It seems too simple to say that educational psychology is the
psychology of learning and teaching, and yet a majority of educational
psychologists spend their time studying ways to describe and improve
learning and teaching. After reviewing the historical literature in
educational psychology, Glover and Ronning (1987, p. 14) suggested that
educational psychology includes topics that span human development,
individual differences, measurement, learning, and motivation and is
both a data-driven and a theory-driven discipline. Thus, our definition
of educational psychology is the application of psychology and
psychological methods to the study of development, learning, motivation,
instruction, assessment, and related issues that influence the
interaction of teaching and learning. This definition is broad because
the potential applications of educational psychology to the learning
process are immense!
Today educational psychology is a vital discipline that is
contributing to the education of teachers and learners. For example,
Jerome Bruner, an enduring figure in educational psychology, recently
noted the need to rethink our ideas of development, teaching, and
learning and the interactions among them. Specifically, Bruner (1996)
urged educators and psychologists to see children as thinkers, and
stated:
No less than the adult, the child is thought of as holding more
or less coherent "theories" not only about the world but about her own
mind and how it works. These naive theories are brought into congruence
with those of parents and teachers not through imitation, not through
didactic instruction, but by discourse, collaboration, and negotiation .
. . . This model of education is more concerned with interpretation and
understanding than with the achievement of factual knowledge or skilled
performance. (1996, p. 57)
These words reflect many of the goals of this book: Think of
educational psychology as a vital tool that can be of immeasurable help
in planning, delivering, and evaluating teaching. To illustrate how the
science of educational psychology can help teachers, we'd like to
identify some key concepts and their relationship to instruction and
learning. Much more will be said about each of these concepts as you
work your way through this book.
Understanding the Meaning of Teaching
The first key concept is the need to understand what it means to
teach. We hope that as a result of reading this chapter and others, such
as Chapter 10, you will have a better grasp of "life in the classroom."
You must, however, have a basis from which to make decisions about
teaching.
Knowledge of Students
The second core concept is the belief that to teach skillfully, you
must have as much knowledge about students as possible: their needs,
characteristics, and differences. Section 1 of this book introduces you
to the developmental lives of children. Chapter 2 is devoted to tracing
the cognitive and language development of children, while Chapter 3
focuses on their psychosocial and moral development. Reflecting the
diversity in our classrooms, Chapter 4 examines the impact of culture,
class, and gender on teaching and learning.
If you become a regular classroom teacher, you will come into contact
with one or more students who are exceptional. There are many different
types of exceptional students, including the gifted and talented, as
well as students experiencing sensory handicaps, communication
disorders, physical and health impairments, behavior disorders, learning
disabilities, and mental retardation. Chapter 5 provides valuable
information about the typical characteristics of students who are
exceptional.
Understanding the Learning Process
A priority in educational psychology is understanding the learning
process, that is; the procedures and strategies that students use to
acquire new information. Chapter 6 focuses on behavioral explanations of
learning and provides numerous examples of how this theoretical
explanation of learning can be translated into classroom practice.
Chapters 7 and 8 turn to more cognitive analyses of learning, mirroring
current concerns with "teaching for understanding." These chapters have
been written to help you turn students into better thinkers and problem
solvers by presenting many techniques and "tips" that have proven
helpful. Motivation, the subject of Chapter 9, is so essential that we
can safely state that without it, learning will not occur.
Understanding Instructional Strategies
A fourth key concept is the function of instruction, beginning with
the objectives that teachers wish to attain. Chapters 10 and 11
concentrate on those instructional strategies that research has shown to
be effective. Learning, however, does not occur in a vacuum. You must
understand the best circumstances in which learning can occur.
Consequently, these chapters present in some detail successful
strategies for managing a classroom, focusing on those techniques shown
by both theory and research to be effective.
Understanding Assessment Strategies
Educational psychologists have been instrumental in providing
techniques that teachers can use to determine how successful students
have been in attaining new knowledge and skills. Today, perhaps more
than ever, assessing students' knowledge and skills is a central issue
in schools. From a teacher's perspective, two of the most relevant
purposes of assessment are (a) to identify students who need educational
or psychological assistance, and (b) to provide information to teachers
that will help them develop instructional programs to facilitate all
students' functioning. Assessment involves the use of many tools and a
basic knowledge of measurement. These topics are examined in detail in
Chapters 12 and 13.
RSS Feed
Twitter
18:12
Unknown
Hikmah ; Pendakian kemaren di Penanggungan saya sudah 3x disana. Dan
semuanya finish sampai puncak. Begitu banyak medan yg harus dilalui
untuk sampai puncak, ada jalan yg biasa, agak menanjak dan ada juga yg
sangat menanjak dengan batu2,an semakin kita keatas semakin banyak juga
medan yang sangat berat. Tapi tak selalu indah saat kita dipuncak. Ada
juga yg sia-sia seperti yang aku alami 1x ini. Karena banyaknya kabut
yang menutupi keindahan alam saat kita
berada dipuncak. Tapi saya 2x melihat keindahan yang sungguh luar biasa
yg ada dialam ini di atas puncak gunung. Semua itu harus kita lalui
bersusah payah. Sama halnya dengan hidup jika ingin sukses. Kita harus
bersusah2 dahulu dengan berbagai medan permasalahan yg harus kita
hadapi. Semakin tinggi derajat seseorang semakin berat juga tngkat
permasalahan yg harus dihadapi. Tapi itu semua tak selalu berakhir
dengan kemenangan, kesuksesan bahkan kebahagiaan. Semuanya kembali
kepada alam ini, niat kitalah yg harus kita tata agar alam semakin cinta
dengan kita dan agar alam selalu mendukung apa yang kita raih.
"Janganlah berfikir jika anda susah sekarang, anda akan sukses esok
kelak".
Say good-bye to feeling powerless. It's time to live boldly and stop spinning your wheels.
