PSYCHOLOGICAL

FOUNDATIONS
OF EDUCATION
What is educational Psych?
 "Educational psychology is distinct from other
branches of psychology because it has the
understanding and improvement of education as its
primary goal" (Wittrock, 1992, p. 138).
 study what people think and do as they teach and
learn a particular curriculum in a particular
environment where education and training are
intended to take place" (Berliner,1992, p. 145).
 An academic definition would perhaps say that
educational psychology is the study of learners,
learning, and teaching.
More understandings:
 the accumulated knowledge, wisdom, and
seat-of-the-pants theory that teacher should
possess to intelligently solve the daily
problems of teaching.
 cannot tell teachers what to do, but it can give
them the principles to use in making a good
decision and a language to discuss their
experiences and thinking.
What makes a good teacher ， and good teaching?

 Let’s take a minute to remember the names of the

best teachers about you ever had when you were in
the pre-school, primary school and secondary
school? What was it about these teachers that make
you remember them over the years? What effects
did they have on you?
What makes a good teacher ， and good
teaching?

 warmth, humor, and the ability to care about people

 planning, hard work, and self-discipline
 leadership, enthusiasm, a contagious love of
learning, and speaking ability

But these qualities are not enough

Good Teacher and Good Teaching
 A good teacher are committed to their students.
 Dealing with a wide range of student ability and challenges
 understand their subjects and their students thinking
 Using new technologies and techniques appropriately to
accomplish important goals, not just entertain the students.
 taking good care of the emotional needs of their students.

In short, good teachers carefully plan and teach the basic

procedures for living and learning in their classes. They can
efficiently correct and collect homework, regroup students, give
directions, distribute materials, and deal with disruptions etc.
As a good teacher, He/She
needs ：
 Knowing the subjects matters, and
Teaching Skill.
 Mastering the Teaching Skills

 Effective instruction is not a simple matter of one

person with more knowledge transmitting that
knowledge to another. Effective instruction
demands the use of many strategies.
Thus, a good teacher and good teaching
is . . .

What makes a good teacher is the

ability to carry out all the tasks
involved in effective instruction
(Reynolds, 1995)
Warmth, enthusiasm, and caring
are essential, as is subject matter
knowledge. But it is the successful
accomplishment of all the tasks of
teaching that makes for
instructional effectiveness..
What is Learning?

 A Change in Behavior as a Result of

Experience
 Examples of Learned Behaviors
 Non-Examples (Unlearned Behaviors)
 Intentional Learning
 Unintentional Learning
 Behavioral Theories of Learning Emphasize
Observable Behavior
Pavlov: Classical Conditioning
Unconditioned Unconditioned
Stimulus Response

Neutral Stimulus

Conditioned Stimulus Conditioned

Response
 GIVE AN EXAMPLE OF
CLASSICAL CONDITIONING
IN A CLASSROOM SETTING
 CAN YOU IDENTIFY THE
COMPONENTS IN
CLASSICAL CONDITIONING
EXAMPLES?
 Unconditioned Stimulus
 Unconditioned
Response
 Conditioned Stimulus
 Conditioned Response
Thorndike: The Law of Effect
“…the consequences of one’s present behavior play a
crucial role in determining one’s future behavior.”
B.F. Skinner
Skinner: Operant Conditioning

Stimulus Response Reinforcement

Principles: Reinforcement

 A Consequence That Strengthens a Behavior

 Repeat: Reinforcement Strengthens a Behavior
 If the Frequency of a Behavior Increases After a
Consequence, the Consequence is a Reinforcer
 There Are Several Types of Reinforcers
Principles: Reinforcers
 Primary and Secondary
 Positive and Negative
 Free and Contingent (Premack Principle)
 Intrinsic and Extrinsic
 Continuous and Intermittent (Schedules)
Principles: Punishment

 A Consequence That Weakens a Behavior

 Repeat: Punishment Weakens a Behavior
 If the Frequency of a Behavior Decreases After a
Consequence, the Consequence is a Punisher
 There Are Several Types of Punishers
Principles: Punishers
 Presentation and Removal
 Time Out
 Effectiveness of Punishment
Social Learning Theory: Bandura

 Modeling
 Phases of Observational Learning
Learning
 Tied to a triggering event = maybe related to career
and family changes

 Educational community would do well to prepare

for and honor such growth
Two main factors of Child Development

• Genetic- hereditary factors, what the genes carry,

have significant bearing on mental and physical
development
• Environment: Family, home. Society and
community around the child, availability of good
nutrition, protection from injuries and diseases,
• Influence of the parents, School, community and
Church in the Social, psychological and emotional
development is important.
• Nurturing, nutrition, health parental/caregiver
interaction, and stimulus essential for development
Understanding a Child’s Intelligence

 How many types of intelligences are you aware of?

