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EdPsy 503: ADVANCED EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY

SUMMER 2007

Instructor: David Slavit
Office: EHD 231
Phone: 546-9653
Email: dslavit@wsu.edu (best contact)
Website: http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/fac/slavitd/home.html

Textbooks:
Seifert, Kelvin L. (1999). Constructing a Psychology of Teaching & Learning. Houghton-Mifflin, Boston. ISBN 0-395-70808-7
 Cauley, K.M., McMillan, J.H., & Pannozzo, G., (Eds.) (2007). Annual Editions: Educational Psychology. 06/07. McGraw-Hill/Dushkin: Guilford, CT. ISBN 0-07-351611-2

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INTRODUCTION:
Every teacher has assumptions about their students. Some are "bright", some are "good kids", some have "trouble at home", some "just don't get it", some "catch on quickly", some are "sharp", some are "the kids no one else wanted", some "get so into it", and some "could care less". These assumptions are usually based on past experience, word of mouth, and interactions with the children over time.
Every teacher also has assumptions about how children develop, but these can be a bit harder to make explicit. It is quite difficult to determine a child's level of development or understanding at any given time; it is even more difficult to think about this over several years. Various philosophies and theories have been developed to help guide our thinking in regard to how to approach the ways in which we think about how children learn and develop. And I am sure that you have many ideas on this topic as well.

PURPOSE:
The primary purpose of this course is to explore connections between teaching and learning. Specifically, we will discuss philosophies and theories of learning and development in the context of classroom practice.

OBJECTIVES:
1. Explore and discuss your own views and experiences relative to how children learn and develop;
2. Explore and discuss educational philosophies, psychologies, and theories , including behaviorism, cognitive science, connectionism, constructivism, feminism, gestaltism, semiotics, and sociocultural norms;
3. Become familiar with important individuals who have contributed to our understanding of educational psychology, including Bandura, Bloom, Bruner, Dewey, Erikson, Ernest, Festinger, Gagne, Gardiner, Gilligan, Kohlberg, Lave, Maslow, Noddings, Palinscar, Piaget, Skinner, Thorndike, von Glaserfeld, Wertheimer, and Vygotsky;
4. Ground the above discussions in individual, classroom, and other social contexts, particularly as they relate to instructional practice;
5. Reconsider your own views and experiences relative to how children learn and develop in the construction of your own "advanced" educational psychology.