COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
VALDOSTA STATE UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY, COUNSELING & GUIDANCE

COURSE SYLLABUS
PSYC 3130
EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY FOR TEACHERS OF ADULTS
3 SEMESTER HOURS CREDIT

Instructor: William G. (Bill) Huitt, Ph.D.
Office Hours: M-W, 9am-12N (Yahoo Messenger: ID=billhuitt)
Office: Psychology Bldg (next to Continuing Ed on Patterson)
E-mail: whuitt at valdosta dot edu

Office Phone: 333-5930

Course Description:

Educational Psychology for Teachers of Adults is designed for students enrolled in the TTIE program in the College of Education and others who will be involved in educating and training adults. The focus is on the study and application of psychological principles, theories, and methodologies to issues of teaching and learning for adults.

Web Sites:

College of Education Conceptual Framework: Guiding Principles

The following are adapted from the Georgia Systemic Teacher Education Program Accomplished Teacher Framework

• Dispositions Principle:  Productive dispositions positively affect learners, professional growth, and the learning environment.

• Equity Principle:  All learners deserve high expectations and support. 

• Process Principle:  Learning is a life-long process of development and growth. 

• Ownership Principle:  Professionals are committed to, and assume responsibility for, the future of their disciplines. 

• Support Principle:  Successful engagement in the process of learning requires collaboration among multiple partners.

• Impact Principle:  Effective practice yields evidence of learning.

• Technology Principle:  Technology facilitates teaching, learning, community building, and resource acquisition. 

• Standards Principle:  Evidence-based standards systematically guide professional preparation and development. 

College of Education Conceptual Framework Standards (CFS)

 The following framework standards will be emphasized in this course:

• II. KNOWLEDGE OF STUDENTS AND THEIR LEARNING:  Teachers support the intellectual, social, physical, and personal development of all students.

• III. LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS: Teachers create learning environments that encourage positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self-motivation.

The following framework standards will be introduced in this course:

•  IV. ASSESSMENT: Teachers understand and use a range of formal and informal assessment strategies to evaluate and ensure the continuous development of all learners.

•  V.     PLANNING AND INSTRUCTION: Teachers design and create instructional experiences based on their    knowledge of content and curriculum, students, learning environments, and assessment.

• VI. PROFESSIONALISM: Teachers recognize, participate in, and contribute to teaching as a profession.

Course Objectives:

Students will be able to:

1. name and discuss the major categories of variables that have been studied in educational psychology in an attempt to answer the question "Why do some students learn required content and skills?" and arrange these in the form of a model of the teaching/ learning process.
2. define learning and compare and contrast the factors that behavioral, cognitive, humanistic, and social cognitive theorists believe influence the learning process, giving specific examples of how these principles could be used in the adult and vocational education.
3. name and discuss the major components and techniques of classroom planning, management and instruction that have been addressed in the study of the teaching/learning process as well as how these general techniques can be modified to address individual differences among adult students.

Topics:

I. Introduction

A. Purpose and objectives of course
B. Working in the public schools
C. Definitions

1. Education
2. Educational psychology
3. Learning
4. Teaching

D. Objectives of Adult Education

1. Specific knowledge, attitudes, and skills for work and career
2. Become contributing member of society
3. Develop individual, unique potential

II. Need for a scientific approach

A. Types of Studies

1. Descriptive
2. Correlational
3. Experimental

B. Methods

1. Systematic observation
2. Participant observation
3. Paper/pencil
4. Clinical

III. Theories of Learning

A. Behavioral

1. Contiguity
2. Classical conditioning (respondent learning)
3. Operant conditioning

B. Cognitive

1. Information processing
2. Developmental

C. Humanistic

1. Self-concept
2. Values orientation

D. Social Cognition

1. Modeling and imitation
2. Self-efficacy
3. Self-regulation

IV. Motivation

A. Theories of motivation

B. Increasing student motivation

V. Guiding the Instructional Process

A. Planning

1. Domains of learning
2. Setting objectives

B. Instruction

1. The lesson
2. Considering individual differences

C. Evaluating learning

1. In the classroom
2. Standardized testing

Students with Disabilities:

Valdosta State University, in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, will make arrangements for students who require special assistance due to a disability. If you require some assistance, do not hesitate to make me aware of it. In addition, if you are not already registered with the Access Office for Students With Disabilities, you must contact the Access Office in Farber Hall, or call 245-2498 (voice) and 219-1348 (tty).

Attendance:

As this is an online course, student participation is expected rather than class attendance. Students are expected to make weekly postings and participate in all audio chat sessions. A student who is absent more than 10% of class sessions will have his or her grade reduced one letter grade. A student who misses more than 20% of class sessions will receive a grade of F for the course. A student who misses an exam because of a duty assignment must make up the exam before the next class session.

Grading:

*Some excellent suggestions related to Effective Learning; excellent suggestions on Writing in the Sciences
^~ Use APA Style in all written work; APA Style Sheet; APA Style Checklist; APA Style Overview; samples of exams are provided

Extra credit:

Up to ten points extra credit may be earned by reading research articles from education or psychology journals, by listening to cassette tapes, viewing video tapes or reviewing computer software dealing with issues related to the teaching-learning process. A critique is to be written which should include:

1. Publication data or tape/software identification;
2. Summary of article or tape (1 to 1 1/2 pages);
3. Your personal opinion about the value of the article, tape, or software (1/2 page).

Each report should be typed and will be worth a maximum of one point added to one of the 5 exams.

Last updated: January 2010
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