EDUC–6303                                       Educational Psychology                              3(3+0)

The main purpose of the course is to make students aware of psychological aspects of human development and use of psychological principles in field of education.  This subject will help bridge the gap between theory and practice. This subject will help prospective teachers to understand individual differences so that they may be able to identify needs of every student individually. In other words, how students can use various concepts of educational psychology to improve their learning and teaching skills. The student teachers will be introduced with major theories of intelligence, personality, motivation, memory, thinking and instructions. They will also be trained in how these theories can be applied in the classroom teaching to produce positive learning environment. Understanding the psychological basis of these theories will help them to manage classroom in a way that promotes learning and minimizes disruptions.  It will also provide them with the tools needed to be a better teacher, counselor and guide.

Learning Outcomes:

After the successful completion of the course, the students will be able to:

• Understand the need and importance of psychology in education
• Comprehend the scope, methodology, and usefulness of educational psychology in effective teaching
• Develop an insight into various concepts and theories of educational psychology pertaining to motivation, intelligence, personality, classroom management  effective teaching and their educational implications
• Develop skills to understand and identify the individual differences among the students to improve their teaching by adopting appropriate strategies
• Know the way to creating a learning community in a classroom.
• Discuss how different forms of reinforcement affect behavior and performance

Course Outline

1. Introduction
   1. Meaning and nature of psychology
   2. Meaning and nature of educational psychology
   3. Educational psychology: Some basic problems to solve simultaneously
   4. Scope and utility of the study of educational psychology: Teachers, teaching & educational psychology
   5. Methods of educational psychology Conclusion: Teachers, teaching and learners; learning, and educational psychology
2. Learning and Instruction
   1. Educational psychology and teaching
   2. Objectives for learning
   3. Mastery learning
   4. Direct instruction
   5. Expository learning &teaching
   6. Constructivist & situated learning
   7. Inquiry & problem –based learning
   8. Group work & cooperation in learning
3. Motivation: Theory and Practice
   1. Concept of motivation.
   2. Theories of motivation.
   3. Strategies for motivation
4. Creating Learning Environments
   1. The ecology of classroom
   2. Creating a possible learning environment
   3. Maintaining a good learning environment
   4. Special programs for classroom management to create a better learning     
   5. Environment
   6. The need for better communication
   7. Some guidelines
5. Teaching for Learning (i.e. Effective Teaching)
   1. Planning for effective teaching
   2. Teaching large & small groups effectively
   3. Characteristics of effective teachers
   4. Matching methods to goals
6.  Individual Differences / Variations
   1. Nature, types causes and measurement of individual differences(Individual differences in intelligence, creativity, cognitive and learning styles& students with learning challenges or disorders )
   2. Handling with individual differences in the classroom
7. Intelligence and Personality Theories
   1. Intelligence: Meaning, nature, and theories of intelligence
   2. Personality: Meaning, nature, and theories of personality
8. Behavioral Learning Theory
   1. A Brief History of behaviorism
   2.  Classical Conditioning and Emotional Responses
      1. Pavlov: Classical Conditioning
   3. Watson and Behaviorism
   4. Skinner and Reinforcement
9. Applied Behavior Analysis
   1. Antecedents and behavioral change
   2. Methods for encouraging behaviors
   3. Coping with undesirable behavior
   4. Self-regulation and cognitive behavior modification.
   5. Problems and issues
   6. Evaluation of behavioral methods: Contribution & Criticism

Recommended Texts:

1. Duchesne, S., & McMaugh, A. (2018).Educational Psychology for Learning and 

      Teaching. Boston. Cengage Publishers

1. Slavin, R. E. (2019).Educational Psychology: Theory and Practice: New York.  

Pearson Education, Inc.

Suggested Readings:

1. Evans, E. G. S. (2017). Modern Educational Psychology: A Historical Introduction.

London. Routledge.

1. Santrock, J. W. (2017). Educational Psychology. New York: McGraw-Hill.
2. Woolfolk, A. (2018). Educational Psychology (14th ed.). New York: Pearson

Education, Inc.