Types of Intelligences
 1. Naturalist Intelligence (“Nature Smart”)
 2. Musical Intelligence (“Musical Smart”)
 3. Logical-Mathematical Intelligence
(Number/Reasoning Smart)
 4. Existential Intelligence
 5. Interpersonal Intelligence (People Smart”)
Types of Intelligence
 6. Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence (“Body
Smart”)
 7. Linguistic Intelligence (Word Smart)
 8. Intra-personal Intelligence (Self Smart”)
 9. Spatial Intelligence (“Picture Smart”)

 
Intelligence!
 How would you define intelligence?
 Can you recall any names of psychologists who
have studies intelligence?
 What would you like to know about intelligence?

Adopted from http://www.cartoonstock.com

Why Study Intelligence?
 Intelligence is the most significant individual
difference
 Intelligence theory and testing is widely used in
decision making
 Education, job selection, etc
 Intelligence lies beneath all aspects of human
development and learning
How would you
define intelligence?

Adopted from preschools4all.com

 Definitions of Intelligence
 " The ability to carry out abstract thinking."
(Terman, 1921)
 "The capacity to acquire capacity."
(Woodrow, 1921)
 "A global concept that involves an individual's ability to act purposefully, think
rationally, and deal effectively with the environment."
(Wechsler, 1958)
 "A person possesses intelligence in so far as he had learned, or can learn, to
adjust himself to his environment."
(Colvin, cited in Sternberg, 1982)
 "Intelligence is the ability to use optimally limited resources - including time -
to achieve goals."
(Kurzweil, 1999)
 "Intelligence is what you do when you don't know what to do."
(unknown)

http://wilderdom.com/personality/L1-4Definitions.html
 Measuring Creative Intelligence

 How would you measure

creative intelligence?

Adopted from http://www.cartoonstock.com

Why intelligent people fail?
 Your thoughts?
 Conventional intelligence tests do not tell us
about performance; intelligence must be linked to
real-life success (Stenberg, 1986)
 Lack of motivation
 Lack of perseverance
 Lack of impulse control
 Procrastination
 Fear of failure
 Inadequate level of self-efficacy
Adopted from http://www.cartoonstock.com
 Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences
 People have multiple, distinct, intelligences, rather than a general ability to
perform all tasks (Gardner, 1983, 1993, 1999)

Adopted from stjosephsps.org

 Gardner’s Seven Intelligences
1. Linguistic Intelligence
2. Logical-Mathematic Intelligence
3. Spatial Intelligence
4. Musical Intelligence
5. Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence
6. Intrapersonal Intelligence
7. Interpersonal functioning
• What abilities do these additional intelligences
involve?
 What intelligences are essential for your field of
study/major?
 Gardner’s Additional “Candidates”

 Naturalistic intelligence (proposed by Gardner in 1999)

 Spiritual Intelligence
 Existential intelligence
 What abilities do these additional intelligences
involve?
 Neuroscience and Intelligence
 Is there relationship between brain size and
intelligence?
 In animal world, the ratio of brain to body weights does
correlate with intelligence
 Human population?
 Correlation between brain size and a number of cognitive
measures
Witelson, Beresh, Kigar (2006)
 Intelligence arises from neural network in the frontal and
parietal lobes of brain regions
Haier and Jung (2007)
Intelligence Quontient (IQ)
 IQ scores reflect ability to perform intellectual
tasks
 i.e. solving verbal and mathematical problems
 Who was the farther of the IQ test?
 What is the average IQ score?
Understanding and Interpreting IQ

Adopted from http://www.3f68.com/google3/iqtest/

 IQ Relation to Educational Level
Intelligence
Interval Cognitive Designation Common Possessors

85 - 114 Average Pupils at junior high school

115 - 124 Above average Pupils at senior high school
125 - 134 Gifted University graduates
135 - 144 Highly gifted Intellectuals
145 - 154 Genius Professors
155 - 164 Genius Nobel Prize Winners
165 - 179 High genius  
180 - 200 Highest genius  
>200 "Unmeasurable" genius  

Adopted from http://hem.bredband.net/b153434/Index.htm

Psycho-social approach of Erik Erickson (1963)

 Stresses inner qualities of a person and the demands of his

culture

 Discusses eight consecutive stages of development in which

each stage is represented by crisis which has to be resolved

 Each crises demand a specific capability and if not achieved

may impair development

 Believes that people have the ability for “spontaneous

recovery” (optimistic view)
Erikson’s theory
 Movement is a function of internal and
environmental forces and allows movement back
and forth between stages through out the life cycle
+-65+ Ego
Integrit
y vs.
Despair

+-26-65 Generativity
vs.
Stagnation

+-20-25 Intimacy
vs.
Isolation

+-11-20 Identity vs.

Role
Diffusion

+-6-11 Industry
vs.
Inferiority

+-3-6 Initiative
vs. Guilt
+-1-3 Autonomy
vs. Shame

+-0-1 Trust Vs.

