EFR 501 01: Psychological Foundations of Education

All materials for this course are free for students to access electronically. You do NOT need to purchase anything. 

You can download a free PDF of the course book How People Learn II: Learners, Contexts, and Cultures. Please do NOT purchase the ebook unless you really want it formatted for a kindle or other ebook app.  

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. How People Learn II: Learners, Contexts, and Cultures. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/24783. 

You can also order a paper version through that link. Or print out on your own. 

Other Readings: 

American Psychological Association, Coalition for Psychology in Schools and Education. (2015). Top 20 principles from psychology for preK–12 teaching and learning. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/ed/schools/cpse/top-twenty-principles.pdf 

Fredrickson, B. L. (2004). The broaden–and–build theory of positive emotions. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences, 359(1449), 1367-1377. 

Forgas, J. P., and Eich, E. (2012). Affective influences on cognition. Mood congruence, mood dependence, and mood effects on processing strategies, in Experimental Psychology. Vol. 4, in I. B. Weiner (Editor-in-Chief), Handbook of Psychology. Os, Eds. A. F. Healy and R. W. Proctor (Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley), 61–82. 

Bang, M., Marin, A., & Medin, D. (2018). If indigenous peoples stand with the sciences, will scientists stand with us? Daedalus, 147(2), 148-159. 

Barnes, M. A., Clemens, N. H., & Miller, A. H. (2022). Contributions of Cognitive Science to Special Education Research and Practice: Historical Context, Current Influences, and Future Directions. In  Handbook of Special Education Research, Volume I (pp. 24-39). Routledge.  

Gable, P. A., & Dreisbach, G. (2021). Approach motivation and positive affect. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 39, 203-208. 

Marin, A., & Bang, M. (2018). “Look it, this is how you know:” Family forest walks as a context for knowledge-building about the natural world. Cognition and Instruction, 36(2), 89-118. 
Morehead, K., Dunlosky, J., & Rawson, K. A. (2019). How much mightier is the pen than the keyboard for note-taking? A replication and extension of Mueller and Oppenheimer (2014). Educational Psychology Review, 31(3), 753-780. 

Plass, J. L., & Kalyuga, S. (2019). Four ways of considering emotion in cognitive load theory. Educational Psychology Review, 31(2), 339-359.  

Rosenzweig, E. Q., Wigfield, A., & Eccles, J. S. (2022). Beyond utility value interventions: The why, when, and how for next steps in expectancy-value intervention research. Educational Psychologist, 57(1), 11-30.  

Schroeder, N. L., & Kucera, A. C. (2022). Refutation Text Facilitates Learning: a Meta-Analysis of Between-Subjects Experiments. Educational Psychology Review(34), 957-987. 

Wang, Q. (2018). Studying cognitive development in cultural context: A multi-level analysis approach. Developmental Review, 50, 54-64.  

Announcements 

Email 

Barring some type of freakish outage of both electricity and my 5G data network, I will respond to emails within 24 hours on days that classes are in session at UND and within 48 hours during weekends and holidays.  

• Many services are available to online students such as writing assistance from the UND Writing Center, free online tutoring, and more. Visit the Student Resources page for more information. You can also access the resources webpage from the Student Resources link in your Blackboard course menu. 

• Students are STRONGLY encouraged to use the Writing Center at UND. Keep in mind, professional academics (e.g., me) get help with their writing—asking for help is a sign of dedication, not being a poor student.

Discussion Boards 

Active participation is key to learning the material in this course in a meaningful manner. Rubrics with expectations for discussion board postings will be provided to you in Blackboard. You should post your initial response by 11:59 p.m. on Thursday and check the discussion board regularly to comment on other students’ posts (at least 4 times) throughout the week*.  

• In order to actively and fully participate in this class, you are required to post on the discussion boards at least three different days each week. Because we do not have a face-to-face class for discussions, this regular practice of checking into Blackboard is critical to have discussions with your classmates and instructor. Regular “attendance” and class participation are required in this course. They are essential in creating a positive classroom culture—even online.  
• *Please note:  If you have an ongoing scheduling issue that would make it extremely difficult to check in on the discussion boards regularly (e.g., you work a block schedule or share custody and are essentially unavailable part of the week), let me know and we’ll work something out. 
• Your discussion board grade will be based on the following:  Quality of your initial post, impact on discussion of your comments to peers, timeliness (initial post by Thursday at 11:59 p.m., give you peers time to respond to your comments), frequency of participation (initial post and at least 4 comments/other postings), quality of your comments, and professionalism. Please see the discussion board guidelines for detailed explanations of these criteria.  

