Spring 1997

Meeting times: TTh 9:30-10:45 a.m.

Place: WHL 006

Instructor: Richard L. Venezky

Office and hours: WHL 211 TTh 11-12 a. m.

Assistant: Mrs. Becky Kinney

Office and hours: WHL 228 MW 9-10 a. m.

Overview

This course is an introduction to the cognitive aspects of educational psychology. Along with EDST 304, which covers the social and affective aspects of educational psychology, it provides a foundation for reading the educational research literature, for understanding student learning, and for evaluating instructional practices. Although the course is structured around issues that teachers face in their jobs, its goals are more toward fundamental understanding than toward practice. Central to the content of the course is the basic psychology of learning-- memory, problem solving, mental models and other knowledge representations, etc., and the procedures through which learning is facilitated in school environments. This is not a methods course nor does it pretend to give direct answers to such questions as "How do I teach physics?" or "Should I grade on a curve?" Its primary function is to provide a foundation so that future teachers can answer these questions intelligently even though students, instructional materials, schooling goals, resources, and even research outcomes may change.

Organization

The course is organized around four fundamental questions related to learning and teaching. Each issue involves (a) an in class reflection on where students stand on that issue before studying it; (b) a small research project on the issue, generally involving interviewing, observation, or experimentation; (c) readings; and (c) a written quiz or examination. The main textbook for the course is:

Robert E. Slavin, Educational Psychology: Theory and Practice. 4th ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1994.

Additional readings will be placed on reserve in both Morris Library and the ERC in Willard Hall.

Grading

The four issues are worth 25 points each. Within an issue, 12 points are rewarded for the paper and 13 for the exam. An optional final exam will allow students to recover from low scores on any one issue.

Outline

Issue 1: What is the role of the teacher vis-à-vis student learning?

February 11: Course Introduction. Introduction to Issue 1.

February 13: John Stephens, The Process of Schooling. Chapter 8: The Effective Teacher (pp. 93-103). Boston: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1967. (reserve)

February 18: Slavin, pp. 263-287 (direct instruction).

In-class orientation for field placements

February 20: In-school orientation for field placements

February 25: Slavin, pp. 308-313 (Carroll Model); John Carroll, A Model of School Learning. Teachers College Record, 1963, 64: 723-733. (reserve)

February 27: Slavin, pp. 152-167, 174-179 (behavioral theories)

March 4: Slavin, pp. 322-340 (mastery learning, CAI, etc.); 287-301 (co-operative learning, etc.)

Paper No. 1 due

Review for mini-exam

March 6: Mini-exam

Redo position papers

Issue 2: Should teachers' evaluations be based on how much their students learn?

March 11: Introduction to issue 2.

Slavin, pp. 184-197 (memory)

March 13: Slavin, pp. 197-220

March 18: Slavin, 223-241

March 20: Slavin, pp. 241-260

March 25: Richard E. Mayer, Aids to Text Comprehension. Educational Psychologist, 1984, 19: 30-42.

Paper 2 due; review for exam

March 27: Mini-exam

Redo position papers

March 28-April 6: Spring Break

Issue 3: Should all students be held to the same curriculum standards?

April 8: Introduction to issue 3

Content area curriculum standards (reserve)

April 10: Slavin, pp. 113-129

April 15: Slavin, pp. 129-141

April 17: Slavin, pp. 29-52

April 22: to be assigned

Paper 3 due; review for exam

April 24: Mini-exam

Redo position papers

Issue 4: Should performance assessment replace all standardized, short-answer testing?

April 29: Introduction to issue 4

Slavin, pp. 485-498 (skim), 498-510 (read carefully)

May 1: Slavin, pp. 510-523

May 6: Slavin, pp. 529-540

May 8: Slavin, pp. 540-559

May 13: Shavelson, R. J., Baxter, G. P., & Pine, J. Performance Assessments: Political Rhetoric and Measurement Reality. Educational Researcher, 1992, 21(4): 22-27. (reserve)

Paper 4 due; review for exam

May 15: Mini-exam

Redo position papers

May 20: Catch up; review for (optional) final