Unit 1 Flashcards
Concept and foundations of educational psychology - professional profile and functions of the educational psychologist
What is psychology?
it is the scientific study of people, minds, behavior and mental processes
What is educational psychology?
the brand of psychology that specializes in understanding the teaching and learning process in educational settings.
Why is educational psychology important for educators?
it provides insights, knowledge and practical theories that help tackle day-to-day issues encountered in teaching
How is educational psychology distinct as a discipline?
utilizes it’s own theories, research methods and techniques
What do educational psychologists do?
research learning and teaching, and work to improve educational policy and practice.
-> provide guiding principles for teachers to make informed decisions rather than direct instructions.
What is the objective of an educational psychologist?
to reflect on and intervene in human behavior within educational settings by developing the capacities of individuals, groups, and institutions.
-> address all psychological processes that affect learning or stem from it.
What is the relationship between psychology and educational psychology?
- nurtures from basic psychology
- enriches basic psychology
How does educational psychology nurture from basic psychology?
methods, concepts, theories and empirical research
How does educational psychology enriches basic psychology?
by giving explanations and theories to human behavior in educational contexts
What are the most specific functions of the educational psychologist?
- Assessment
- Psychological Counseling
What is Assessment?
Diagnosis in Educational Contexts -> Detection of Disfunction/problems -> Dyslexia, Anorexia, ADHD, ASK, high abilities, school climate, family
What is Psychological Counseling?
for students, parents, teachers and educational authorities
-> Students: intellectual, social, affective
-> Educational Authorities: decision making
What do sociologists analyze to understand behavior in educational psychology?
Sociologists use data to understand behavior at different levels and their interconnections, using micro, meso, and macro-level analysis.
What is the Micro System?
Small Systems - families, relationships, individuals
What is the Meso System?
Medium Systems - organizations, communities, political parties, ethnic groups
What is the Macro System?
Large Systems - Nations, Legal Systems, Economies
What are School, Societies and Family in the Systems?
Micro - Family
Meso - School
Macro - Societies
What is the curriculum?
Lessons and assessments that will be taught in an educational institution by a teacher
What does the success of teaching depend on?
The combination of what teachers know and how they convey that knowledge effectively to their students
What do teachers try every day?
to change the human brain
-> the more they know about how they learn, the more successful they can be
What is the role of educational psychologists in the professional collective?
- represent one of the largest areas within the professional collective
- focusing on improving educational outcomes
- supporting student well-being
What are key functions of a school counselor?
Academic Guidance
Emotional and Social Support
Career Guidance
Crisis Intervention
Conflict Resolution
What is ‘false learning’ and what does it illustrate about teaching?
‘False Learning’ refers to the phenomenon where students may memorize information without truly understanding it.
-> illustrates the importance of asking questions that promote deeper understanding rather than rote memorization.
Who are the founders of educational psychology?
was founded by several pioneers in the late 19th century, including:
William James (1842-1910)
John Dewey (1859-1952)
E.L. Thorndike (1874-1949)
What were William James’s contributions to Educational Psychology?
- launched first psychology textbook
- lecture: talk to teachers
- importance of observing teaching and learning in the classroom in order to improve education
What was William James recommendation?
start the lesson at a point just beyond the child’s level of knowledge to stretch the child’s mind
What were John Dewey’s key ideas in Educational Psychology?
- viewed children as active learners (better learning through doing)
- education should help children adapt to their environment + reflective problem solvers
- all children deserve competent education
Who established the first educational psychology laboratory in the USA?
John Dewey
What were E.L. Thorndike’s contributions to Educational Psychology?
- focus on assessment and measurement of learning (scientific basis)
- one of key tasks is to develop children’s reasoning skills
- conducted detailed scientific studies on teaching and learning (should be grounded in scientific measurement
Who argued that children should not sit quietly in their seats and learn in a rote manner?
John Dewey
Can good teaching be taught?
Yes.
What do Borman and Kimball say about teaching?
there are behaviors and skills that define an exceptional teacher
What do Ball and Forzani (2010) say about the principles of good teaching?
good teaching has to be observed and practiced but there are principles of good teaching that teachers need to know
What is an example of effective classroom management by a teacher?
In a high school math class, a teacher notices two students whispering at the back. Without disrupting the lesson, the teacher walks towards them, prompting them to stop whispering and focus. This proactive approach resolves minor behavioral issues before they escalate.
what are the 3 effective teaching principles?
