Psychology of Education

Description
Educational Psychology seeks to train students in the knowledge of psychoeducational interventions and the recognition and understanding of the cognitive, emotional, motivational, sociorelational, instrumental and environmental processes involved in teaching and learning. This knowledge is geared to solve those problems that arise from educational situations related to any time of the life cycle (children, adolescents, adults and elderly).

This course tries to provide the students a wide range of theoretical approaches, strategies and practical resources for intervention, as well as relevant guidelines for the resolution of problems and decision-making.

Pre-requisites
None.
 

Contents
1. Introduction to Educational Psychology. Educational Psychology as an Educational and Psychological discipline of applied nature.
1.1. Educational Psychology Dimensions. 1.2. The subject to study of Educational Psychology. 1.3 Educational Psychology contents. 1.3 Psychoeducational intervention.
2. Learning theories and models. Learning from a psychoeducational perspective.
2.1 Psychological approaches in the study of learning. 2.2. Characteristics, conditions and mechanisms involved in learning. 2.3. Teaching and learning styles. 2.4 Effective and self-regulated learning.
3. Intellectual skills and aptitudes. Intelligence and cognitive aptitudes in learning.
3.1 Intelligence: traditional vs. newly made models. 3.2. Mental retardation. 3.3 Intellectual Giftedness. 3.4. Strategies for teaching and cognitive skills.
4. Individual differences and Education. Self-Regulation in learning
4.1 Scope of metacognition. 4.2 Self-regulation: differential development strategies. 4.3 Self-regulation and differences in problem solving. 4.4. Self-regulation and transference: Typologies.
5. Individual differences and Education. Motivating learning
5.1 Cognitive models of motivation. 5.2. Individual differences in motivation to learn: Intrinsic Motivation vs. Self-motivation.5.3 Self-reference differences in performance: Self-Concept and Self-efficacy expectancies. 5.4. Intervention strategies on motivational processes.
6. Psychosocial processes in Education: Instruction and training.
6.1 Instructional models: classic, cognitive and situational models. 6.2 Instructional methods and strategies: behavioral,cognitive and contextual. 6.3 Psychosocial conditioning on the instructional design. 6.4. The teacher: Maker of education and training. 6.5. Psychosocial educational atmosphere.

Methodology
* Professor: An indicative exposure of main concepts, by offering a generic view of each topic
* Indoor and outdoor class activities: Analysis and discussion by groups and individually about topics, issues,documentaries, TV ads, cases...etc. Group working, talks, field studies...etc.
* Individual readings
* Follow-up tutoring

Assessment
To evaluate the course, it will be taken into account:
* Exam: An objective test (30 items) with 4 response options and without penalty. To pass the test, students need to get at least 20 items. This is a requirement for passing the course. 40 % of the total grade.
* Group projects (Course Competences): A total of 5 subprojects (Value of each one:5%). 25% of the total grade
* Indoor class activities: A total of 10 practices (Value of each one: 2.5%). 25% of the total grade.
* Class Questionnaires (Review of the theory): A total of 5 questionnaires (Value of each one: 2%). 10% of the total grade.