Educational Psychology
SYLLABUS for Educational Psychology (EPSY 302)
Summer, 2009
3 credit hrs from Black Hills State University
College of Education, Spearfish, South Dakota
Instructor: Dr. Len Austin, Associate Professor lenaustin@bhsu.edu
Office Hours (see “Instructor’s Availability” below) Phone: (605) 642-6329
The Mission of the College of Education is to prepare competent, confident, and caring professionals.
How do children learn? How do people learn? What
ideas best explain how we should teach them? With what knowledge has the
greatest but thinkers left us concerning learners and learning, teachers and
teaching? Besides content knowledge what personal traits must I embody as a
person to be an effective teacher? What is the role of the modern teacher? The
search for the answers to these questions is the aim of this course. We will
pursue the fundamental psychological facts, principles, and theories that apply
to the nature of the learner and the learning process. EPSY 302 also recognizes
the importance of a student’s personal and professional readiness to teach, and
the characteristics possessed by caring, competent, and confident facilitators of
learning.
Concurrent enrollment in/or completion of a college
general psychology class.
This course examines the salient points and research
from behaviorism, constructivism, cognitivism, social learning theory, multiple
intelligences, and psychosocial ideas, to acquaint the beginning teacher with
the latest theories of learning.
The text for the course is the instructor’s selfdesigned Education Psychology Handbook. Use the 10th Edition. It has a black
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and white photo of a woman on the front. That is Georgia O’Keefe, the famous
painter. Contact the BHSU bookstore by phone: (605) 642-6636 or go online at
www.bhsubookstore.com. http://www.bhsubookstore.com/ The instructor
receives no remuneration from sales.
Dr. Len Austin teaches educational psychology courses and
child growth and development courses on the Black Hills State University
campus. He has authored books in this area, including What Teachers Need To
Know About Their Student’s Religious Beliefs, and The Counseling Primer,
which has appeared on a psychology best-seller list. He has a doctorate degree
in educational psychology and counseling from the University of Wyoming.
You can read more about his personal profile on the left hand widget of the
course’s home page. He personally teaches this course without the use of
student assistants, and is available to students through
mailto:lenaustin@bhsu.edu
Dr. Austin is generally online Monday, Wednesday,
and Friday from 9 AM until 11:00 AM, and intermittently during the
afternoons. Evenings he is usually not available, nor on weekends. An
alternative for contacting him is through his e-mail at lenaustin@bhsu.edu.
Grades: 50% (or 50 points) of the course grade
will be derived from the 7 Projects below that vary in weight. The other 50%
(or 50 points) of the course grade will be derived from two quizzes (a midterm, and a final quiz in blue below) to be held online. Quiz questions will
come from assigned readings in the Handbook.
1. Create a professional curriculum vitae (resume). 3 points
2. Review 3 current media articles about learners and learning. 5 points
3. Read and respond to two chapters in the Handbook. 9 points
4. Take some self-assessment personality inventories. 4 points
5. Share study questions for the midterm exam with others. 2 points
Take the 40 minute midterm quiz (June 22). 25 points
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6. Read and respond to four chapters in the Handbook. 19 points
7. Write a course summary paper (“My Principles of Learning”). 8 points
Take the 40 minute final quiz (July 3). 25 points
What is Required of You?
This is your syllabus for the course! There is also a syllabus in your
textbook, but that syllabus is not yours. We will refer to that syllabus in the
textbook (Handbook) because you will be doing some of those assignments;
but you will be doing all of the assignments in this syllabus.
For instance, you will not do Projects 3, 5, 6, 7 and 8 as described in the
Handbook. Instead, you will do Projects 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 as described below.
Then, you will take the midterm exam on June 22. Then you’ll complete
Projects 6 and 7 as described below and take the final quiz on July 3rd.
The Handbook’s syllabus is from the Spring 2009 semester and will be
re-used again this summer too. Do not confuse that syllabus with your syllabus.
