Class Psychology of Education

Educational Psychology (EP) is a scientific field that articulates the knowledge produced by psychological research addressing human development and its underlying mental processes and behaviours, with the explanation and promotion of educational practice. In this course, the various dimensions of students' psychological development (cognitive, affective and relational) and the teaching and learning processes are considered - student development, teaching strategies, teachers' attitudes, and the resolution of problematic situations in an educational context. EP is currently a field of Psychology with its own research object and method. It also is a course with specific contents, objectives and research. In teacher training, EP is recognized for its important contribution to increasing teachers' knowledge and strategies to understand and intervene in the teaching and learning processes.

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1. Introduction to Educational Psychology: Definition, main topics and approach, and historical evolution. Conceptual framework and contextual and practical applications. 2. Central themes in Educational Psychology (EP): EP and today's world: Education, diversity and sustainability. Learning: Conceptual framework and EP applications. Different approaches to learning: behavioural, cognitive, developmental, and socio-emotional. Human Development: Conceptual framing and EP applications. Different approaches to human development: the ecology of human development and contextualism; cognitive, moral and socio-emotional development. Individual Differences: Conceptual framework and EP applications. Individual variables impacting the teaching and learning process: self-regulation of learning, motivation, expectations, and self-efficacy. Parental Education: Conceptual framework and EP applications. Family structure and parents' educational styles and practices. EP applications.  

The course is theoretical with the teaching being closely intertwined with the teaching practice of physical education. The lectures include expository moments and participatory discussions. The theoretical lecturing of the syllabus will be complemented by research tutoring methods, critical analysis of the literature, and thematic debates. Besides being required to exemplify how the course contents apply to real-life teaching, the students will be asked to complete group assignments, engage in discussion activities, and provide peer feedback. Additionally, students will critically reflect on the skills they gained at the CU, including how they apply to rel-life education settings and the practice of teaching.

Corno, L., & Anderman, E. M. (2016). Handbook of Educational Psychology. Taylor & Francis. Duchesne, S., McMaugh, A., & Mackenzie, E. (2022). Educational psychology for learning and teaching. (7th ed.) Cengage Learning Australia. Martin, J. L., & Torok-Gerard, S. E. (2019). Educational psychology: History, practice, research, and the future. Praeger/ABC-CLIO. Santrock, J. W. (2020). Educational psychology (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. Schunk, D. (2020). Learning Theories. An Educational Perspective . New York: Pearson. Slavin, Robert E (2017). Educational Psychology: Theory and Practice (12th ed). New York: Pearson. Veiga, F. (Org.). (2013). Psicologia da Educação: teoria, investigação e aplicação. Envolvimento dos alunos na escola. Lisboa: Climepsi. Woolfolk, A. (2020). Educational Psychology. (14th ed.). New York: Pearson.