Educational Psychology Level 3

Discover multiple theories and perspectives with educational psychology in relation to how individuals think and feel. You’ll examine various psychology models, such as cognitive psychology, social learning theory, evolutionary psychology and biological theories, as well as psychodynamic theories on development. Finally, you’ll consider areas of developmental psychology, such as the nature/nurture debate, Erikson’s psychosocial stages of development, and the concepts ontology and epistemology.

Find out why learning is a complex and interactive relationship between teacher and student. You’ll explore the whole process, looking at everything from attention to memory, language and organisation. Finally, you’ll examine higher order thinking, graphomotor, emotions, motivation and Robert Sternberg.

Familiarise yourself with various types of assessment, such as summative and formative assessments. You’ll look at learning alone in groups, help and support, and tailoring classrooms to individual student needs. Considering learning styles, you’ll study peer and student self-assessments and record keeping. You’ll also contemplate the modern classroom, traditional outlets and crucial feedback to aid learning. Finally, you’ll gain insight of the role of the educational psychologist in facilitating learning outcomes.

Become aware of various student learning styles and differences. You’ll ponder the VARK model and the work of Honey and Munford about types of people: activists, theorists, pragmatists and reflectors.

Assimilate the concept of behaviourism by looking at two types of conditioning: classical and operant. You’ll understand the before and after of the conditioning process. You’ll also look at programmed learning, considering key areas including behaviour modification, the positive and negative effects of behaviourist theories, cooperative learning, humanistic theories, learning circles, and open classrooms. Finally, you’ll study cognitive applications, considering theorists such as Piaget, Ansubel and Lev Vygotsky.

Broaden your knowledge of special education. You’ll discover what classifies as a disability, looking in detail at difficulties such as dyslexia, blindness, deafness, dyscalculia, as well as Rett’s disorder. You’ll learn the characteristics in children with autism spectrum disorders, difficulties associated with the disorder, and behaviour traits. Finally, you’ll scrutinise a common disorder known as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Recognise types of challenging behaviour, the triggers associated with such behaviour, and discover de-escalation techniques used to manage challenging behaviour in individuals. You’ll look at intervention strategies, how to record challenging behaviour, and how to help children through use of SMART goals.

Break down and learn a range of lifespan development theories, define complex development models with examples for each stage of life, as well as critically examine the whole nature vs. nurture debate. You’ll study how development psychologists help children, consider debates on continuity vs. discontinuity, and look at abnormal behaviour vs. individual differences. Finally, you’ll familiarise yourself with Erik Erikson’s psychosocial stage model, looking at all 8 stages, as well as Piaget and the four cognitive stages of childhood development.

This unit enables you to define what intrinsic and extrinsic motivators are and provide relevant examples. You’ll consider Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and determine what limits us from achieving self-actualisation. You’ll gain insight into the role emotion plays in motivation, which is important for individual performance.

Gain perspective and understanding of diversity and equality and discover why learning isn’t homogeneous but heterogeneous. Appreciate the importance of The Equality Act (2010), what it protects, and nine other pieces of useful legislation. Progressing, you’ll identify what classifies as unlawful behaviour and learn about cultural and societal issues that impact classrooms, such as LGBTQA and BME groups. Other areas you’ll develop insight are challenging stereotypes, differences in gender, the role the family, and the importance and development of cultural diversity.

In the final unit, you’ll be able to describe modern classroom dynamics, change and fluidity. You’ll also discover several important skills, such as active listening and communication when facilitating learning.