REMEMBER, YOU ARE READING YOUR CLASS SYLLABUS RIGHT NOW!
The Handbook is required, as it provides the necessary reading for the
course and includes some handy forms and examples of other student’s work.
Remember, if there is a difference between what the Handbook’s syllabus says
and what is asked of you below; go with what is written below. Also ignore all
the references in the Handbook’s syllabus to group work and group grading.
Remember to start these projects before their due dates. The projects
below are listed according to when they are due, but some will require that you
start days ahead of time! Some projects take a lot more time to complete then
others.
DO THIS 1st (upload it to D2L’s Dropbox on June 10th or before)
PROJECT 1. CURRICULUM VITAE (RESUME) is worth 3 points: (read
more about Project 1 in the Handbook’s syllabus under Project 1). For the
proper format for your vita go to the white Appendix section of your
Handbook. Submit your vitae to the Discuss by June 10th and include a picture
of yourself; unless you any meaning that the things that the life is about as the
eye of the one that and have yet to treasure artists and said she has been to
Korea the needs of things have some adverse feelings about sending your
photo into cyberspace. The instructor will observe your vitae in the Discuss
forum and grade your vitae there. The photograph is optional, but will help
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the instructor build a more personal connection to you. A face is worth 1,000
words.
Then, by June 12th read and respond to each of your group members who
posted his or her vitae. You may wish to critique his or her vita, or discuss
similarities between your experiences? The purpose of this is to get to know
good people in your small group and to improve each other’s vitas. Your
vitae must be formatted according to the Handbook’s format then uploaded by
June 10th at midnight in order to receive credit. You must respond to your
group member’s vitas in the online thread no later than June 12th at midnight.
Have fun!
DO THIS 2nd (then upload it to D2L on June 12th or before)
PROJECT 2. THREE CURRENT MEDIA is worth 5 points: (read more about
Project 2 in the Handbook’s syllabus)
Students will gather three new research findings. These can be new
research findings or current news events with regards to teachers or teaching,
learning and learners, or about schools. The source could be found on the
Internet, television, radio, or in a professionally published academic article.
For each article you read in review, cite in your paper the place where you
found your information (so the instructor and your group members can read the
full article if they so desire).
In your review of each of the three articles, analyze them according to
how important you feel the information is, and whether or not you agree with
what was being reported. Your one page review of each “current event” will be
examined and graded by the instructor in the Discuss forum based on your
thoughtfulness and your ability to demonstrate that you can see both sides of
the issue (which is a trait of the educated mind). Part of the purpose of this
project is to keep “tuned in” and be “in the know” concerning the latest and
greatest research in the field of education. Also you may gain insights as your
group member’s comment on your articles. You do not have to send the actual
articles, just your one page review of each of the three “media research”
findings. Project 2 must be in the group Discuss forum by June 12th by midnight..
Then, you will have two days thereafter to read all your group member’s
articles and respond to at least one article/media from each member. You may
wish to critique the article’s content yourself, or discuss the group member’s
reaction to his or her article. The deadline for critiquing one article from each
of your group members closes on June 14th by midnight..
DO THE PROJECT BELOW 3rd (then upload it to D2L on June 17th or before)
PROJECT 3. END OF CHAPTER QUESTIONS is worth 9 points:
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Do not do Project 3 as written in the Handbook. Instead, thoughtfully
answer the questions at the end of the first two sections of the Handbook.
Please include the questions in your paper too. The questions that are due on
June 17th are found at the end of the following two sections of your handbook:
A) Do the 7 questions at the end of the blue-paged section (“Questions
on the INTRODUCTORY section”).
B) Do the 13 questions at the end of the buff colored pages (“Questions
on the CONSTRUCTIVISM section”). When done with both sections, submit
the questions and responses to the instructor’s Dropbox by June 17th at midnight.