- intentional teacher
- 21st century skills
- common core standards
What does it mean to be an intentional teacher?
doing things for a reason, on purpose
-> they constantly think about the outcomes
what does an intentional teacher know?
that maximum learning does not happen by chance
what must an intentional teacher have?
goals and a purpose, they must be reflective and flexible
What do intentional teachers use?
a wide variety of teaching methods, experiences, tasks, materials
-> ensures that children are achieving diverse cognitive objectives
-> love for learning, respect for others, personal responsibility
How do beliefs about intelligence influence teaching?
Teachers who believe that success is due to children’s innate intelligence, or other factors beyond teachers’ influence will not teach in the same way as those who believe their efforts are key to children’s learning.
What are 21st century skills?
The educators focus on teaching skills, attitudes, and ways of working.
What experiences do students need for 21st Century Skills?
Working in groups, solving problems, critical reading and thinking creatively
Which educational philosophies support 21st Century Skills?
John Dewey’s philosophy and others from the early 20th century.
What are the Common Core State Standards?
Standards adopted by many states in the USA to ensure consistent education.
What skills do Common Core And College-and Career-ready Standards according to Kendall, 2011 emphasize?
Flexibility, creative problem solving, ability to use technology and to participate in active discussions in one-to-one, small groups and whole class settings
What is the focus on in Common Core State Standards?
writing, speaking, and argumentation in small groups
What is subject-matter competence?
The ability to work with facts, terms and concepts in a specific discipline
How do teachers organize ideas in subject-matter competence?
By building connections among concepts to enhance understanding.
What is developed in the subject-matter competence?
new ways of thinking and arguing within a discipline
How do teachers apply knowledge across disciplines?
By carrying ideas from one discipline to another to enrich learning.
What is the teacher’s commitment in subject-matter competence?
To be dedicated to students and their learning.
What responsibilities do teachers have regarding student learning?
To manage and monitor student learning effectively.
How are teachers viewed in learning communities?
members of learning communities
In Instructional Strategies there are 2 approaches, which ones?
Constructivist approach and Direct instruction approach
What is the constructivist approach in teaching?
A strategy where individuals actively construct their own knowledge through exploration and critical thinking.
-> learner-centered approach
What characterizes the direct instruction approach?
The teacher directs and controls the student’s learning process, often using structured lessons.
-> teacher-centered approach, structured
How does the learner-centered approach differ?
It encourages children to explore their world and discover knowledge with the teacher’s guidance
What are open classrooms?
Learning environments where students are encouraged to think critically and reflect on their experiences.
What is a key expectation of effective teachers towards their students?
They have high expectations for students’ knowledge and promote maximum time spent on academic tasks.
How do many effective teachers operate?
They often combine both constructivist and direct instruction approaches to meet diverse learning needs.
What is an example for using both approaches?
Case of reading disorder -> direct instruction approach
What are critical thinking skills?
thinking reflectively and productively
What qualities should be possessed for effective critical thinking?
being open-minded and curious yet being careful to avoid making mistakes
What do competent teachers understand about children’s development?
They understand children’s development and how to create instructional materials that match their developmental levels.
Name a common disorder that can affect learning.
ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder)
What is selective mutism?
A language disorder (child can’t speak in certain situations)
What is ASD?
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Name two mental health issues that can impact learning
Anxiety and depression
What are the main classroom management skills?
- Keeping the class as a whole working together
- establishing rules and procedures
- organizing groups
- Monitoring classroom activities
- handling misbehavior
What are motivation skills in education?
Helping students develop self-motivation and responsibility towards their learning processes.
How can educators provide motivation?
By offering real-world learning opportunities that are optimally challenging and novel for each student.
When do students become motivated (intrinsic-extrinsic)?
when they can make choices in line with their personal interests
-> giving them the opportunity to think creatively
What is essential in communication skills?
having good speaking and listening skills
- verbal communication
- understanding nonverbal communication
- keeping criticism at minimum
- having an assertive communication style
what is an assertive communication style?
Instead of aggressive or passive
-> speak rather ‘with’ students than ‘to’ students
What does it mean to work effectively with students from culturally diverse backgrounds?
effective teachers are well-informed about people from different cultural backgrounds and are sensitive to their needs
-> also encouraging students to have positive contacts with diverse students
What is assessment knowledge in education?
understanding how to evaluate students learning effectively by considering students individual differences
What is differentiated instruction?
Adapting teaching to meet individual variations in knowledge, readiness, interests and other characteristics
Can technology support learning?
Technology alone does not necessarily enhance students ability to learn but it can be a support
What are downsides of the use of technology?
- Bad use of the computer
- it is not free
- ignorance
- no attendance
What are upsides of the use of technology?
