Module overview
This module aims to provide a descriptive and critical overview of the practice of educational psychology in the UK and to highlight some of the key debates.
Linked modules
Pre-requisite: PSYC2007
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Learning Outcomes
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Understand current theories and models of working memory and intelligence, and their value in predicting achievement and outcomes
- Identify the implications of cognitive theory in creating optimal conditions for learning
- Give examples of the application of behaviourism & the social cognitive view of learning on educational practices
- Understand how attachment theory and the belongingness hypothesis can explain the challenging behaviours of many children and young people in school, and how secure, positive, relationships can help even the most vulnerable to thrive
- Recognise the difficulties and benefits that can arise from the application of diagnostic labels
- Have an understanding, through case studies, of the role that consultation, assessment, interactionist frameworks and problem-solving play in EP practice
- Identify current debates in the profession and wider society with regard to key concepts and be able to comment on these in a way that is helpful for practitioners, parents and the young people with whom we work
- Evidence an understanding of the of the role of an educational psychologist and the levels at which we work: individual, group, school and organisational levels
Syllabus
Week 1 live: Introduction to the module and what does a day in the life of an EP actually look like?
Week 2 recorded: The school system as a context for Educational Psychology practice – schools as factories vs schools as villages
Week 2 live: Introduction to complex problem solving and causative modelling
Week 3 recorded: Attachment and the Internal Working Model
Week 3 live: Case study
Week 4 recorded: Belonging and bullying
Week 4 live: Case study
Week 5 recorded: Emotional self-regulation, motivation, and ego depletion theory
Week 5 live: Case study
Week 6 recorded: Anxiety and Emotionally Based School Avoidance
Week 6 live: Introduction to assignment 1
Week 7 recorded: Working memory and literacy/numeracy
Week 7 live: Case study
Week 8 recorded: Minority stress theory and the IQ debate (diversity and collaborative intelligence)
Week 8 live: Case study
Week 9 recorded: Intuiting social norms and tolerating uncertainty
Week 9 live: Case study
Week 10 recorded: Language development and learning English as an additional language
Week 10 live: Case study
Week 11 recorded: Positive Psychology, gratitude, mindfulness
Week 11 live: Case study
Week 12 recorded: Mindset and Grit
Week 12 live: Introduction to assignment 2
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
Recorded content and live application of that content to problem solving
| Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Lecture | 12 |
| Assessment tasks | 55 |
| Seminar | 10 |
| Follow-up work | 24 |
| Preparation for scheduled sessions | 24 |
| Wider reading or practice | 25 |
| Total study time | 150 |
Resources & Reading list
Textbooks
Woolfolk, Anita (2014). Educational Psychology (core textbook). Essex: Pearson.
Assessment
Assessment strategy
Assessment consists of two pieces of coursework, the first an evidence-based written response to a letter from a Head-teacher based on the first half of the course, and the second an information sheet for school staff based on the second half of the course.
Summative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Coursework | 50% |
| Coursework | 49% |
| Research credits | 1% |
Referral
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Coursework | 100% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal & External