Educational psychology helps us understand how learning actually happens, not just what students are learning. For example, George Reese talks about “productive struggle,” which is when students work through challenges that are tough but not impossible. Educational psychology explains that this kind of struggle strengthens thinking, problem-solving, and persistence. Teachers can use this knowledge to create tasks that challenge students in the right way instead of giving answers too quickly.

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One area of the learning sciences is metacognition, or thinking about your own thinking. Educational psychology shows that students who plan, monitor, and reflect on their learning do better. For example, students who check their understanding as they read or solve problems tend to remember more and perform better on tests.

Important concepts from educational psychology include:

Self-regulated learning – managing your own learning process.

Cognitive strategies – techniques like summarizing, predicting, or organizing information.

Feedback – using information about performance to improve.

This helps teachers design lessons that support deeper learning and helps students learn how to learn, not just memorize facts.