Principles of Educational Psychology

Educational Psychology 330 (EPY330)

Spring 2008

Time:9:00-4:00—Jan.26, Feb. 23, April 26

Location:HTC 121

Instructor:Coral Everson, Ed.S.

Phone:753-3688 (home)

738-3375 (work: Adobe Middle School)

934-9235 (cell)

Email:

Required Texts:

Annual Editions: Educational Psychology 07/08 (22nd Edition)

Psychology Applied to Teaching11th edition (Snowman/Biehler)

Course Description:This is an introduction to the study of Educational Psychology. This course will cover student characteristics, learning and instructional theories, the classroom environment, student differences, standardized testing and the assessment of learning. Current topics in Education will be explored.

Requirements:

Assignments / Points
Midterm Exam / 100
Literature Review / 100
In-class and weekly on-line assignments/discussions / 75
Final Exam / 100
Total / 375

Literature Review

Each student is required to complete an in-depth review and synthesis of the professional literature in an area of choice related to educational psychology. A proposal for your topic will be required and due to me by the second class meeting. The paper should be formatted in APA style, and will be submitted online, and a hard copy will be submitted. It should include at least 10 citations, including articles, professional books, and/or information from the Internet.

Literature Review Components / Possible Points
Paper is clearly written. The topic is covered thoroughly and is well-organized / 20
Writing is of the highest quality and includes the following sections:
Introduction (10)
Review of Literature (25)
Discussion of Literature (25)
Conclusions, summary, and implications (10) / 70
References are of good quality and quantity / 10
APA style is adhered to, no spelling or grammar errors. / ??
Total / 100

Exam Policy: There will be two exams. Both will be given in class (second and third meeting). Each is worth 100 points, and will cover material from class and the text. Vocabulary from the chapters in the text will be heavily stressed. The testswill be closed-book.

Weekly Assignments:

Each student is expected to check in on-line each week and submit the assignment for that week within the required time-frame. Assignments will be related to the topic of that week and to the reading from the text. Assignments will be worth 5 points each week. It is not possible to make these points up. The full 5 points will be awarded to those who complete the assignment in a thorough and thoughtful way. 3 points will be awarded to those who complete the assignment in a way that does not suggest much thought. 0 points will be awarded to assignments which are not completed, or done in a less than thought-out and/or sloppy manner. There are 16 weeks, 16 assignments (or virtual classes). You will be given one “freebie”.

Attendance: 100% attendance is required.

The following objectives/themes will be covered in this course:

  • Psychology has much to offer the field of education.
  • Research is an important component in the field of educational psychology.
  • The process of reflection is a valuable tool for teachers.
  • One approach to understand development is through stages.
  • Human development is affected by socio-cultural factors.
  • Between the preschool and high school years, there is much variety in the rate of physical development.
  • Social development is a very important aspect of children’s lives throughout the school years.
  • During the school years, cognitive development undergoes many unique changes.
  • Ability grouping is a common practice utilized in many classrooms.
  • All individuals age birth to 21 who have an identifiable disability have the right to free and appropriate education.
  • Today’s teachers have a wide variety of children with special needs in their classrooms.
  • Operant conditioning is one way that we learn which behaviors to use in certain situations.
  • Operant conditioning has a wide range of educational applications.
  • We learn by observing others.
  • Self-efficacy makes an impact on the behaviors we choose.
  • The behavioral approach to teaching is based upon the acquisition of new behaviors.
  • The cognitive approach to teaching focuses on meaningful learning and helping students understand and respond to the world in multiple ways.
  • The humanistic approach to teaching addresses the non-cognitive variables in learning.
  • The social approach to teaching is based upon teaching students to teach and learn from one another.
  • Teachers can use several different leadership styles to manage a classroom.
  • Various techniques can be implemented to prevent problems in classrooms.
  • A variety of factors can be associated with school violence.
  • There are two main approaches to evaluating students – the norm-referenced approached and the criterion-referenced approach.
  • Standardized tests are commonly used to measure student achievement.
  • Standardized tests come in many varieties and yield many informative scores.
  • Standardized tests when used inappropriately can have detrimental effects for students, teachers, and schools.
  • Dissatisfaction with standardized tests has let to an increased use of authentic and performance-based assessments.