DO THE NEXT PROJECT 4th (then upload it to D2L on June 19th or before)
PROJECT 4. SELF-ASSESSMENT is worth 4 points: Choose option 4a or 4b
below:
4a) Take the Myers Briggs Personality Inventory (MBTI). One place it is
offered is the BHSU Student Assistance Center and costs about $8.00. It is also
offered downtown in Spearfish at the Social Services agency and others places
for free. OR
4b) Take the six fun on–line assessments listed below:
The Big Five Personality Test
http://www.outofservice.com/bigfive/
The Enneagram Person Test
http://similarminds.com/test.html
Mental Muscle Diagram Indicator
http://www.teamtechnology.co.uk/mmdi-re/mmdi-re.htm
Psycho-Geometrics
http://www.psychometricshapes.co.uk/
BBC Home
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/surveys/whatamilike/index.sht
ml
Multiple Intelligence (see line below)
http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks3/ict/multiple_int/qu
estions/choose_lang.cfm
Then, submit only one 3-4 page typed paper for this project, which
summarizes the results of the assessments you took. Make sure to include the
name of each assessment you took. In each separate summary paragraph you
write, discuss what you learned about yourself from that specific test
(especially as it relates to you becoming an effective teacher). Don’t turn in the
actual tests. The instructor is not grading your results, but only that you took
these assessments and reflected on your results.
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If you take the MBTI (option 4a) make sure to include your profile
letters, and be sure to see Appendix 4 in the white section for insights into your
personality.
Post your paper in the instructor’s Dropbox no later than June 19th at
midnight..
DO THIS 5th (then upload it to your group members on June 20 or 21)
PROJECT 5. STUDY FOR THE MIDTERM QUESTIONS is worth 2 points:
Having read and pondered every page of the blue and buff section, create ten
true/false questions from each of the two sections and upload these to members
of your group in the Discuss forum. In turn they will post their questions too,
so before the test on Monday, and you’ll have a lot of questions to sample. This
will be one way that you can study for the midterm examination on Monday,
June 22. It will not be to anyone’s advantage for you to make these questions
easy. You will need to post your true/false questions to your group before on
June 20 or 21 in order to receive credit.
DO THIS 6th, on June 22
Take the midterm quiz today! The midterm quiz, which is a true/false quiz, can
be taken any time during the daylight hours on June 22. That quiz will cover
the Introductory section and the section on Constructivism. From the time you
login you will have 40 minutes to complete the quiz. It will mostly be a
true/false quiz. You can take the quiz only once.
DO THIS 7th (upload them to D2L on or before June 29th)
PROJECT 6. END OF CHAPTER QUESTIONS is worth 19 points:
Do not do Project 6 as listed in the Handbook. Instead, like Project 3, you will
do something different. You will, with assiduity, answer the questions at the
end of the following four sections in the Handbook:
A) The yellow-paged section (“Questions on the COGNITIVISM section”)
B) The purple section (“Questions on the BEHAVIORISM section”)
C) The gold but section (“Questions on the PSYCHOSOCIAL section”
D) The grey section (“Questions on DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY”)
Start these now… the day after the midterm! This will take a while and will be
the material that constitutes your final exam.
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Upload your responses to these four chapters on Monday, June 29th or before.
DO THIS 8th (then upload it to D2L on July 1 or before)
PROJECT 7. MY PRINCIPLES OF LEARNING paper is worth 8 points:
(In the Handbook this is listed as Project 8). Ideally, you will have read
the four chapters for Project 6 in the handbook so that you can be
knowledgeable when you write this culminating paper. After you read the
description in the Handbook you should now be ready to review and express
the depth of your learning of the various theories (“educated guesses”) and
articulate and appraise the ideas to which you have been exposed during this
course. In a three-five page essay, mesh your own ideas about how
children/people learn with that of the great thinkers and their theories.
Be sure in your paper to point out what pieces of Behaviorism,
Psychoanalytic, Constructivism, Rogers, Bandura, Vygotsky, Maslow, etc.,
will be incorporated into your philosophy of education, and into your
classroom practices. What theories and ideas make the most sense? What ideas
will you avoid?
