ED 21/PSYCH 21: EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY

Fall 2001 Ann Renninger (krennin1)

201 Pearson, Ext. 8347

Class: Wednesday 1:15-4 Office Hours:

Hicks 312 Tuesday 9:30-11:00 and by appointment

Labs: Mondays 4:15-6:15; 6:30-8:30 Ereserve:

Pearson 201, Ext. 8611 Renninger, EDUCS021

psychology

Course:

This course in Educational Psychology is designed to provide students with a representative sampling of work in learning and development which has particular relevance to pedagogical practice. We will operate with a flexible workshop-like format to address the following questions:

(a) What does our prior experience tell us about learning and development? And, what does it suggest about teaching?

(b) How and why do we learn?

(c) What are some indicators of learning?

(d) What might influence the way in which one learns?

(e) How does all of this information affect the way in which we approach teaching?

The course is designed to accommodate differences in interests and purpose; students are encouraged to consider seriously their own expectations and to self-structure the general assignments, papers, the tutoring, and lab work in a manner consistent with these goals.

Course Requirements:

The course involves the following:

(a) Class preparation, participation, etc. (15%)

(b) Tutoring and Paper 1 (25%)

(c) Lab work and Paper 2 (including a web synopsis) (25%)

(d) Reflections and Final Paper (35%)

Students should have available time for both tutoring (1 hour a week), and lab (2 hours per week) until mid-November.

Class Preparation, Participation, etc.: The expectation for class preparation, participation, etc. is that you will come to class prepared to engage seriously in the day's activities. All classes are required. They will not duplicate the readings but elaborate upon them. This will always mean, then, that you need to come to class having completed the readings and thought about the questions on the handout. It should never mean that you have no further questions or criticisms regarding the material, nor that you should hesitate to raise these.

Tutoring: You will be assigned a student with whom to work on a project once a week until mid-November. The student's teacher may target some areas on which the student needs additional work. These will be addressed in the context of a project designed/undertaken by both you and the student. Your task is to work with the student to meet the goals set by you, the student, and his or her teacher. There will be a "project night" at the completion of your work with your student (date to be announced). At this time, you and the student will share your project with others, including the student's teachers and parents, as well as your own classmates.

Your work with your tutee should inform the kinds of questions you bring to both class and lab.

Sometime during the first three weeks of the tutoring, I encourage you to do a classroom observation of your tutee, so you have a feel for his or her regular learning environment.

After you have worked with your tutee at least twice, you should tape one session with your student. You are then to transcribe this session (type it up verbatim). (There are Dictaphones available for use during certain hours in the Education Materials Center: 8 AM-2 PM (and often later) during the day; 7:30-9:30 PM Sunday-Thursday evenings and Sunday from 1-5 PM in the afternoon.) This transcript will serve as the basis of your first paper, due October 10/22. (See Two Papers, below.)

Lab Work: You will be involved in lab work once a week until the end of November. Lab work for this course consists of: (a) an introduction to the process of asking a research question; (b) becoming familiar with a project addressing the mathematical word problem solving and reading comprehension of students; (c) generating your own questions using this data base; and (d) developing familiarity and dexterity with SPSS. Your lab work will culminate in a one-page web-page synopsis and a lab paper, due November 21. (See Two Papers, below.)

Two Papers: In lieu of a mid-term exam, students are expected to write two papers. These are due October 10/22 and November 21. Should your paper only be "in process" at the time of class, bring it with you and whatever materials you will need to complete it. Plan to work on it until it is completed. It is integral to your synthesis of the content of this course that the papers be completed on the date they are due. An opportunity for peer collaboration and feedback is formally built into students' work on these papers if they are completed on time.

The topics of the two papers are described below. Remember that these are your papers. It is assumed that their specific focus will be something you consider worthwhile.

Paper 1, Due October 10 (revised copy due 10/22 before lab time – no exceptions): Compare and/or contrast how at least two of the people whose work you have read would analyze/discuss issues bearing on student learning that arise in a transcript of one session of your work with your tutee. (Your transcript should be attached.) Make sure to include page numbers to indicate the source of your attributions to both the author/researchers and the transcript. Use initials to refer to your tutee throughout the paper. I would like to share these with the teachers since they have expressed an interest in them. The revising to be completed by 10/22 should incorporate comments from classmates. More information on this to follow.

Paper 2, Due November 21: Using the study which you have already designed based on your lab work, develop a one-page web-page synopsis and a paper in which you describe your study: (a) state the problem being researched; (b) say why this problem is important in light of the literature you read for this class; (c) tell what you did to answer the question and summarize your finding(s) (tables are fine); (d) indicate what these finding(s) mean in terms of the literature read, your statement about why it was an important problem, and your experiences tutoring this term, if this is appropriate; and finally (e) consider its implications for practice. (Note, assistance for using basic html and making a web-page will be available.)

Reflections and Final Paper The final paper for this course is your working theory of instruction. It has two parts. The first involves reflecting on your work during the course. The second involves the paper itself.

First, following your reading and note taking each week, you should jot down some thoughts about: (a) those aspects of the readings that pique your curiosity, surprise you, seem complex, leave you uncertain, etc. and (b) the links you see between the questions of the week’s reading assignment, class discussions, the readings, laboratory work, and your tutoring.

The final paper, your theory of instruction, is written at the end of the term. It should be a vehicle for synthesizing material covered during the semester. You are to draw out connections between your "working" theory of instruction and the ideas of the authors you've been reading throughout the term. (In other words, cite others on whom your ideas build, with whom you concur, etc., demonstrating that you are not only familiar with the readings from this course, but that you have synthesized them into a coherent framework.) Your reflections on your own growth and insights during the course should be included as a particular case of the points you make. Your reflections and notes can be included either in the text of the paper or as an appendix.

The reflections and final paper are due at the end of the assigned exam slot. You are encouraged to exchange papers with others prior to their completion. If you have

not completed your paper at the time of the exam, plan to use the exam period to complete it.

Texts Available in Bookstore:

Faber, A. & Mazlish, E. (1995) How to talk so kids can learn. Fireside (Simon & Schuster).

Hayden, T. (1980). One child. New York, NY: Avon Books.

McCarney, S. B. (1993) The pre-intervention manual. Columbia, MO: Hawthorne.

Polya (1971). How to solve it. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Topic Outline: At all times we will be considering the following issues:

(a) the role of others in learning and development, including the culture, family, prior schooling, immediate peers, and "generalized others";

(b) distinctions between process to and actual completion of work;

(c) applications of findings to both older and younger populations, as well as to whom the teacher is;

(d) applications of findings to individual learners, as well as groups/classes of students.

The topic outline by date then includes the preceding in the context of the following questions:

1. What does prior experience tell us about learning and development? And, what does this tell us about teaching? (9/5)

2. How and why might we learn?

(a) Models of learning and development: Are we craftspersons or

snorkelers? (9/12)

(b) Issues of capacity and domain: Learning for what? (9/19)

(c) Some thoughts on how learning looks and works. (9/26)

3. What are some indicators of learning?

(a) Planning, strategy use, problem solving. (10/3)

(b) Metacognition, representational competence. (10/10) (10/22 with revisions, see notes)

(c) Synthesis - paper due. (10/24)

4. What might influence the way in which one learns?

(a) Creativity, intelligence, achievement. (10/31)

(b) Interest and learning. (11/7)

Lab paper discussions 11/14

(c) Lab paper due 11/21

(d) Motivation and learning. (11/28)

5. How does all of this information affect the way in which we think about teaching?

(12/5)