Course Objective / Student Outcomes / How Assessed
Communication Skills:
Communicate clearly and effectively in written and oral forms, i.e., discussion, reading, listening. / -define viewpoints in Educational Psychology.
-understand terminology
-explain and define the major theories held in Educational Psychology and Learning Theories, including E. Erikson, J. Piaget, L. Vygotsky. / Small Group Discussion, Article summary write-ups.
Critical Thinking:
Integrate creativity, logic, quantitative reasoning and the hierarchy of inquiring and knowing in psychological and educational theories. / -know major research methods and norm testing characteristics.
-understand student variability and how they are accommodated / Written Exams
Article summary write-ups
Discussion
Personal & Cultural Awareness:
Understand the roles of individuals in the field of education, and the fields of specialties. / -gain appreciation of motivation, classroom management, and learning approaches in the field of educational psychology. / Discussion of current issues found in “Educational Psychology: Annual Editions”
On-line discussion
Personal Wellness:
Develop knowledge, skills, and behavior, which promote personal well being. / -Apply the knowledge of psychology to own personal agenda in the field of teaching. / Exploration in a current area of education which will be shared with the rest of the class in a presentation form.
Technological understanding:
Understand how technology is used in the field of education and assessments. / -understand how technology can aid our understanding and appreciation of education and psychology. / -Midterm and Final Exam
-Literature Review

Policy of Academic Integrity:

Academic honesty is expected in this course. Acts such as cheating and plagiarism are violations of the University of Nevada System’s code of conduct as well as violations of the standards of intellectual honesty. Students who violate these standards are subject to consequences ranging from dismissal from and failure of a class to dismissal from the academic institution.

Students with Disabilities:

Each student who qualifies with a disability is to provide their instructor with a letter from the GBC Career Center stating the appropriate accommodations for this course. If you have a documented disability and wish to discuss how these accommodations will be implemented for this course, please contact me ASAP.

Foundations of Educational Psychology

Syllabus

Week / Topics / Assignments and Readings
January 21-27 / Introduction / Read chapter 1.
Article #1.
Post response to content module by Jan 27.
JANUARY 26 / CLASS MEETING / Begin reading ch. 2.
Jan. 28-February 3 / Theories of Psychosocial and Cognitive Development / Read chapter 2.
Article #8.
Post by Feb 3.
February 4-10 / Age-Level Characteristics / Read chapter 3.
Article #22.
Post by Feb 10.
February 11-17 / Behavioral Learning Theory / Read Chapter 7.
Article #33.
Post by Feb 17.
Literature Review Proposal due.
FEBRUARY 23 / CLASS MEETING (1ST EXAM) / 10 points for bringing food.
February 19-24 / Information Processing Theory
Social Cognitive Theory. / Read Chapter 8-9.
Article #23.
Posting due Feb 24.
Feb. 25-March 2 / Understanding Intelligence / Read Chapter 4.
Post Mar. 2
March 3-9 / Understanding Intelligence / Continue Chapter 4.
Post Mar. 10.
March 10-16 / Accommodating Student Variability
(Special Education) / Read Chapter 6.
Article #14.
Post by March 16.
March 17-23 / Accommodating Student Variability
(Special Education) / Read Chapter 6.
Article #11.
Post by March 24.
Spring Break
(March 30) / Do not study / Fun, relaxation.
No post.
Mar 31-April 6 / Literature Review / Post by April 6.
April 7-13 / Literature Review / LITERATURE REVIEW DUE
APRIL 14
April 14-20 / Motivation / Chapter 12.
Post by April 20
APRIL 26 / LAST CLASS MEETING (2ND EXAM) / 10 points for bringing food.
April 21-27 / Classroom Management / Chapter 13.
Post by April 27
April 28-May 4 / Classroom Management / Article 34.
Post May 4.
May 11 / Course Evaluation Due / Course Evaluation Due

1