EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY

Educational Psychology



Abstract

In this paper, two case studies have been discussed and evaluated. In both of these case studies, the problems and its solutions have been discussed. In the second part the basic concepts of classroom management are highlighted. The third and final part explains the basic principles of human development as well as the stages of cognitive development.

Table of Contents

Abstractii

Part 11

Case Study - How Time Flies1

Case Study - Quiet Amy3

Part 25

Classroom Management5

Part 36

Basic Principles of Human Development6

Stages of Cognitive Development7

References9

Educational Psychology

Part 1

Case Study - How Time Flies

In this case study, the teacher Ms. Llewellyn, teaches a first year social studies class in high school. She has a degree in United States history and she has very good command on the subject. She teaches her students enthusiastically and has high expectations from them. She describes each and every event in detail and assigns different articles to the students, so that they can have a better idea of the subject matter. She also asks questions from her students at the end of her lectures. However, she has noticed that the majority of her students don't know the right answers and some don't even get the gist of what she has been teaching in the class. Furthermore, in the monthly easy exams, her students' performance had been poor. From their papers, it is obvious that they don't remember what has been taught to them. All this has disheartened Ms. Llewellyn as she works very hard to teach her students. She thinks that even after all her hard work, the students haven't learned anything. She has come to the conclusion that maybe the students are just not interested in learning.

In this case, the problem is that the students have been overburdened with knowledge. As the teacher already knows her subject matter very well, she expects her students to learn about the material as quickly as she has. What she doesn't understand is that she has already mastered the subject and students are facing problems in remembering and understanding the historical events. The curriculum of the subject includes a wide range of the historic material. The students may be feeling overwhelmed and overburdened because of that. They may be getting confused about the events and dates of those events.

The teacher should encourage effective cognitive process in the classroom to help the students in learning and understanding better (Canter & Canter, 2001). The teacher should encourage the student to understand the material instead of just memorizing it. The learning process should include making proper sense of what the material is about, drawing conclusions about it and linking it all together. The teacher should include such assignment and assessments for the students which are thought evoking rather than mere memorizing and writing. The students should be asked such questions in which they have to come up with different alternatives and solutions. The students should be encouraged to evaluate the situation, analyze and give their opinions and reasoning of those ...