A Comprehensive Guide to Education and Educational Psychology
What is Education?
Education is a set of knowledge, orders, and methods that aid individuals in developing and improving intellectual, moral, and fundamental physical faculties. It involves acquiring, transmitting, and increasing acculturation, a fundamental factor in acquiring knowledge and training individuals for social solidarity.
How to Become What We Are
According to Savater, humans are born, but that is not enough; we have a target. This is where the purpose of education comes in.
Education Rates
- Formal Education: This type of education is institutionalized.
- Informal Education: Learning a profession, for example, happens throughout life.
- Non-Formal Education: This type of education is not officially recognized.
Self-Efficacy
Self-efficacy, the positive judgments individuals make about their abilities, has been the subject of several empirical studies in education.
The Complex Nature of Education
- Multi-dimensional: Education involves many different areas.
- Simultaneity: Many things happen simultaneously in education.
- Immediacy: Things happen very fast in educational settings.
- Uncertainty: It is difficult to predict the effect of educational practices on students’ professional conduct.
- Inclusion of Social and Ethical Aspects: Education must consider social and ethical dimensions.
- Variety of Students: Classrooms are filled with heterogeneous students with different levels and backgrounds.
Effective Teaching: Expert vs. Inexperienced Teachers
The complexity and differences between teaching and student learning make effective teaching a challenging endeavor. There is no single way to master teaching; it requires a range of strategies and flexibility in their application.
Three Important Ingredients of Expert Teachers (According to Santrok)
- Professional Knowledge: This includes knowledge of subject areas (knowing subjects, strategies, materials, curricular programs, etc.) and specific knowledge (acquisition of routines, capacity for improvisation, knowledge of typical and atypical students, etc.).
- Personal Characteristics: Effective teachers possess a positive attitude, see teaching as a challenge, are motivated to find solutions, and have a sense of personal efficacy.
- Professional Growth: Expert teachers never stop learning and growing professionally. They seek help from colleagues, exchange views, and maintain good relationships with parents.
Instruction as Art or Technique?
Some believe that being a good teacher requires more than just knowledge; it is an art. They argue that effective teaching involves thoughtfulness, creativity, and radical solutions. Others believe that teaching can be learned through techniques and strategies. Both positions have valid points.
The Work of Teachers
An expert teacher should be an instructor, organizer, guide, counselor, and role model.
Concerns of Teachers
Teachers often fear not being able to discipline their students. The most significant fear is losing authority. Effective teachers strive to communicate rather than impose and convince rather than win.
Advantages and Drawbacks of Being a Teacher
Drawbacks: Teachers often dislike activities not directly related to teaching, such as administrative tasks. They also face a lack of recognition and lower economic and social status compared to other professionals. Teaching can be lonely, stressful, and fraught with tension due to student misbehavior, lack of parental support, etc.
Advantages: Despite the challenges, teaching offers satisfaction, especially when observing students’ progress and experiencing the autonomy of the profession.
The Evolution of Educational Psychology
Phase 1: Early Optimism
In the early 20th century, educational psychologists believed that psychology could improve educational practices. They saw themselves as guides, conducting laboratory research on learning and development, while educators applied the findings to their teaching methods. This relationship was a one-way street, flowing from psychology to education.
Phase 2: Pessimism and Divorce
This stage was marked by pessimism and a divorce between psychology and education. Educational psychologists lost interest in educational policy and focused on research far removed from classroom realities. The relationship reached a dead end.
Phase 3: Renewed Optimism and Collaboration
The 1960s brought renewed optimism with the cognitive revolution. Research focused on individual student learning in real environments, emphasizing learning strategies and individual differences. This marked a two-way street, with psychology informing education and vice versa.
Definition of Educational Psychology
Educational psychology is a distinct discipline with its theories, research methods, problems, and techniques. It is a science that studies everyday problems related to education and learning. It investigates the principles, models, and theories derived from education and conducts research on changing students’ behavior, mood, and thought processes.
Behaviorist and Cognitive Theories
Behaviorist theory focuses on the relationship between educational actions and their results. Cognitive theory, on the other hand, defines educational actions and responses by describing the cognitive processes involved.
Methods of Investigation in Educational Psychology
- Observation: Focusing attention on a specific aspect of behavior or learning.
- Interviews/Questionnaires: Gathering information about experiences, beliefs, and feelings through standardized questions.
- Tests: Using standardized measures to assess knowledge, skills, or abilities.
- Case Studies: In-depth investigations of a single individual or group.
- Ethnography: Studying the culture of a particular educational setting.
- Correlational Studies: Examining the relationships between variables.
- Experimental Method: Identifying the causes of behavior by manipulating one or more factors. The cause is the manipulated factor, while the effect is the factor that changes. The steps involved are:
- Observation of the problem.
- Establishment of the situation, conceptualization of the hypothesis, and determination of variables.
- Selection of appropriate research techniques.
- Verification of the hypothesis and drawing conclusions.