2017/18 Undergraduate Module Catalogue
EDUC1211 Psychological approaches to Education
20 creditsClass Size: 75
Module manager: Dr Judith Hebron
Email: j.hebron@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable
Year running 2017/18
This module is mutually exclusive with
| EDUC1204 | What is a Child: Child Development and Learning |
| EDUC2104 | Psychological Approaches to Understanding and Supporting Chi |
This module is approved as a discovery module
Module summary
This module is about the application of psychological knowledge to education. You will learn about a broad range of theories and perspectives with a focus on lifespan developmental psychology running throughout the module. You will look at some of the big issues and debates in the field of education, such as the nature of effective teaching and the role of evidence from empirical research to inform practice. You will also be introduced to the use of psychological techniques in educational research. If you are interested in the application of psychology to education across the lifespan, and/or considering a career in teaching or related professions then this module will be relevant to your aims and interests.Objectives
The module aims to introduce and explore the relevance of psychological perspectives to education in terms of how they are used to understand education processes and practices, and how they influence ideas about the nature of education and learning, and special educational needs. The module will introduce you to some of the subfields in Psychology including cognition, developmental psychology, perception, language and communication, social psychology, and individual differences. It will introduce you to a range of theoretical issues and empirical evidence from research in the field of psychology, with a focus on areas that have had an application to education. The module will help you develop an ability to engage critically with a range of literature.Learning outcomes
In completing this module, the student should be able to:
- Discuss key topics in the fields of educational psychology, including developmental, cognitive, individual, social and biological psychology
- To be able to apply this knowledge, understanding and awareness, in an analytical, and critical fashion to education and special educational needs
- Develop a critical awareness of different theoretical approaches and big issues of debate in the field.
- Describe and evaluate different methodological approaches used in educational psychology research
- Develop a range of general skills in problem solving and effective communication.
Syllabus
(Indicative content)
Lectures 1 & 2: Introduction to Psychology and Education
- Why do we need Psychology and what is Educational Psychology? Some big issues and debates.
- Quantitative and Qualitative approaches to research
Lectures 3 & 4: Applying Psychology: differing perspectives and the importance of theory
- Behaviourism and conditioning approaches to learning
- Information processing (cognitive) approaches to learning
- What do we mean by evidence-based practice?
Lectures 5-8 Foundations for learning and developmental Psychology
- Cognitive development
o role of Piagetian theory in cognitive development
o social constructivist approaches to learning and development: Vygotsky
- Language and communication skills I: early perceptual, speech, language and communication skills
- Language and communication skills II: during the school years
- Development of social rules and identity
Lecture 9: Individual Differences
- intelligence and metacognitive skills
- hereditary factors and the environment
Lecture 10: Application of psychology to special educational needs
Lecture 11: Consolidation and discussion of psychological perspectives to some big issues in education
Teaching methods
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
| On-line Learning | 3 | 1.00 | 3.00 |
| Lecture | 11 | 2.00 | 22.00 |
| Seminar | 3 | 1.00 | 3.00 |
| Independent online learning hours | 11.00 | ||
| Private study hours | 161.00 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 28.00 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200.00 | ||
Private study
- 9 (9 x 1) hours study group activity- 44 (11 x 4) hours preparatory reading for lectures
- 12 (6 x 2) hours individual preparation for seminars (2 hours for each face to face seminars and the ‘online learning in formal classes’)
- 48 hours - study for essay
- 48 hours - study for literature review
Independent online learning:
- 11 (11 x 1) hours completing self reflection MCQ questions each week (MCQs plus answers will be provided on VLE)
= 172 hours in total.
Opportunities for Formative Feedback
- Students will have the opportunity to send the module tutor assignment plans for feedback. These must be no longer than 1 side of A4- Progress will also be monitored through seminar contributions.
- Students will be encouraged to keep in regular contact with the module tutor via email and a discussion board for frequently asked questions will be provided on the VLE.
- Online teaching session contributions (seminars)
Methods of assessment
Coursework
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
| Essay | 1,500 words | 50.00 |
| Literature Review | 1,500 words | 50.00 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100.00 | |
Students will have the opportunity to send the module tutor assignment plans for feedback. These must be no longer than 1 side of A4
Reading list
The reading list is available from the Library websiteLast updated: 11/08/2017
Browse Other Catalogues
- Undergraduate module catalogue
- Taught Postgraduate module catalogue
- Undergraduate programme catalogue
- Taught Postgraduate programme catalogue
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team.PROD