Mistrust

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
 Erikson's Theory of Psycho-social Development

Stage Age Expected Resolution

Hope: Child develops a belief

Trust that the environment can be
vs. Infancy counted on to meet his or her
Mistrust basic physiological and social
needs

Will power: Child learns what

he/she can control and develops
Autonomy
a sense of free will and
vs. Toddlerhood
corresponding sense of regret
Shame and Doubt
and sorrow for inappropriate
use of self-control.
 Erikson's Theory of Psycho-social Development

Stage Age Expected Resolution

Purpose: Child learns to

Initiative
begin action, to explore, to
vs. Early Childhood
imagine as well as feeling
Guilt
remorse for actions

Accomplishment/ Competence: Child learns

Middle
Industry to do things well or
Childhood/
vs. correctly in comparison to a
Elementary
Inferiority standard or to others
 Erikson's Theory of Psycho-social Development

Stage Age Expected Resolution

Enables him to plan

for future roles;
Adolescence
Who am I? failure - uncertainty
Identity development of self- about oneself,
vs. identity (perception of
one’s characteristics one’s roles and
Role Diffusion one’s place in
and uniqueness,
awareness of what one society should be
has in common) seen in context of
socio-cultural
background
 Erikson's Theory of Psycho-social Development

Stage Age Expected Resolution

Love: Develops ability to

give and receive love;
begins to make long-term
Initimacy
commitment to
vs. Young Adult
relationships
Isolation
Failure: self-absorption,
social emptiness and
isolation

Generativity
(responsible relationship Middle Adulthood Caring: Productive
with opposite sex, sense of Failure: obsession member of society,
being able to produce with self and own
goods, deliver to society, develops interest in
needs, stagnation,
transmit culture) lack of purpose and guiding the development
vs. sense of futility of the next generation
 Erikson's Theory Pscyho-social Development

Stage Age Expected Resolution

Older Adulthood Wisdom: Develops a

Ego Integrity (based
on belief that one’s life sense of acceptance of
has been meaningful, Failure: reviews life as life as it was lived and
accepting one’s purpose, wasted opportunities, the importance of the
failures) “what might have been”, people and
blaming of others, relationships that
vs. society as a whole,
feeling of despair and individual developed
Despair over the lifespan
regret
Application Of Educational
Psychology
In
Classroom Management
51
Classroom management is…
…all of the things that a teacher does to organize
students, space, time and materials so that
instruction in content and student learning can
take place.

Two major goals…

1. To foster student involvement and cooperation
in all classroom activities
2. To establish a productive working environment.
-First Days of School, Wong
52

Describe a
well-managed
classroom
 Characteristics of a Well-Managed Classroom…
53

 Students are deeply involved with their work

 Students know what is expected of them and are

generally successful

 There is relatively little wasted time, confusion, or

disruption

 The climate of the classroom is work-oriented, but

relaxed and pleasant.
 A well-managed classroom is…
54

 A task oriented environment

 A predictable environment

 Is ready and waiting for students

Teachers who are ready
maximize student
learning and minimize
student misbehavior.
THE CHARACTERISTICS
OF A GOOD TEACHER
One of our biggest goals is to
become the best teacher. In fact,
it’s part of our 
personal mission statement:
“Our mission is to experience
life through…teaching others.”
 Effective Teaching
Commitment and Motivation

Effective Teachers:
 Have a good attitude
 Care about students
 Invest time and effort
 Bring a positive attitude and enthusiasm to the
classroom
Characteristics of Best Teachers
Characteristics of Worst Teachers
 Brainstorming Activity…
61

Think of as many responses to the following statement

as you can…

An effective
teacher is…..
 A Dangerous Educator…
62

 Believes that this job is not about relationships

 Believes that this is just a job, and when the school
day is over, the work’s all done.
 Believes that he/she can handle any situation, alone.
 Believes that, “It was good enough for me, by golly,
it oughta’ be good enough for them.”
 Believes that all these kids need is “a good
whippin’.”
 A Dangerous Educator…
63

 Believes that what he/she does outside of here has no

bearing
 Believes that anger shouldn't be part of the
curriculum
 Never makes time to just sit and listen
 Believes that this kids have no right to be mad
 Believes that he/she can’t make a difference
 Believes that punishment is more effective than
discipline
 A Dangerous Educator…
64

 Thinks you shouldn’t smile until Thanksgiving.

 Believes that morality and values should only be
taught at home
 Sees the act, not the young person behind it.
 Believes that strict adherence to the rules is the
most important goal of any child’s day.
 Forgets he/she is modeling.
 Is a “structure monster”.

-Malcolm Smith
 The Effective Teacher…
65

 Establishes good control of the classroom

 Does things right, consistently
 Affects and touches lives
 Exhibits positive expectations for ALL students
 Establishes good classroom management
techniques
 The Effective Teacher…
66

 Designs lessons for student mastery

 Works cooperatively and learns from colleagues
 Seeks out a mentor who serves as a role model
 Goes to professional meetings to learn
 Has a goal of striving foe excellence
 The Effective Teacher…
67

 Can explain the district’s, school’s, and department

or grade level’s curriculum
 Realizes that teaching is not a private practice
 Is flexible and adaptable
 Listens, listens, listens
 Understands the research process
 The Effective Teacher…
68

 Teaches with proven research-based practices

 Knows the difference between an effective teacher
and an ineffective one
 In summary…
69

An effective teacher…

 Has positive expectations for student success

 Is an extremely good classroom manager

 Knows how to design lessons for student mastery