Introduction to Educational Psychology he explained his views on the benefits of health and make detailed observations and keep

bservations and keep careful records to

physical exercise, and the belief that knowledge study their students' development. Hall's ideas
History of Educational Psychology
acquisition occurs though experience and that reason influenced education through courses in child study
Plato and Aristotle
and investigation should replace arbitrary authority. He introduced into normal schools beginning around
• Discussed the role of the teacher, the relationship
proposed educating children according to their natural 1863.
between the teacher, methods of teaching, the nature
inclinations, impulses and feelings.
and order of learning, the role of emotion in learning
John Dewey (1859–1952) America
which are topics that are still studied by educational
Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi (1746-1827) Germany • Founded the Laboratory School at the University of
psychologist until today.
• Some people consider Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi to Chicago and is considered the father of the progressive
be the first applied educational psychologist. He was education movement.
Juan Luis Vives (1493-1540) Spain
one of the first educators who attempted to put • Dewey believed that individuals address aspects of
• The Spanish humanist Juan Luis Vives emphasized
Rousseau's teaching into practice and teach children by their environment, not because these features possess
the value of practice, the need to tap student interests
drawing upon their natural interests and activities. the qualities of being interesting, but because they are
and adapt instruction to individual differences, and the
viewed instrumentally as ways of realizing a purpose.
advantages of using self-comparisons rather than
Johann Friedrich Herbart (1776–1841) Germany This belief gave rise to the theory of "functionalism".
competitive social comparisons in evaluating students'
• He is acknowledged as the "father of scientific • Functionalism encouraged developments in mental
work.
pedagogy" (in Grinder, 1989). He was the first scientist testing, investigation of individual differences and
to distinguish instructional process from subject studies of adaptive behavior.
Johann Amos Comenius (1592-1670) Czech Republic
matter.
• The first person to recognize the age differences in
• According to Herbart, interest develops when already Edward Bradford Titchener (1867- 1927) America
children's ability to learn. He also noticed that children
strong and vivid ideas are hospitable towards new • He was one of the first eminent Educational
learn more effectively when they are involved with
ones, thus past associations motivate apperception of Psychologists to practice in America.
experiences that they can assimilate. He introduced
current ones. • He was director of the psychology laboratory at
visual aids and proclaimed that understanding, not
• Herbartianism, in predicting that learning follows Cornell University, and he regarded the study of the
memorizing, was the goal of teaching.
from building up sequences of ideas important to the generalized mind to be the only legitimate purpose of
individual, gave teachers a semblance of a theory of psychological investigation.
John Locke (1632-1704) England
motivation. • He focused on such higher mental processes as
• In the late 1600's, John Locke advanced the
concept formation and argued that introspection is a
hypothesis that people learn primarily from external
William James (1842-1910) America valid form for interpreting great variety of sensations
forces. He believed that the mind was like a blank
• He founded psychology in America and then followed and feelings.
tablet (tabula rasa), and that successions of simple
with a lecture series for teachers titled "Talks to
impressions give rise to complex ideas through
Teachers about Psychology.“ He supported the use of Edward Lee Thorndike (1874–1949) America
association and reflection. Locke is credited with
discussion, projects and activities, laboratory • He agreed with functionalism but preferred to be
establishing "empiricism" as a criterion for testing the
experiments, writing, drawing, and concrete materials identified as a "connectionist" because he sought to
validity of knowledge.
in teaching. explain learning in terms of stimulus-response
connections. He is credited with establishing the "Law
Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778) French
Granville Stanley Hall (1846-1924) America of Effect" to account for the strengthening or
• Rousseau put forth a new theory of educational
• He founded the American Psychological Association weakening of connections as a result of experience.
pedagogy. In his famous work Emile, published in 1762,
and was its first president. He encouraged teachers to
• He wrote the first educational psychology text in early childhood and adolescence. However, it also • Thus, all the teaching strategies that you learn should
1903 and founded the Journal of Educational explores the social, emotional, and cognitive processes be adopted and adapted to fit your particular teaching
Psychology in 1910. that are involved in learning throughout the entire situation and your personal teaching style. To be an
• In 1914, Thorndike completed the three-volume lifespan. effective teacher you must carve out your own
series, Educational Psychology. For nearly fifty years Scope of work of an educational psychologist teaching philosophy and discover your own unique
the field of Educational Psychology embraced the • Using psychological tests, theories and procedures to talents and learn how to use them.
theory of associationism without question. support the wellbeing and learning of young people
• Helping young people with learning difficulties to Effective Teacher: Professional Knowledge and Skills
Contemporary Educational Psychology achieve their full potential 1. Discipline Skills
• Jerome Bruner's early research on thinking stirred his • Recommending, developing and administering 2. Classroom Management Skills
interest in education. Bruner's work emphasized the appropriate therapies and strategies 3. Observation Skills
importance of understanding the structure of a subject • Educating and working with young people, their 4. Student engagement Skills
being studied, the need for active learning as the basis families and school staff, including teachers and 5. Strong Communication Skills with Students and
for true understanding, and the value of inductive learning support assistants Parents
reasoning in learning. • Carrying out psychological assessments to uncover a 6. Teaching Skills
• Bruner believed students must actively identify key child's problem 7. Subject Matter Expertise
principles for themselves rather than relying on • Writing reports 8. Time Management Skills
teachers' explanations. Teachers should provide • Conducting research 9. Clear Planning Skills
problem situations stimulating students to question, • Providing training 10. Passion and positivity
explore, and experiment–a process called discovery • Advising and making recommendations on 11. Be a team player
learning. educational policies. 12. Patience
• Thus, Bruner believed that classroom learning should
take place through inductive reasoning, that is, by Teaching: Art and Science
using specific examples to formulate a general • It is a science in that there are strategies and
principle. practices that a body of research has shown to be
effective in enhancing learning. Just like doctors,
Definition of Educational Psychology teachers should use research to inform their practice.
Merriam-Webster • On the individual level, teaching is a science also in
- A branch of psychology concerned with human that teachers are constantly collecting data by
maturation, school learning, teaching methods, observing their students in order to see if learning is
guidance, and evaluation of aptitude and progress by taking place and how they learn best. And like
standardized tests. scientists, teachers experiment with new techniques or
strategies to see how they work.
Cherry (2022) • It is an art in that teachers must bring themselves
• It is the study of how people learn, including teaching fully into their teaching. As a teacher you will need to
methods, instructional processes, and individual find the methods and strategies that work best for you.
differences in learning. It explores the cognitive, • Teachers are not standardized products. What works
behavioral, emotional, and social influences on the for one teacher may not work for another.
learning process. • It focuses on the learning process of