PSY 2420—Educational Psychology
Three Semester Hours
ST 9/13
Prerequisites
University Requisite: PSY 101D or 1010, general psychology, or an equivalent. WARNING: not EDCI 2700 or EDTE 2000
Course Overview
Applications of psychological theories and models to educational settings (emphasis on schools). Major topics include goals of education; cognitive, social, and affective development in children; cognitive and behavioral models of learning; motivation; individual differences; effects of social class, ethnicity, gender, and cultural deprivation on learning and development; tests and evaluation. Emphasis is on the role of teachers and parents as facilitators of learning and development. No credit awarded if EDCI 2700 OR EDTE 2000 has been taken.
Methods of Course Instruction
All material for this course is print-based. Instructor and students communicate and exchange materials through postal mail.
E-Print Option
In this course an option exists to use e-mail to submit your lesson assignments. Your assignment will be returned to you either as an e-mail attachment or as a hard copy sent through the postal mail, depending on the preferences of the instructor and/or program.
Textbooks and Supplies
Santrock, John W. Educational Psychology (with supplements) . 5th ed. McGraw-Hill, 2011. [ISBN: 9780073378787]
Number of Lessons
The course has six lessons, including one midcourse examination and final examination. These lessons include:
- Lesson 1: Development
- Lesson 2: Individual Variation and Diversity
- Lesson 3: Midcourse Examination Information
- Lesson 4: Models of Learning and Instruction
- Lesson 5: Planning, Managing, and Evaluating
- Lesson 6: Final Examination Information
Types of Writing Assignments
In preparation for your written lessons, there are a few things I would like you to keep in mind. First, it is very important for you to understand the material from the readings, identify critical issues, relate these to other issues, and evaluate objectively the theories, positions, and evidence presented. In addition, you will want to organize material in a logical and comprehensive fashion. If you are to think straight and arrive at defendable answers, you must be able to gather evidence for your position, arrange it in a meaningful sequence, and arrive at a logical conclusion (whether you subjectively—or emotionally—like that conclusion or not). Quite often, our beliefs are based on myth, prejudice, or wrong information. We must learn that our feelings often need to be suspended while we examine impartially the best available evidence and ideas. We may decide that our gut reactions were correct; we may decide that they were not.
You will not be graded on the length of your responses (although this is not always independent of the quality of an answer). Do not feel that you must pad your answers.
The best answers will be concise and to the point and will include all of the necessary evidence. Try to connect your responses with reference to the text or other sources.
You must type (or have someone else type) your lessons or use a word processor. This makes it much easier for me to read your answers.
Note: If it is impossible for you to type or use a computer, please send me a note with your first lesson explaining the situation. I have included forms to be completed for some of the written assignments. Use the forms as templates to complete the written assignments.
Grading Criteria
Grades will be based on your performance on the six lessons. No extra credit options are available. The lessons will be weighted as follows:
- Lessons 1, 2, 4, and 5 —15% each
- Lessons 3 and 6 (exams) — 20% each