The psychology of teaching

An important niche for educational psychologists is teacher training,

and a large body of research has resulted from developing and testing
ideas to help teachers become more effective in the classroom.

What teachers can do
Teachers can help their students fundamentally
improve how they learn by refocusing them on the
idea of competence instead of a belief in innate
intelligence. By increasing a student’s belief in their
ability to do well, known as self-efficacy, educational
psychologists believe that a student’s cognitive
functioning and motivation improve. Students with
high self-efficacy are more likely to take on challenges
and make an effort to perform well at these if they
believe they can succeed. With low self-efficacy,
students see any failure as a setback and will therefore
THE LEARNING PYRAMID
Research from the US National Training Laboratories
Institute has shown that some teaching methods are
more effective than others. A learning activity that
requires students to actively participate results in
better retention levels, whereas activities requiring less
involvement result in lower retention levels.
DS
not set themselves high aspirations going forward.
This in turn leads to poor academic performance,
which continues the student’s cycle of self-doubt.
If teachers can help students to grasp that success
or failure in a task is not related to ability but to the
amount of practice and effort applied, then it keeps
students motivated rather than feeling demoralized.
Learning goals
There are two types of learning goals that
teachers can set: performance goals and mastery
goals. Performance goals rely on the student’s own
competence in order to achieve a specific level—for
example, getting an A in French. Mastery goals
emphasize the student’s perseverance and desire
to learn—for example, becoming fluent in French.
Mastery goals are better than performance goals
in that learners focus on honing and improving
their skills, whereas performance goals emphasize
competition as a motivator for performing well
and rely on an individual’s level of intelligence.

Building blocks for

O
TH

INCNFOR
ING IVE

LECTURE
successful teaching
ME

I
RE MA

5%
CH PASS

AS

READING 10% There are a number of practical tools that teachers can use
ING TION

to encourage student confidence and a love of learning.

TEA

PER RET

AUDIO VISUAL 20%

Teachers should ensure that these methods are working
CE AIN

DEMONSTRATION 30% together to create a progressive learning environment.

NT ED
AG
S
OD
ME ORY

EO

GROUP DISCUSSION 50%

“People’s beliefs about
TH

F
ING AT
CH ICIP

PRACTICE BY DOING 75%

their abilities have … [an]
TEAPART

TEACHING OTHERS 90%

effect on those abilities.”
Albert Bandura, Canadian social cognitive psychologist
 Make positive connections
Offer support for students; nurture
personal relationships and encourage
positive relations with other
students and teachers; and
set clear expectations about
appropriate classroom conduct.

Teach specific skills Foster student creativity

Help students understand how to transfer
one learned idea to another context, and
give them practice activities such as sample
tests, activities, and problems to encode
learning into long-term memory.
Ask students to design their own
research projects, demonstrate tasks,
and build models to explain concepts.
Allow them to explore and struggle
while providing support.

Give students Set students Control student

timely feedback
Monitor students in every lesson
and redirect them when they
need it. Ensure that praise and
constructive criticism are related to
their degree of practice and effort.
short-term goals
Instead of overwhelming students
with a big task, give them
incremental goals, allowing them
to successfully complete each
stage of the task.
stress level
Run an organized classroom with
a daily schedule; have enough
breaks for students to process
each chunk of learning; and
maintain a safe environment.

Promote group teaching Encourage motivation

and discussion Set high but realistic
Encourage other students to expectations for your students;
voice their concerns, questions, reinforce the value of practice
and ideas to give the group a and effort over innate
sense of solidarity and allow intelligence; encourage
individuals to feel confident in self-evaluation; and adopt
expressing themselves. a caring attitude.