Programme Summary
The primary goal of Educational Psychology is to help our educators develop their abilities to work effectively with children and adolescents – in other words, to teach. Emphasis, however, is also on an educator with a broader base – one who can offer training and expertise to a wider workforce.
Educational Psychology includes theory and research about human learning and development, particularly as they relate to students’ experiences in schools. It is also an applied subject with implications for instructional methods and teacher behaviour. The programme seeks to provide a balanced view of Educational Psychology by including many suggestions for instructional practice and, at the same time, developing a deeper understanding of the nature of learning and teaching.
The programme focuses on human learning and development. It also stresses cognitive development, memory socialization and development in family, school and society. Teachers trained in, say, Cognitive Psychology are better equipped to teach children about, for example, the brain and its functioning and how to cope with their learning etc. Focus is also placed on group differences and diversities, special needs and the broad range of student ability. How to effectively instruct through interesting and productive methods and the use of positive classroom management techniques are also given immense priority. The programme also involves the measurement of achievement outcomes, together with the development of techniques to help educators create and use methods, as well as interpret and apply the results. References are selected from a wide range of international literature as well as those that are locally done/sourced.
