Educational psychology might not be the most well-known field of study, but it has a lot to do with how we teach our children and how those children learn in turn. This branch of psychology studies how people learn, how learning happens in the brain, and how schools can alter their teaching methods to better engage students and boost academic achievement. To understand this subject, you need to understand where it came from, what it’s about, and why it matters in today’s classroom.
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Get an Overview of Educational Psychology
If you’re interested in a career as a teacher or another profession that involves working with kids, then it’s essential to understand educational psychology. This field is focused on studying what makes kids learn, why they learn at certain times and not others, how students can be motivated to study, etc. By understanding these concepts, you can teach your students more effectively. For example, if you know that a student has been struggling because he hasn’t had breakfast yet, then you can make sure he gets some food before his next class starts.
Understanding educational psychology also helps teachers create better lesson plans and determine which methods work best for different types of learners. As an educator yourself, one of your primary goals will be ensuring each student understands key concepts so she’ll succeed later in life, and knowing about educational psychology will help ensure you do just that.
Teach students to learn on their own
The role of an educator has changed in recent years as teaching styles have evolved to reflect what educators refer to as 21st-century learning. If you’re interested in working with students from a young age to prepare them for a career, a degree in educational psychology may be worth exploring. Not only will it prepare you to work with teachers, counselors, and other professionals who work directly with children; but it also offers insight into how best to help students learn on their own once they leave school.
Focus on building long-term skills
As a teacher, you should be focused on developing long-term skills in your students rather than just helping them learn specific facts or concepts. The best way to do that is by helping each child cultivate a passion for learning. The best way to do that? Reinforce and reward interest through classroom activities that spark curiosity and wonder. The more curious your students are, the more eager they will be to learn new material because they’re interested in finding out what comes next.
Create an environment where learners can interact with each other
When learners can communicate with each other, they’re able to get feedback, ask questions, and explore ideas together. Communication also gives students a chance to learn not only from you but from each other which makes them think more deeply about what they’re learning. One way to facilitate interaction between students is by using collaborative learning activities, such as case studies. Case studies are great for bringing in real-world scenarios that allow students to apply their knowledge in new ways. For example, when studying economics, it might be easier for your students to understand how supply and demand work if they have an example of how these forces impact their own lives such as going out shopping on Black Friday or deciding where to go on vacation during summer break.
Give students a chance to practice what they have learned
One of my favorite ways to give students a chance to practice what they have learned is by creating games that they can play at home. This kind of practice allows them to apply their skills and knowledge in new ways outside of a classroom environment. These games also make learning fun. To create these games, I like to use Scratch, which is an online program designed for kids as young as 8 years old. The best part about using Scratch is that it allows me to create interactive stories, games, animations, music videos, and more all without writing any code. I just drag and drop blocks of code together so it’s easy for anyone (even non-programmers) to understand how everything works.
Use data as feedback for improvement
When we have data on how students are performing, we can adjust our approach based on that data. If a certain strategy isn’t working well with one student, we can try another or give up on that particular method. We can see which strategies might be effective if we tried them with different groups of kids. In short, a student who isn’t learning something in your classroom could be an opportunity for you to learn about different methods of teaching it.
Apply Cognitive Learning Theory
The premise of cognitive learning theory is simple: memory has three components: encoding, storage, and retrieval. Encoding refers to how we process information in our minds; storage refers to how we store that information over time, and retrieval refers to how we retrieve that information when needed. When you learn something new, your brain encodes it by forming neural connections between different parts of your brain (this is called neuroplasticity). As you continue to use those newly-formed neural connections, they become easier for your brain to access over time and that’s when things get interesting.
The teacher’s role in facilitating learning
Teachers are in an excellent position to see where students have gaps in their understanding. They can assess how well a student understands a concept by giving an exam, noticing what difficulties students are having with homework, or simply talking to them during class. Teachers may spend time after school helping struggling students on an individual basis to improve their performance. Some teachers work with parents as well to help them support their children’s learning at home.
Set clear objectives for each lesson plan
Teachers can easily lose focus on what they’re trying to teach when they have too many goals per lesson. Before teaching a lesson, take time to make sure you know exactly what you want students to walk away knowing. If you don’t have specific objectives set out, it will be difficult for students to understand what they should be focusing on while in class. Vague objectives often lead to confused students.
Learn how learner styles affect your teaching methods
While you can’t teach every learning style, it’s important to understand that each student has a unique style of learning. Teachers should tailor their teaching methods based on students’ learning styles to make their students feel engaged. This can be done through hands-on activities, visuals, presentations, etc. You don’t have to be an educational psychologist to benefit from understanding these concepts.