William Cope
Pinakini Shah
Nadia Ayub
Miquel Colobran.png "Samuel Chukwuemeka Obasi")
Samuel Chukwuemeka Obasi
Sara RichterLearning, Knowledge and Human Development MOOC’s Updates
Educational Psychology
The process of learning such as acquisition, processing, and application of knowledge is very critical specially on developing stages of a child. Deliberate analysis is needed but through Educational Psychology, everything is explicitly explained. The following are rundown of benefits of the above mentioned field in learning;
Motivation – understanding the basis of motivation is very crucial in keeping our learners engaged in learning. If they are not motivated, they will be disengaged and probably not be interested to continue learning.
Emotional Factors – determining the factors that affects emotional and mental health of a person is one of the great contributions of educational psychology. In essence, there is a direct impact on the readiness of a person to learn on his/her emotional well-being.
Cognitive Development – the theories presented explained the various stages that a person has to go through as he/she develops. It is important to study how a person’s memory is formed, as well as his/her reasoning and problem-solving skills.
Teaching Strategies – analyzing the way a person learn is a substantial basis in developing teaching methodologies to help address the needs of their learners.
A Core Concept of Behaviorism
One of the foundational concepts in behaviorism is classical conditioning, developed by Ivan Pavlov. While often associated with animal behavior, this principle has significant implications for educational psychology and the learning environment.
Definition:
Classical conditioning refers to learning through association. A previously neutral stimulus becomes associated with a meaningful stimulus, eventually triggering a similar response.
Example: Pavlov’s dogs salivated at the sound of a bell after it had been repeatedly paired with food.
Example in Educational Practice:
Imagine a student who feels anxious every time they enter a math class. Initially, the anxiety may be tied to difficult experiences (e.g., failing a test, being embarrassed by a wrong answer). Over time, the classroom itself—originally neutral—becomes a conditioned stimulus that triggers a conditioned response of stress or avoidance, even if the negative event isn't happening anymore.
Teachers, from a behaviorist standpoint, play a key role in either reinforcing or reshaping these associations. By creating positive experiences—like offering encouragement, fostering small successes, or creating a supportive environment—educators can re-condition students to associate learning with confidence rather than anxiety.
Educational Implications:
Role of the teacher: In a behaviorist framework, the teacher is an environmental engineer—shaping stimulus-response patterns through reinforcement, repetition, and careful control of cues.
Nature vs. Nurture: Behaviorism emphasizes nurture—behavior is learned from the environment, not inherited traits or internal thought processes.
Cautions: While powerful, classical conditioning can unintentionally create negative learning associations (e.g., test anxiety). Understanding this helps teachers prevent and address harmful patterns.
By applying behaviorist principles like classical conditioning, educational psychology gives teachers a framework for recognizing how emotional responses are learned—and how to help students unlearn unproductive ones. This highlights the power and responsibility of the learning environment in shaping not just knowledge, but also feelings and motivation.
A Core Concept of Behaviorism
One of the foundational concepts in behaviorism is classical conditioning, developed by Ivan Pavlov. While often associated with animal behavior, this principle has significant implications for educational psychology and the learning environment.
Definition:
Classical conditioning refers to learning through association. A previously neutral stimulus becomes associated with a meaningful stimulus, eventually triggering a similar response.
Example: Pavlov’s dogs salivated at the sound of a bell after it had been repeatedly paired with food.
Example in Educational Practice:
Imagine a student who feels anxious every time they enter a math class. Initially, the anxiety may be tied to difficult experiences (e.g., failing a test, being embarrassed by a wrong answer). Over time, the classroom itself—originally neutral—becomes a conditioned stimulus that triggers a conditioned response of stress or avoidance, even if the negative event isn't happening anymore.
Teachers, from a behaviorist standpoint, play a key role in either reinforcing or reshaping these associations. By creating positive experiences—like offering encouragement, fostering small successes, or creating a supportive environment—educators can re-condition students to associate learning with confidence rather than anxiety.
Educational Implications:
Role of the teacher: In a behaviorist framework, the teacher is an environmental engineer—shaping stimulus-response patterns through reinforcement, repetition, and careful control of cues.
Nature vs. Nurture: Behaviorism emphasizes nurture—behavior is learned from the environment, not inherited traits or internal thought processes.
Cautions: While powerful, classical conditioning can unintentionally create negative learning associations (e.g., test anxiety). Understanding this helps teachers prevent and address harmful patterns.
By applying behaviorist principles like classical conditioning, educational psychology gives teachers a framework for recognizing how emotional responses are learned—and how to help students unlearn unproductive ones. This highlights the power and responsibility of the learning environment in shaping not just knowledge, but also feelings and motivation.
A Core Concept of Behaviorism
One of the foundational concepts in behaviorism is classical conditioning, developed by Ivan Pavlov. While often associated with animal behavior, this principle has significant implications for educational psychology and the learning environment.
Definition:
Classical conditioning refers to learning through association. A previously neutral stimulus becomes associated with a meaningful stimulus, eventually triggering a similar response.
Example: Pavlov’s dogs salivated at the sound of a bell after it had been repeatedly paired with food.
Example in Educational Practice:
Imagine a student who feels anxious every time they enter a math class. Initially, the anxiety may be tied to difficult experiences (e.g., failing a test, being embarrassed by a wrong answer). Over time, the classroom itself—originally neutral—becomes a conditioned stimulus that triggers a conditioned response of stress or avoidance, even if the negative event isn't happening anymore.
Teachers, from a behaviorist standpoint, play a key role in either reinforcing or reshaping these associations. By creating positive experiences—like offering encouragement, fostering small successes, or creating a supportive environment—educators can re-condition students to associate learning with confidence rather than anxiety.
Educational Implications:
Role of the teacher: In a behaviorist framework, the teacher is an environmental engineer—shaping stimulus-response patterns through reinforcement, repetition, and careful control of cues.
Nature vs. Nurture: Behaviorism emphasizes nurture—behavior is learned from the environment, not inherited traits or internal thought processes.
Cautions: While powerful, classical conditioning can unintentionally create negative learning associations (e.g., test anxiety). Understanding this helps teachers prevent and address harmful patterns.
By applying behaviorist principles like classical conditioning, educational psychology gives teachers a framework for recognizing how emotional responses are learned—and how to help students unlearn unproductive ones. This highlights the power and responsibility of the learning environment in shaping not just knowledge, but also feelings and motivation.