Reading material for Lesson 2.1 Educational Psychology and Teaching
4. Scope of educational psychology
Educational psychology deals with the behaviour of the learner in educational situations (only). Therefore, it becomes imperative that educational psychology should limit itself within the four walls of the teaching-learning process and educational and training environment. It must try to solve the problems evolving in actual teaching- learning situations and help the individuals involved in this process.
Let us judge what are the key factors in an educational process and list them one by one.
a The learner (trainee)
b The learning experiences c The learning process
d Learning situations or environment e The teacher/trainer
The subject matter of educational psychology, if it is at all necessary to draw its boundaries, revolves round these five pivots mentioned above
The learner
If we take first pivot, the learner we can find that educational psychology has the subject knitted around the learner. What this section of its subject matter it acquaints us with the need of knowing the learner and deals with the techniques of knowing him well.
The innate abilities and capacities of the individual, individual differences and their measurements, the overt, covert, conscious as well unconscious behaviour of the learner, the characteristics of growth and development at each stage beginning from childhood to adulthood.
The learning experiences
Once the task of educational philosophy to decide the aims and objectives of a piece if instruction at a particular stage is finished, the need of educational psychology is felt. At this juncture, educational psychology helps in deciding what learning experiences are desirable at what stage of the growth and development of the learner so that these experiences can be acquired with a greater ease and satisfaction. In this area educational psychology has the subject matter which deals with the knowledge and principles of psychology which facilitates the selection of the desirable learning experiences for the learner.
The learning process
Around this pivot educational psychology deals with the nature of learing and how it takes place and contains the topics such as laws, principles and theories of learning; remembering and forgetting, perceiving, concept formation, thinking and reasoning process, problem solving, transfer of training, ways and means of effective learning etc.
Learning situations or environment
Topics like classroom climate and group dynamics techniques and aids which facilitate learning, evaluation techniques and practices, guidance and counselling etc. which help in the smooth functioning of the teaching- learning process come under the jurisdiction of this pivot.
The teacher/trainer
Education psychology emphasizes the need of knowing the self for a teacher to play his role properly in the process of education. It discusses his conflicts, motivation, anxiety, adjustment, level of aspiration etc. It throws light on the essential personality traits, interests, aptitudes, the characteristics of effective teaching/training etc so as to inspire for becoming a successful teacher/trainer