assignment
 Experimental Group
 Control Group

 An Attempt to Equalize All Factors

Except the Treatment for the
Experimental and Control Groups
 Establishes Cause and Effect
 Creates Artificial Conditions
 Correlation Method
 Calculates Relations Between Variables As
They Naturally Occur
 Positive correlation (greater than zero but less than
or equal to 1)
 Negative correlation (less than zero but greater than
or equal to –1)
 No correlation (equal to zero)
 Does Not Establish Cause and Effect
 Correlation Method Examples

 Positive Correlation
 Hours of Study Per Week and Grades
 Negative Correlation
 Days Absent and Grades
 No Correlation
 Math Achievement in Virginia is Probably
Unrelated to Achievement Motivation in
California.
 Descriptive Research

 Survey Method
 Interview
 Ethnography
 Descriptive Research Methods

 Provides Rich Detail

 Works with Natural Situations
 May Lack Scientific Objectivity
 Action Research
 A Particular Form of Descriptive
Research Carried Out by Educators in
their Own Classrooms or Schools
 Can Provide Deeper Insight from
Front-Line Teachers than Research
Conducted by Outsiders
 Lacks Objectivity
 Teacher Wisdom
“…it is best to apply the [research]
principles with a hefty dose of common
sense and a clear view of what is being
taught to whom and for what purpose.” (p.
15)

Research + Common Sense = Effective

Teaching
End of Chapter 1