Educational Psychology:
Effective Teaching,
Effective Learning
3^rd Edition
Elliott, et. al.

Chapter One Outline

CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS

Education Psychology

• Educational psychology is the application of psychology and psychological methods to the study of learning and teaching.
  
  
• Educational psychology is a broad discipline that focuses on the interaction of human development, cognitive science, instructional methods, measurement and assessment.

So You Want To Teach

• Teachers have their own unique expectations as they enter the classroom.
  
  
• Novice teachers ask several key questions about their beginning days.
  
  
• Research on effective teachers has revealed consistent indicators that associate several behaviors or practices with good teaching. These include: lesson clarity, instructional variety, task involvement, careful use of praise, consistent classroom guidelines, and periodic feedback about learning.

What Teachers Need To Know

• Teachers need three types of knowledge: teaching knowledge, subject matter knowledge, and teaching subject matter knowledge.
  
  
• Teaching knowledge refers to the principles and strategies of subjects.
  
  
• Good teachers are masters of their subjects.
  
  
• Teaching subject matter knowledge refers to the best manner of presenting content.
  
  
• Good teachers display the characteristics of both artist and scientist.

Important Topics in Educational Psychology Today

• Educational psychology has maintained its vitality by addressing important and practical issues, three of which are constructivism, diversity, and out-of-school influences.
  
  
• Constructivism refers to the manner in which students construct their personal views of the world.
  
  
• Effective teachers have learned to capitalize on the diversity in their classrooms and to design instructional environments that accommodate a wide range of learners with varying backgrounds and experiences.
  
  
• For students to achieve their maximum potential, teachers should be aware of the impact of out-of-school experiences.

Themes for Organizing and Building Knowledge of Educational Psychology

• The five core themes of educational psychology offer practical guidance and help to teachers. These themes focus on communication skills, understanding of the learning process, motivating learners, using time well, and using assessment methods to provide feedback to students and educators.