Understanding the Learning Process
A priority in educational psychology is understanding the learning process, that is; the procedures and strategies that students use to acquire new information. Chapter 6 focuses on behavioral explanations of learning and provides numerous examples of how this theoretical explanation of learning can be translated into classroom practice. Chapters 7 and 8 turn to more cognitive analyses of learning, mirroring current concerns with "teaching for understanding." These chapters have been written to help you turn students into better thinkers and problem solvers by presenting many techniques and "tips" that have proven helpful. Motivation, the subject of Chapter 9, is so essential that we can safely state that without it, learning will not occur.
Understanding Instructional Strategies
A fourth key concept is the function of instruction, beginning with the objectives that teachers wish to attain. Chapters 10 and 11 concentrate on those instructional strategies that research has shown to be effective. Learning, however, does not occur in a vacuum. You must understand the best circumstances in which learning can occur. Consequently, these chapters present in some detail successful strategies for managing a classroom, focusing on those techniques shown by both theory and research to be effective.