Educational Psychology: Theory and Practice Chapter 1 A Foundation for Teaching This multimedia product and its contents are protected under copyright law. The following are prohibited by law: any public performance or display, including transmission of any image over a network; preparation of any derivative work, including the extraction, in whole or in part, of any images; any rental, lease, or lending of the program. ISBN:0-205-37338-0 Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2003

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 Laboratory Experiments

Internal and External Validity Field Experiments

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

Research + Common Sense = Effective Teaching 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