Educational Psychology SYLLABUS for Educational Psychology (EPSY 302) Summer, 2009 3 credit hrs from Black Hills State University College of Education, Spearfish, South Dakota Instructor: Dr. Len Austin, Associate Professor lenaustin@bhsu.edu Office Hours (see Instructor s Availability below) Phone: (605) 642-6329 The Mission of the College of Education is to prepare competent, confident, and caring professionals. How do children learn? How do people learn? What ideas best explain how we should teach them? With what knowledge has the greatest but thinkers left us concerning learners and learning, teachers and teaching? Besides content knowledge what personal traits must I embody as a person to be an effective teacher? What is the role of the modern teacher? The search for the answers to these questions is the aim of this course. We will pursue the fundamental psychological facts, principles, and theories that apply to the nature of the learner and the learning process. EPSY 302 also recognizes the importance of a student s personal and professional readiness to teach, and the characteristics possessed by caring, competent, and confident facilitators of learning. Concurrent enrollment in/or completion of a college general psychology class. This course examines the salient points and research from behaviorism, constructivism, cognitivism, social learning theory, multiple intelligences, and psychosocial ideas, to acquaint the beginning teacher with the latest theories of learning. The text for the course is the instructor s selfdesigned Education Psychology Handbook. Use the 10 th Edition. It has a black 1
and white photo of a woman on the front. That is Georgia O Keefe, the famous painter. Contact the BHSU bookstore by phone: (605) 642-6636 or go online at www.bhsubookstore.com. http://www.bhsubookstore.com/ The instructor receives no remuneration from sales. Dr. Len Austin teaches educational psychology courses and child growth and development courses on the Black Hills State University campus. He has authored books in this area, including What Teachers Need To Know About Their Student s Religious Beliefs, and The Counseling Primer, which has appeared on a psychology best-seller list. He has a doctorate degree in educational psychology and counseling from the University of Wyoming. You can read more about his personal profile on the left hand widget of the course s home page. He personally teaches this course without the use of student assistants, and is available to students through mailto:lenaustin@bhsu.edu Dr. Austin is generally online Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9 AM until 11:00 AM, and intermittently during the afternoons. Evenings he is usually not available, nor on weekends. An alternative for contacting him is through his e-mail at lenaustin@bhsu.edu. Grades: 50% (or 50 points) of the course grade will be derived from the 7 Projects below that vary in weight. The other 50% (or 50 points) of the course grade will be derived from two quizzes (a midterm, and a final quiz in blue below) to be held online. Quiz questions will come from assigned readings in the Handbook. 1. Create a professional curriculum vitae (resume). 3 points 2. Review 3 current media articles about learners and learning. 5 points 3. Read and respond to two chapters in the Handbook. 9 points 4. Take some self-assessment personality inventories. 4 points 5. Share study questions for the midterm exam with others. 2 points Take the 40 minute midterm quiz (June 22). 25 points 2
6. Read and respond to four chapters in the Handbook. 19 points 7. Write a course summary paper ( My Principles of Learning ). 8 points Take the 40 minute final quiz (July 3). 25 points What is Required of You? This is your syllabus for the course! There is also a syllabus in your textbook, but that syllabus is not yours. We will refer to that syllabus in the textbook (Handbook) because you will be doing some of those assignments; but you will be doing all of the assignments in this syllabus. For instance, you will not do Projects 3, 5, 6, 7 and 8 as described in the Handbook. Instead, you will do Projects 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 as described below. Then, you will take the midterm exam on June 22. Then you ll complete Projects 6 and 7 as described below and take the final quiz on July 3 rd. The Handbook s syllabus is from the Spring 2009 semester and will be re-used again this summer too. Do not confuse that syllabus with your syllabus. REMEMBER, YOU ARE READING YOUR CLASS SYLLABUS RIGHT NOW! The Handbook is required, as it provides the necessary reading for the course and includes some handy forms and examples of other student s work. Remember, if there is a difference between what the Handbook s syllabus says and what is asked of you below; go with what is written below. Also ignore all the references in the Handbook s syllabus to group work and group grading. Remember to start these projects before their due dates. The projects below are listed according to when they are due, but some will require that you start days ahead of time! Some projects take a lot more time to complete then others. DO THIS 1st (upload it to D2L s Dropbox on June 10th or before) PROJECT 1. CURRICULUM VITAE (RESUME) is worth 3 points: (read more about Project 1 in the Handbook s syllabus under Project 1). For the proper format for your vita go to the white Appendix section of your Handbook. Submit your vitae to the Discuss by June 10 th and include a picture of yourself; unless you any meaning that the things that the life is about as the eye of the one that and have yet to treasure artists and said she has been to Korea the needs of things have some adverse feelings about sending your photo into cyberspace. The instructor will observe your vitae in the Discuss forum and grade your vitae there. The photograph is optional, but will help 3
