One of the many core courses an education major is required to take is Educational Psychology. Many students ponder what psychology has to do with teaching reading, writing, and arithmetic. The truth of the matter is Educational Psychology has a lot to do with effective teaching. Educational Psychology helps emerging teachers become expert learners, which, in turn, helps them evolve into expert teachers.

To gain a better understanding of what the Educational Psychology course is about and how it relates to teachers, we need to define the term. Educational Psychology is the discipline concerned with teaching and learning processes. It is different from other branches of psychology in that its sole objective is to understand and improve education practices.

This course will help you understand what students think and do as they learn and receive instruction. You will gain insight by conducting research and hypothesizing theories. Teachers are encouraged to design and conduct a variety of research studies in an effort to better understand teaching processes and how students learn. You will study the different research methods and how research is used to create successful teaching techniques.

Student teachers will learn how to interpret classroom activity by conducting descriptive research. This type of research can be accumulated from survey results, interview transcripts; samples of actual classroom dialogues, or observing videotaped class sessions. Descriptive research is an effective means for a teacher to research behavior and reoccurring behavior patterns.

Another research associated with Educational Psychology is correlation. This research involves the statistical analysis of two variables, for the purpose of determining how closely related they are, and what, if any, connection they have. Correlations are typically used to make predictions about important events in the classroom.

With experimentation, teachers study actual cases based on cause and effect. This research goes beyond predictions, and allows for the teacher to introduce change in the experiment and record the outcome. Typically descriptive and experimental research go hand in hand. Ultimately, these resources will aid you in creating effective strategies to improve such challenges as classroom discipline, ineffectual learning, and unmotivated minds.

Another research tool used for better understanding of education processes is theory. In scientific terms, a theory is a statement of principles that attempts to explain a phenomenon and make predictions. In layman’s terms, a theory is a hunch. If theories are not concrete, why are they an important resource for teachers? Theories inspire teachers to think outside the box, and contemplate fresh ideas that offer solutions to specific problems they are currently encountering.

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