Educational Psychology

Chapters 12, 14, and 15 are our final discussion points for module 5.  Within these chapters we learn about motivation in learning (p. 460), teaching every student (p. 550), and classroom assessment, grading, and standardized testing (p. 590).  Setting aside the topics of chapter 15 due to their prominence in our final project I will delve into what I believe are three keys in this week readings: motivation (p. 465-465); goals and goal orientations (p.469-474); and motivation to learn in school (p. 491-500).  Understanding and applying these concepts to our classrooms is of the utmost importance as educators. Hoy (2019) defines motivation as “the processes that initiate, direct, and sustain behavior.”  This motivation can come from within us, intrinsic motivation, as we seek out and overcome challenges in pursuit of our interests.  It can also come from outside, extrinsic motivation, where the motivation is not based on the activity itself but rather on what c...

As we continue on through module four we discuss chapters 9, 10, and 11.  Within these chapters the topics of complex cognitive processes, constructivism and designing learning environments, and the social cognitive views of learning and motivation.  Three key areas that really struck a chord with me among these topics were: teaching for complex learning and robust knowledge (p.372-374);  designing learning environments in a digital world (p. 410-418); and modeling (p.429-433). In talking about robust knowledge there are three areas that we need to understand.  Robust knowledge is deep, it allows us to understand underlying principles and apply them to seemingly different problems.  Many separate bits of information are also connected across different disciplines and domains.  Lastly, robust knowledge is consistent and not contradictory.  As a future teacher this is the type of knowledge I want to develop in my students.  The texts introduces th...

Techer Interview Chapter thirteen of module three was devoted to managing learning environments and also served as the focus of my teacher interview.  According to Hoy (2019) some of the goals of effective classroom management include: keeping students actively engaged;  ensuring participation structures are clear, straightforward, and have consistent cues; and developing positive relationships with the students. My interviewee had a few tips when it came to keeping the students actively engaged.  Beyond basic stuff like not speaking when others are talking I thought it was interesting to hear how important she felt positioning was in keeping the students engaged.  Starting from the arrangement of the desks on day one, all forward facing in neat rows to help promote the student/teacher relationship, and extending to where she physically stood when speaking.  The seating arrangement was part of a progression she went through throughout the year.  She beli...

Module three includes behavioral views of learning (p.260-297) and managing learning environments (p.506-549).  Since I will be focusing on classroom management in my teacher interview I intend to use this blog post to analyze the behavioral views of learning.  Some concepts I thought were important in this chapter were:  understanding learning (p. 262-264);  using reinforcers and praise well, specifically looking at the Premack principle (p.273-274); and the lessons behavioral approaches provide to teachers (p.291-292).  Taking these concepts together we achieve an understanding of how to effectively and properly shape classroom behaviors. To start we need to understand learning.  According to Hoy (2019) learning occurs when experience causes a relatively permanent change in an individual’s knowledge, behavior, or potential for behavior.  The most important part for us to understand as educators comes from her elaboration on that definition that the...

Our module two readings explored the topics of:  learner differences and learner needs; language development, language diversity, and immigrant education; culture and diversity; and cognitive views of learning.  Some of the key concepts I found in these readings were those of working memory(p.309), cognitive load (p.311), and knowledge (p.330). Let’s start with working memory.  Working memory is the information that you are focusing on at any given moment.  It is the intersection of temporarily stored information  and long term memory where we perform cognitive tasks or understand a lecture.  There are many different factors that play into your working memory.  The central executive is the part of working memory that supervises your attention and allocates mental resources.  The phonological loop and visuospatial sketchpad control speech/sound related memory and visual/spatial memory respectively.  The episodic buffer brings these two sourc...

Our first readings covered learning, teaching, and educational psychology as well as the students cognitive, self, social, and moral development.  Three concepts that stuck out to me in the text were the teachers’ sense of self efficacy (p. 5), and the sections in the social context for development: family (p.81); Teachers and child abuse (p. 93).  Through the course of this blog I hope to show you why these areas are ones that I believe to be of the utmost importance in education. A teachers’ sense of self efficacy is the teachers belief that he or she can reach the most difficult students and help them learn (Hoy, 2019, p. 5).  To me this concept is incredibly important.  Teachers with a high sense of efficacy work harder and persist longer even when students are harder to teach, because they believe in themselves and in their students.  I think that this is the bedrock of what makes a good teacher.  It would be great to live in a world where all studen...

Throughout our lives, we have innumerable experiences.  Most will be rather mundane, but every so often an event will happen that can challenge our beliefs, dictate the course of our lives, and color the relationships we have for years to come.  Reflecting back on my education from K-12, I believe my worst encounter as a student came during my sophomore year in geometry class.  That experience occurred at a time in my life when, in addition to the normal stresses of being a teenager, my father walked out of my life, leaving me feeling depressed and unsure as to what made him leave.  Was it something wrong with me?  Did I fail him in some way that left me undeserving of his love?  That period in my life planted the seed for my desire to become an educator.  All of the moments from then until now have helped nourish it while my experiences shaped me into someone I believe is worthy and capable of carrying the mantle of an educator.  My ordeal b...