EDUCATIONAL

PSYCHOLOGY
REFLECTION FOR ACTION

Canadian Edition

ODonnell, DAmico, Schmid, Reeve, Smith

CHAPTER 1
Introducing Educational
Psychology and Reflective Practice

Chapter 1: Introducing Educational

Psychology and Reflective Practice
Themes of the Chapter
Learning how to understand learners and
to promote their learning helps teachers
feel more comfortable and successful.
Students are diverse and some have
special needs
Theory and research play major roles in
educational psychology and reflective
practice

Educational Psychology,

Guiding Questions
What is educational psychology?
What primary concerns do beginning
teachers have?
What is reflective teaching, and how is it
different from technical teaching?
How can teachers recognize, adapt, and
respond to diverse learners and students
with special needs?
How do educational psychologists use
theory and research?
Educational Psychology,

Goals of Educational Psychology

Enhance theoretical knowledge of

basic psychological processes
Improve educational practice

Educational Psychology,

Teaching and Learning

Teaching
A relatively permanent change in behaviour
or knowledge as a result of experience

Learning
One persons interpersonal effort to help
others acquire knowledge, develop skill, and
realize their potential

Educational Psychology,

What Expert Teachers Know

Broad and deep subject matter knowledge

How-to instructional strategies
Knowledge about learning environments
Knowledge about educational materials

Educational Psychology,

Concerns of Beginning Teachers

Classroom discipline
Motivating students
Special needs
Assessment and grading

Educational Psychology,

Teaching Efficacy
A teachers judgement of, or
confidence in, his or her capacity to
cope with the teaching situation in
ways that bring about desired
outcomes

Educational Psychology,

Teaching Efficacy Categories

Efficacy for classroom management

Efficacy for student engagement
Efficacy for instructional strategies

See Table 1.3 (p.9) for sample questionnaire

items that measure teaching efficacy

Educational Psychology,

Examples of Statements
of Efficacy
Classroom management: I can prevent
behaviour problems in the classroom.
Student engagement: I can develop interesting
tasks that students will enjoy.
Instructional strategies: I can teach writing very
well.
Educational Psychology,

Metaphors for Teaching

Provide examples of how teachers might
describe their teaching if they adopted the
metaphor of teacher as: entertainer, coach, lion
tamer, choreographer, party host, circus master,
traffic cop, ship captain, air traffic controller
Benefits of Having Metaphors for Teaching:
Facilitates reflection
Serves as a standard for self-evaluation
Helps initiate desired changes in teaching
Educational Psychology,

Two Modes of Teaching

Technical teaching: Teaching situation is
predictable and calls for routine action
Classroom experience: Constructive
learning experience

Reflective teaching: Teaching situation is

surprising and calls for conjectures,
information gathering, and decisionmaking.
Knowledge about teaching and learning:
Constructive learning experience
Educational Psychology,

Figure 1.2 Similarities in the Day-to-Day

Work of Teachers and Researchers

Educational Psychology,

Model for Reflective Teaching:

Reflection, Information gathering, Decision
making, Evaluation (RIDE)

Educational Psychology,

Your Turn
Ms Newby is afraid that she will not be
able to handle students misbehaviours
How might she solve this problem using
the RIDE model?

Educational Psychology,

Diverse Learners in Canada

In Canada, 14% of the 8 million students
enrolled in public schools are visible
minorities
12% of these 8 million students have special
needs that interfere with their ability to learn
Response to diversity
Equality
Accommodation

Educational Psychology,

Instruction for Canadian Students

with Special Needs
Individualize instruction dictated by the Education Act
Rely on direct and explicit instructional practices
outlined in an individual education program (IEP)
required by law
Meticulously arrange or structure the learning
environment
Provide external supports, such as calculators, taperecorded textbooks, adaptive furniture, special lighting
or acoustics
Closely monitor students progress and provide
systematic feedback
Teach skill-based strategies, such as how to generate
questions while reading
Educational Psychology,

Theory
What is theory and why is it important?

Theory is an intellectual framework that

organizes a vast amount of knowledge
about a phenomenon so that educators
can understand and explain better the
nature of that phenomenon

Educational Psychology,

Research Methods
Research methods provide evidence that assists
teachers make appropriate choices in the
classroom

Types of research methods:

Descriptive studies
Correlational studies
Experimental studies
Action research

Educational Psychology,

Descriptive Studies
A research method used to describe the
educational situation as it naturally
occurs: what typically happens, how
teachers teach, and how students learn
and develop
Example research question: How does
Ms. Newby organize the physical layout
of her classroom?

Educational Psychology,

Correlational Studies
A research method used to measure two
naturally occurring variables and
summarize the nature and magnitude of
their relationship in numerical form
Example research question: How is
measured intelligence related to school
achievement?

Educational Psychology,

Experimental Studies
A research method used to test for a
cause-and-effect relationship between
two variables
Example research question: Is reading
program A better than reading
program B for teaching first graders to
read?

Educational Psychology,

Action Research
A research method carried out by
teachers in their own classrooms to
inform and refine their personal
theories of teaching and classroom
learning
Example research question: Do I ask
boys more questions than I ask girls?

Educational Psychology,

What Kind of Research?

I want to decide if boys in the Grade 6
benefit more from cooperative learning than
girls
I want to decide if completion of homework
is associated with better achievement
I want to examine the number of errors
present in the Grade 8 science book
I want Maria to tell me about her
experiences in solving a math problem

Educational Psychology,

Critical Thinking of Teachers

Teachers supplement their subjective
ways of knowing with objective, databased ways of knowing and go
beneath the surface of their idea

Educational Psychology,

Copyright
Copyright 2008 John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. All rights
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Educational Psychology,