This is a personal “thought piece” and will obviously reflect your own
personality and beliefs. Therefore, grading will not be based on your personal
values, but on proper use of grammar/spelling, and integration of your ideas
into a well knit thought piece that reflects where you are right now. Explain
what you have learned from taking this course.
There is a rubric that will be used for scoring your paper. See Project 8
Appendix in the white section for examples. Upload to the Dropbox by July 1
at midnight.
DO THIS LAST (on July 3rd)
Take the final quiz today, July 3! The final quiz will be over the chapters
covered in Project 6, and can be taken any time during the daylight hours on
July 3. From the time you login you will have 40 minutes to complete the
titillating true/false quiz.
Other Important Course Information
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As a result of taking this class, students are able to:
Identify the basic components of various learning theories.
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Identify theorists associated with the major principles and theories
of learning.
Compare and contrast learning paradigms.
Identify within theories the stages of cognitive, affective, and
psychosocial growth.
Utilize multiple theories and practices of learning to write a
“Principles of Learning” paper.
Draw on reflective practices to facilitate personal growth.
Identify new emerging research related to teachers and teaching.
Since learning is “the
process of constructing knowledge- not merely obtaining it” (Brooks &
Brooks, 1993), students will engage in various individualized constructivist
projects to gain a “knowledge of human development and learning” (an
NTASC Standard 2). The projects will include written expression exercises,
text reading, evaluating the educational work of others, building a professional
resume, gathering and critiquing new educational research, taking selfassessment tests, and working with others in a small group online community.
Students will be able to do the following with the knowledge and skills gained
through successful completion of the seven outcomes above:
 Students will be able to demonstrate their willingness and ability to study
outside class and retain salient information by scoring 70% or better on
two multiple choice tests covering material from the text.
 Students will supply proof of their willingness to take on the rigors and
personal attributes of a professional teacher by developing a rudimentary
vitae and engaging in a personal refinement project and a self assessment
exercise.
 Students will be able to review and gauge the depth of their learning in this
course by:
 Self-assessing their feelings and cognition relative to the various
theories under study.
 Self-assessing at semester’s end through the construction of a
coherent essay that meshes their own ideas about how children learn
with that of the great theorists and recent research findings.
A rubric in the Handbook’s Appendix (white pages) will be used to
measure student success
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 Students will learn about current trends and controversies in education by
obtaining/analyzing three new media.
Students are responsible for learning the
content of any course of study in which they are enrolled. Under Board of
Regents (Policy 1:11), student performance shall be evaluated solely on an
academic basis. Students who take reasoned exception to the data or views
offered in a course of study, and who believe that an academic evaluation is
unrelated to academic standards but are related instead to judgment of their
personal opinion or conduct, should follow the General Appeals Process as
stated in the BHSU catalog.”
For final grading in the class:
A= 93-100%
B= 83-92%
C= 73-82%
D= 63-72%
F= 1-62
Reasonable accommodations, as arranged through the
Disabilities Services Coordinator, will be provided students with documented
disabilities. Contact the BHSU, Disabilities Services Coordinator
(MikeMcNeil@bhsu.edu) (605) 642-6099. (Jacket Legacy Room in the Student
Union) for more information.
For Student Services contact:
http://www.bhsu.edu/StudentLife/tabid/83/Default.aspx
Students will need to pace themselves and
participate in the course according to its fast-paced Summer Session time
limits. For instance, summer sessions differ in length from spring and fall
semester terms. It can reasonably be assumed that taking the midterm quiz
means you are halfway through the course. Incomplete grades can be realized
only through documentation of a personal emergency or illness, or resulting
from a university-sponsored activity.
If you have any questions about the assignments, grading, etc.,
email me.
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Dr. Len Austin
lenaustin@bhsu.edu
The End
4/7/09
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(605) 642-6329