Educational Psychology       [...]... systematic study and observation of effective teachers and learners The goal of the science of educational psychology is to take knowledge from the dis­ cipline of psychology that is relevant to education and to apply this knowledge to improve the quality and outcome of the educational process Research in educational psychology seeks to find scientific answers to questions about the best ways to educate people... job But you are not at all sure what you can do to help your students Educational psychology can help answer many o f these questions, such a s why some of your students "get it" and others who work hard do not Educational psychology can also give you ideas for dealing with the type of class Joan was facing The part of educational psychology that deals with these issues is called the study of cognitive... circumstances for their failures Finally, • HOW EDUCAT I ONA L PS YC H O LOG Y H E LPS CREATE EXPERT TEAC H ERS AND LEARNERS • • • Educational psychology draws from the general discipline of psychology to improve the quality and outcome of the educational process As a science, edu­ cational psychology develops principles and theories about learning and instruction Both descriptive research and experimental research... the case of educational psychology, students-to different classrooms, methods of instruction, textbooks, activities, and so on Then the students' progress ca n be compared Descriptive research works best when we wish to u nderstand the subtleties and methods of a single great teacher or other working system that cannot be manipulated I M P L I CAT I O N S F O R T EA C H I N G • Educational psychology. .. CAT I O N S F O R T EA C H I N G • Educational psychology uses science to uncover information that helps teachers solve problems and teach effectively Educational psychology is not simply folk wis­ dom or people's intuitions about teaching • Educational psychology uncovers trends in how teachers teach and how students learn, and develops explanations for these trends so teachers can understand what happens... ucational Psychology H elps C re ate Expe rt Te ache rs and Le arne rs This book contains much information about how to become an expert teacher in your career and an expert learner right now as you take this course and study this book But the things we write about are not simply our own beliefs about what works in the classroom Instead, we focus on what the broad field of research in educational psychology. .. observes and describes what is happening in a situation without changing the dynamics of the situation Page 30 • Educational psychology Science that draws from psychological knowledge that is relevant to education and applies this know­ ledge to improving the quality and outcome of the educational process Page 29 • Entityview Belief that intelligence is fixed Page 23 Groups of people for whom the scientist... students, or they might study whether peer tutoring (when one student helps another) improves the performance of the students Thus research in educational psychology answers questions asked by teachers and other education professionals about the best way to do their jobs Educational psychologists begin by posing questions of interest to them and coming up with possible answers or explanations These explanations,... insights than novice teachers To become an expert teacher, you will need to develop knowledge, efficiency, and insights into problems You can develop these three skills through your work in your educational psychology course, through your work in your other courses, and through hands-on practice in teaching-and especially in student teaching working alongside experienced role models These skills are... as you read this book, you are striving to be an expert learner Later, as you lead a class, you will want to help each of your students be as expert at learning as possible What does research in educational psychology say about the characteristics of expert learners in the classroom and expert learners everywhere? Table 1 4 summarizes the seven skills exhibited by expert learners USE OF EFFECTIVE LEARNING . Educational Psychology      