Teaching Topic (100 points): 

Each student will select one educational psychology topic to teach the class. The teaching topic leader will put together a lesson the students will complete. You will choose your topic from form the American Psychological Association’s Top 20 Principles from Psychology for PreK-12 Teaching and Learning (NB: These principles apply to postsecondary/adult education as well. If there is a different topic you are really eager to delve into that isn’t on this list, let me know and we’ll figure out if it will work this course. 

Students will be put into groups of 4-5. You are expected to participate in all the lessons posted in your group as well as facilitate your own lesson.  

For each of the 20 principles, there are some references. Choose one to focus on for your presentation. Your materials will all be in a discussion board post. Students will participate by replying to your post.  

Counseling students MUST choose a principle that is about cognition or affect. Those principles are 1-5, 14-15 

All activities for each lesson should take about one hour maximum for students to complete. 

Each student must incorporate the following elements when teaching, which can be reordered:  

DIRECT INSTRUCTION/CONTENT PRESENTATION: (12-15 minutes). This should be a recorded presentation you post a link to.  

- Identify your topic and learning goals  
- Describe the principle (be sure to focus on adding what was in the article you are focusing on) 
- Lecture presentation, which may include personal story, PowerPoint, YouTube, etc.  
- Important: the students have read about the principle you are covering,  

ACTIVE LEARNING/APPLICATION/DEMONSTRATION: 

- Administer a measurement scale, intervention demonstration, exercise, game, debate, case study, etc. 
- Point is to have the students actively involved in their learning. This can take many forms! 
- Important: aim to demonstrate application, develop interest, and foster deep learning of the topic 

DISCUSSION:  

- Presenter developed questions or student-initiated questions 
- Presenter should facilitate discussion by asking and answering questions with students 
- Important: let the students in the audience voice their questions, viewpoints, and opinions 
-Please note—because students will be doing multiple lessons, the usual discussion board guidelines do not apply. Students are expected to make one post to engage in all the lesson activities.   

Reading Annotations 

Writing comments/notes on readings is an effective method of better understanding the readings. Each week for the first four weeks, you will be required to annotate two of the readings (15 points per reading for a total of 120 points). This is to help motivate you to engage in effective reading strategies and to help me understand how students are comprehending the readings. These are due Sundays at 11:59 pm. Please see Blackboard for detailed instructions.  

Final Project (160 points) 

To help you apply what you have learned to the real world, you’ll observe a class and create a report in which you will synthesize course concepts into the observation. There are lots of options for class observations—even if you work during the day! See the directions on Blackboard for details. Start thinking about where and when you’ll do your observation as soon as possible. Students have the option of submitting a written report OR an oral recorded presentation. 

Grading

Your course grade is determined from your performance on a variety of tasks 

Late assignments:   

You are expected to turn in assignments in a timely manner. This is especially important for discussion boards and peer feedback. If everyone waits until the last day to post, it is very difficult to have a discussion about the topics with your peers. Part of your grade for discussion boards will depend on your timeliness in completing the initial post. Given the flexibility of an online class, there are very few legitimate reasons why you cannot complete your assignments in a timely manner. Unlike an in-person class, you can still “attend and participate” in an online class even if your car breaks down, the weather is inclement, or you have a child who is too ill to attend school or day care (just to clarify, I’m not a monster, you are certainly given extra time and understanding if you have a seriously ill child or are seriously ill yourself).  

Healthy classroom interaction is dependent upon students posting on the discussion board and providing peer feedback in a timely manner. Thus, discussion board posts and peer feedback will not be accepted late except in extreme circumstances (please see discussion board guidelines for how to make up a discussion board). Assignments and the final projects will be docked 10% in possible points (e.g., a 20-point assignment losing 2 points per day) for each day it is late. Generally speaking, late assignments receive minimal, if any, feedback.  

