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Ed Psy 531: Learning Theories and Education

Ed Psy 531: Learning Theories and Education. Unit 1: Introductory Issues. I. Introductory Issues: Outline. The role of theories in instructional decision making Comparing theories Promoting development in students Evaluating theories.

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Ed Psy 531: Learning Theories and Education

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  1. Ed Psy 531: Learning Theories and Education Unit 1: Introductory Issues

  2. I. Introductory Issues: Outline • The role of theories in instructional decision making • Comparing theories • Promoting development in students • Evaluating theories

  3. (a) The role of theories in instructional decision-making • Theories explain why certain outcomes occur • Car engine stops running: Why? • A child gets sick: Why? • Students fail to learn: Why? • Theories provide intervening “inner workings” knowledge • Turn your key  ???  engine runs • Take medicine  ???  get better • Use instructional technique  ???  students understand material better

  4. Why “inner workings” knowledge is important • Solving problems yourself; preventing them • Recognizing when suggested solutions will and will not work (educated consumer) • Supports creativity and modification of instructional techniques • It is the conceptual knowledge behind the procedural knowledge of techniques

  5. (b) Comparing theories • Theories differ in their answers to the following questions: • What is the nature of knowledge? • How do people acquire knowledge? Why does it grow? • What does it mean to be self-regulated? • How are memories stored and retrieved? • Is the theory compatible with what we know about the brain? • What are the instructional implications of this theory?

  6. Comparing theories continued • By conducting experiments, we can see which theories provide more accurate answers to these questions; instruction should be based on the most accurate theories • But sometimes more than one answer is correct (the mind is multifaceted)

  7. (c) Promoting development in students • Development pertains to changes in state from an earlier, less optimal condition to a later, more optimal condition Prior StateLater State gross motor skills  fine motor skills recognizing a few letters  reading fluently unregulated emotion  emotion regulation • Theories describe developmental mechanisms that explain these changes in state over time • Effective instruction makes use of developmental mechanisms

  8. (d) Evaluating theories • At present, all theories provide our best guesses about inner workings; all have strengths and weaknesses • Given that instruction will only work if it is compatible with what we know about the mind, it is vital that theories are accurate • Intelligent instructional decision-making requires critical thinking about theories

  9. Some criteria for evaluating theories • Explanatory adequacy: does it account fully for all aspects of some phenomenon? Is it missing key constructs whose existence is supported by evidence or good arguments? • Predictive adequacy: How often are its predictions supported by the evidence? • Utility: Can practitioners (e.g., teachers) use the information to make better decisions and be more effective?

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