the instructor build a more personal connection to you. A face is worth 1,000 words. Then, by June 12 th read and respond to each of your group members who posted his or her vitae. You may wish to critique his or her vita, or discuss similarities between your experiences? The purpose of this is to get to know good people in your small group and to improve each other s vitas. Your vitae must be formatted according to the Handbook s format then uploaded by June 10 th at midnight in order to receive credit. You must respond to your group member s vitas in the online thread no later than June 12 th at midnight. Have fun! DO THIS 2nd (then upload it to D2L on June 12th or before) PROJECT 2. THREE CURRENT MEDIA is worth 5 points: (read more about Project 2 in the Handbook s syllabus) Students will gather three new research findings. These can be new research findings or current news events with regards to teachers or teaching, learning and learners, or about schools. The source could be found on the Internet, television, radio, or in a professionally published academic article. For each article you read in review, cite in your paper the place where you found your information (so the instructor and your group members can read the full article if they so desire). In your review of each of the three articles, analyze them according to how important you feel the information is, and whether or not you agree with what was being reported. Your one page review of each current event will be examined and graded by the instructor in the Discuss forum based on your thoughtfulness and your ability to demonstrate that you can see both sides of the issue (which is a trait of the educated mind). Part of the purpose of this project is to keep tuned in and be in the know concerning the latest and greatest research in the field of education. Also you may gain insights as your group member s comment on your articles. You do not have to send the actual articles, just your one page review of each of the three media research findings. Project 2 must be in the group Discuss forum by June 12 th by midnight.. Then, you will have two days thereafter to read all your group member s articles and respond to at least one article/media from each member. You may wish to critique the article s content yourself, or discuss the group member s reaction to his or her article. The deadline for critiquing one article from each of your group members closes on June 14 th by midnight.. DO THE PROJECT BELOW 3rd (then upload it to D2L on June 17th or before) 4 PROJECT 3. END OF CHAPTER QUESTIONS is worth 9 points:
Do not do Project 3 as written in the Handbook. Instead, thoughtfully answer the questions at the end of the first two sections of the Handbook. Please include the questions in your paper too. The questions that are due on June 17 th are found at the end of the following two sections of your handbook: A) Do the 7 questions at the end of the blue-paged section ( Questions on the INTRODUCTORY section ). B) Do the 13 questions at the end of the buff colored pages ( Questions on the CONSTRUCTIVISM section ). When done with both sections, submit th at midnight. the questions and responses to the instructor s Dropbox by June 17 DO THE NEXT PROJECT 4th (then upload it to D2L on June 19th or before) PROJECT 4. SELF-ASSESSMENT is worth 4 points: Choose option 4a or 4b below: 4a) Take the Myers Briggs Personality Inventory (MBTI). One place it is offered is the BHSU Student Assistance Center and costs about $8.00. It is also offered downtown in Spearfish at the Social Services agency and others places for free. OR 4b) Take the six fun on line assessments listed below: The Big Five Personality Test http://www.outofservice.com/bigfive/ The Enneagram Person Test http://similarminds.com/test.html Mental Muscle Diagram Indicator http://www.teamtechnology.co.uk/mmdi-re/mmdi-re.htm Psycho-Geometrics http://www.psychometricshapes.co.uk/ BBC Home http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/surveys/whatamilike/index.sht ml Multiple Intelligence (see line below) http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks3/ict/multiple_int/qu estions/choose_lang.cfm Then, submit only one 3-4 page typed paper for this project, which summarizes the results of the assessments you took. Make sure to include the name of each assessment you took. In each separate summary paragraph you write, discuss what you learned about yourself from that specific test (especially as it relates to you becoming an effective teacher). Don t turn in the actual tests. The instructor is not grading your results, but only that you took these assessments and reflected on your results. 5
If you take the MBTI (option 4a) make sure to include your profile letters, and be sure to see Appendix 4 in the white section for insights into your personality. th at Post your paper in the instructor s Dropbox no later than June 19 midnight.. DO THIS 5th (then upload it to your group members on June 20 or 21) PROJECT 5. STUDY FOR THE MIDTERM QUESTIONS is worth 2 points: Having read and pondered every page of the blue and buff section, create ten true/false questions from each of the two sections and upload these to members of your group in the Discuss forum. In turn they will post their questions too, so before the test on Monday, and you ll have a lot of questions to sample. This will be one way that you can study for the midterm examination on Monday, June 22. It will not be to anyone s advantage for you to make these questions easy. You will need to post your true/false questions to your group before on June 20 or 21 in order to receive credit. DO THIS 6 th, on June 22 Take the midterm quiz today! The midterm quiz, which is a true/false quiz, can be taken any time during the daylight hours on June 22. That quiz will cover the Introductory section and the section on Constructivism. From the time you login you will have 40 minutes to complete the quiz. It will mostly be a true/false quiz. You can take the quiz only once. DO THIS 7th (upload them to D2L on or before June 29 th ) PROJECT 6. END OF CHAPTER QUESTIONS is worth 19 points: Do not do Project 6 as listed in the Handbook. Instead, like Project 3, you will do something different. You will, with assiduity, answer the questions at the end of the following four sections in the Handbook: A) The yellow-paged section ( Questions on the COGNITIVISM section ) B) The purple section ( Questions on the BEHAVIORISM section ) C) The gold but section ( Questions on the PSYCHOSOCIAL section D) The grey section ( Questions on DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY ) Start these now the day after the midterm! This will take a while and will be the material that constitutes your final exam. 6
Upload your responses to these four chapters on Monday, June 29 th or before. DO THIS 8 th (then upload it to D2L on July 1 or before) PROJECT 7. MY PRINCIPLES OF LEARNING paper is worth 8 points: (In the Handbook this is listed as Project 8). Ideally, you will have read the four chapters for Project 6 in the handbook so that you can be knowledgeable when you write this culminating paper. After you read the description in the Handbook you should now be ready to review and express the depth of your learning of the various theories ( educated guesses ) and articulate and appraise the ideas to which you have been exposed during this course. In a three-five page essay, mesh your own ideas about how children/people learn with that of the great thinkers and their theories. Be sure in your paper to point out what pieces of Behaviorism, Psychoanalytic, Constructivism, Rogers, Bandura, Vygotsky, Maslow, etc., will be incorporated into your philosophy of education, and into your classroom practices. What theories and ideas make the most sense? What ideas will you avoid? This is a personal thought piece and will obviously reflect your own personality and beliefs. Therefore, grading will not be based on your personal values, but on proper use of grammar/spelling, and integration of your ideas into a well knit thought piece that reflects where you are right now. Explain what you have learned from taking this course. There is a rubric that will be used for scoring your paper. See Project 8 Appendix in the white section for examples. Upload to the Dropbox by July 1 at midnight. DO THIS LAST (on July 3 rd ) Take the final quiz today, July 3! The final quiz will be over the chapters covered in Project 6, and can be taken any time during the daylight hours on July 3. From the time you login you will have 40 minutes to complete the titillating true/false quiz. Other Important Course Information 7 As a result of taking this class, students are able to: Identify the basic components of various learning theories.
Identify theorists associated with the major principles and theories of learning. Compare and contrast learning paradigms. Identify within theories the stages of cognitive, affective, and psychosocial growth. Utilize multiple theories and practices of learning to write a Principles of Learning paper. Draw on reflective practices to facilitate personal growth. Identify new emerging research related to teachers and teaching. Since learning is the process of constructing knowledge- not merely obtaining it (Brooks & Brooks, 1993), students will engage in various individualized constructivist projects to gain a knowledge of human development and learning (an NTASC Standard 2). The projects will include written expression exercises, text reading, evaluating the educational work of others, building a professional resume, gathering and critiquing new educational research, taking selfassessment tests, and working with others in a small group online community. Students will be able to do the following with the knowledge and skills gained through successful completion of the seven outcomes above: Students will be able to demonstrate their willingness and ability to study outside class and retain salient information by scoring 70% or better on two multiple choice tests covering material from the text. Students will supply proof of their willingness to take on the rigors and personal attributes of a professional teacher by developing a rudimentary vitae and engaging in a personal refinement project and a self assessment exercise. Students will be able to review and gauge the depth of their learning in this course by: Self-assessing their feelings and cognition relative to the various theories under study. Self-assessing at semester s end through the construction of a coherent essay that meshes their own ideas about how children learn with that of the great theorists and recent research findings. A rubric in the Handbook s Appendix (white pages) will be used to measure student success 8
Students will learn about current trends and controversies in education by obtaining/analyzing three new media. Students are responsible for learning the content of any course of study in which they are enrolled. Under Board of Regents (Policy 1:11), student performance shall be evaluated solely on an academic basis. Students who take reasoned exception to the data or views offered in a course of study, and who believe that an academic evaluation is unrelated to academic standards but are related instead to judgment of their personal opinion or conduct, should follow the General Appeals Process as stated in the BHSU catalog. For final grading in the class: A= 93-100% B= 83-92% C= 73-82% D= 63-72% F= 1-62 Reasonable accommodations, as arranged through the Disabilities Services Coordinator, will be provided students with documented disabilities. Contact the BHSU, Disabilities Services Coordinator (MikeMcNeil@bhsu.edu) (605) 642-6099. (Jacket Legacy Room in the Student Union) for more information. For Student Services contact: http://www.bhsu.edu/studentlife/tabid/83/default.aspx Students will need to pace themselves and participate in the course according to its fast-paced Summer Session time limits. For instance, summer sessions differ in length from spring and fall semester terms. It can reasonably be assumed that taking the midterm quiz means you are halfway through the course. Incomplete grades can be realized only through documentation of a personal emergency or illness, or resulting from a university-sponsored activity. 9 If you have any questions about the assignments, grading, etc., email me.
Dr. Len Austin lenaustin@bhsu.edu (605) 642-6329 The End 4/7/09 10