Incomplete Grades:  It is expected that students will complete all requirements for a course during the time frame of the course. For reasons beyond a student’s control, and upon request by the student or on behalf of the student, an incomplete grade may be assigned by the instructor when there is reasonable certainty the student will successfully complete the course without retaking it. The mark “I,” Incomplete, will be assigned only to the student who has been in attendance and has done satisfactory work up to a time within four weeks of the close of the semester, including the examination period, and whose work is incomplete for reasons satisfactory to his or her instructor. (See “Grading System” in the UND 2018-19 Catalog) 

Blackboard help. If you need any assistance with Blackboard, please contact the good folks at tech support, not your instructor!  \  

Syllabus Changes. As your instructor, I retain the right to make changes based on the timeline of the class, feedback from learners and/or logistical issues and will inform you as soon as a change is made. 

Grade errors. Any potential grade errors must be reported to your instructor within one week of the grade being entered on Blackboard.  

Late policy. Healthy classroom interaction is dependent upon students posting on the discussion board and providing peer feedback in a timely manner. Thus, discussion board posts and peer feedback will not be accepted late except in extreme circumstances (please see discussion board guidelines for how to make up a discussion board). Assignments and the final projects will be docked 10% in possible points (e.g., a 20-point assignment losing 2 points per day) for each day it is late. Generally speaking, late assignments receive minimal, if any, feedback.  

Technological problems. MAKE SURE YOUR ASSIGNMENTS ARE PROPERLY SUBMITTED! It is the student’s responsibility to make sure assignments are properly posted on Blackboard. If assignments are not successfully posted, students need to contact tech support and the instructor in a timely fashion (within 24 hours) in order to earn credit.  

Students in the military. As the daughter, sister, and fiancée of veterans, I have deep respect for the men and women who serve in our nation’s armed forces. I recognize the complexities involved in being a student and a current or former member of the military. If you are a student who is currently serving or has served in the military, please let me know if you need any accommodations. I realize that drill schedules, calls to active duty, and other unforeseen military and veteran-related complications can complicate your academic life. If you make me aware of such issues in a timely fashion, I will do everything I can to assist you or put you in contact with university staff who are trained to assist you. 

Writing Center. Students are STRONGLY encouraged to use the Writing Center at UND. You can have a phone appointment if you do not live in the Grand Forks area. Keep in mind, professional academics (e.g., me) get help with their writing—asking for help is a sign of dedication, not being a poor student.  

Hedgehog picture. If you have dutifully read the details of the syllabus, please make my day and e-mail me a picture of a hedgehog at virginia.clinton@und.edu.  

Syllabus changes. As your instructor, I retain the right to make changes based on the timeline of the class, feedback from learners and/or logistical issues and will inform you as soon as a change is made. 

Dispositions:  The Council of Accreditation for Educator Preparation (CAEP) requires the university to monitor the academic progress and dispositions of every student enrolled in a program leading to an education license or credential. Dispositions refer to a student’s actions and behaviors in terms of professionalism, ethics and human relations. Should a concern arise about a student’s progress or dispositions, faculty, instructors and/or cooperating teachers may request a one-on-one meeting with the teacher candidate or advanced student to discuss areas of strength or concerns. Written documentation of this conference may be included in the student’s permanent file. Specific procedures are delineated on the form, Professional Dispositions for UND Teacher Education.  

Essential Abilities Requirements:  Essential abilities are academic performance requirements that refer to those physical, cognitive, and behavioral abilities required for satisfactory completion of all aspects of the educator preparation curriculum and the development of personal attributes required for professional licensure. The candidate must possess or be able to gain these abilities with or without reasonable accommodation. The essential abilities required by the curriculum are reflected by competencies in the following areas: communication, intellectual, behavioral, social, motor, and sensory (Handbook for Teacher Education). 

Reasonable accommodations will be afforded to education candidates with disabilities as required under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Students who can no longer perform the essential functions of education candidates must report that to the Associate Dean of Student Services and Assessment and suggest any accommodations that they think will enable them to perform as education candidates. The Associate Dean will then determine if the suggested accommodations are reasonable or if there are any other reasonable accommodations that can be made. If accommodations cannot be made, the student may not be able to complete their educational program.