- Easier and faster access to knowledge.
- Groups and forums to help each other.
- Inclusion: children who on certain occasions cannot
go to the classroom and watch it online.
What are some characteristics of the ‘best’ teacher?
- sense of humor
- interesting classes
- knowledge over subject
- explain things clearly
etc.
what are some characteristics of the ‘worst’ teacher?
- dull/have boring class
- don’t explain clearly
- show favoritism toward students
- poor attitude
- expect too much
etc…
It is said, that experience is the best teacher. How valid are these conclusions?
- we are not objective if we base information only on observations and personal opinion
- not every expert agrees on the same subject
- this is why we NEED research!
What are the 3 basic research methods in educational psychology?
Descriptive, Correlational, Experimental
What purpose does descriptive research have?
the purpose of observing and recording behavior
can descriptive research prove the cause of a phenomenon?
no, but it reveals important information about peoples behavior
Is watching the things around us (observation) the same analysis used by scientific method?
No
What kind of observation is there?
Laboratory observation
Naturalistic observation
Participant observation
What is laboratory observation?
controlled setting from which many of the factors of the real world have been removed
-> gain more control but is artificial
what are up and downsides of laboratory observation?
Upsides: accurate, reliable and efficient
Downside: artificial
What is naturalistic observation?
The behavior is observed in the real world
What are limitations of naturalistic observation?
it is not accurate
What is participant observation?
observer-researcher is actively involved as a participant in the activity or setting
what are limitations of the participant observation?
it is slow and subjective
In Descriptive Research there are 3 kind of assessments. Which ones?
Standardized tests, physiological measures and case studies
What are standardized tests?
Tests with uniform procedures for administration and scoring, used to assess students’ performance and compare it to peers.
Examples: Tests assessing intelligence, personality and career interest
What are physiological measures in research?
tools used to assess children’s development
-> neuroimaging for brain activity or heart rate measures for anxiety
what is a case study?
In-depth analysis of a unique individual
-> may not be generalized to others due to distinct experiences
What is the goal in Correlational Research?
describe the strength of the relationship between two or more events or characteristics
Why is correlational research useful?
The more strongly two events are correlated (related or associated), the more effectively we can predict one from the other (anxiety-isolation).
does correlation by itself equal causation?
No!
What does it suggest when researchers find out that low-involved, permissive teaching is correlated with a students lack of self-control?
it suggests, that low-involved, permissive teaching MIGHT be one source of the lack of self-control BUT! it is not the cause.
-> other factors can be involved in correlation and backward
What is the goal of experimental research?
It allows educational psychologyists to determine the cause of behavior
What is the procedure of experimental research?
conducting an experiment
-> carefully regulated procedure
-> one or more factors believed to influence behavior being studied is manipulated, all others are constant (independent, dependent variable)
what is the independent variable?
The manipulated, influential, experimental factor
-> CAUSE
What is the dependent variable?
the factor measured in an experiment (can change as independent variable is being manipulated)
What is the IV and DV in this example:
Hypothesis: mindfulness sessions (__) decrease students anxiety levels (__)?
mindfulness sessions: IV
anxiety levels: DV
In experimental research there are different groups, which ones?
The experimental group
The control group
Random assignment
What is random assignment in research?
The process of assigning participants to experimental and control groups by chance to ensure unbiased distribution.
What is quantitative research?
Research involving numerical calculations, experimental and correlational methods, and statistical analysis of data from observations, interviews, surveys, and standardized tests.
What is qualitative research?
Research that uses descriptive methods such as interviews, case studies, ethnographic studies, focus groups, and personal diaries without statistical analysis.
What are mixed methods?
they use both, quantitative and qualitative research
What is the Marshmallow experiment? Who conducted it?
a classic study in psychology conducted by Walter Mischel in the late 1960s and early 1970s
What is the marshmallow experiment aimed to?
to understand the concept of delayed gratification and its implications for self-control and success in life
What happens in the marshmallow experiment?
Children from 4-6 placed in a room with single marshmallow
- they can eat it right away but if they wait, they get second marshmallow
What are the key findings of the marshmallow experiment?
- some immediately ate the marshmallow (unable to resist temptation for immediate pleasure)
- others tried various strategies to resist temptation
- smaller group managed to delay gratification successfully
what are long-term implications of the marshmallow experiment?
- Those who were able to delay gratification in the experiment tended to have better life outcomes, including higher academic achievements and better social skills.
- The ability to delay gratification was linked to improved self-control and the capacity to manage stress and frustration.
