Importance of Educational Psychology for Teachers

Every day in our lives, we keep learning and whoever teaches us becomes teachers. A mother or a father teaching his or her son or daughter to eat, drink or do anything is teaching; a friend helping a friend tie his or her shoes- all of these come under teaching. Any process that involves the pattern and process of learning can be called teaching. Teaching and Learning are the mere components of the process of Education. Educational Psychology involves two parts: Education and Psychology. Education is the process that incurs with teaching and learning.

While Psychology is the scientific field that involves cognition and behaviour. Educational Psychology is a field of Psychology that involves the application of psychological knowledge and understanding towards the field and expertise of Education. According to Skinner, “Educational Psychology is that branch of psychology which deals with teaching and learning.” (1958, p.1) It involves the principles, techniques and various means of teaching in the field of education. It can simply stated as the tool and method for effective teaching and learning in the education field.

Read More: Psyche and Learning: the Insights of Educational Psychology

Scope of Educational Psychology

Educational Psychology though has a potential significance in various aspects, it can be pertained under three major categories;

1. Learner
2. Learning process
3. Evaluation of the learning outcome

1. Learner

Learning and the success of learning depend on how a teacher or teaching methodology successfully adapts and adjusts to the individual differences of the learner. Every learner has unique thinking, ability, capacity, interests, and various ways of responding. Educational Psychology would help the learner understand these differences and teach the learner according to his or her needs.

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A teacher who knows Educational Psychology would have the tenacity to understand the various needs and aspects of the individual learner. Understanding the individual differences among the students can help teachers formulate a conducive environment for learning efficiently. Learners can come from any background or any kind of problem. Educational Psychology would equip the teachers with a basic understanding of these and help teachers with the teaching-learning process.

2. Learning process

The learning process is nothing but how the learner gains knowledge through or from teaching. The knowledge in the field of Educational Psychology would help the teacher understand and anticipate the learning process as well as the problems that can happen in the classroom. Also during the learning process, a teacher can understand the behavior of their classroom children.

Read More: Strategies for Creating Positive Learning Environments in Classroom

By understanding these, a teacher can effectively formulate the curriculum and even change the teaching methodologies. Educational Psychology offers teachers the knowledge to adopt various teaching methods according to the knowledge, skills and abilities of the students. This includes incorporation of the vital psychological principles in the teaching process.

3. Evaluation of the learning outcome

Educational Psychology helps the teacher by providing various psychological tests and measurements for understanding the students or the learners. These tests help teachers in the evaluation of specific psychological aspects of the individual learner like his or her ability, aptitude, intelligence, creativity etc. A teacher with a background in Educational Psychology would be able to develop an evaluation technique to know the outcome of the learner about the learning objectives.

Educational Psychology and Its Importance to Teachers

With the basic understanding said above, the knowledge of Educational Psychology offers its importance in the field of teaching and to teachers. Of most of it, a few significant ones have been mentioned below;

• The knowledge of Educational Psychology would help teachers with the learning of students. It would provide teachers with insights into the Cognitive, Developmental, Social and Emotional processes of students. Knowing these aspects about students would help teachers formulate teaching plans and strategies accordingly.
• The greater advantage of educational psychology knowledge would benefit teachers with the management of classrooms. A conducive Classroom environment is something that can foster the learning process, be it for any age group. So, the knowledge of Educational Psychology would help teachers with the management of classrooms: it would offer student development, provide positive reinforcement, set clear expectations for every student, and provide solutions for the behavioural challenges posed in the classrooms by the students.
• It would highly help in the teaching-learning process. The major thing about teaching is the learning by the students. To make that possible, it’s very important to provide specific and clear instructional teaching. So, the learnings from Educational Psychology would serve its purpose by providing the learner with the various methodologies to understand the teaching methodology required. By analyzing the requirements of the students, the instructional approach would enhance learning better.
• An advantage is the cordial relationship between teacher and student. This learning would help you in establishing initial communication, progress with good rapport, setting boundaries, building trust and providing confidence in you which aids them in sharing intricate information. When there is a mutual relationship between a teacher and students, it automatically makes learning effective.
• To know the key behind what is learnt by an individual, Educational Psychology provides certain assessment methods and tests. This would help teachers know the progress of individual students and teach them accordingly with the remedial measures. Whilst, it also helps you take strenuous feedback regularly to know how your end is in line with the students.
• Helps better understand the nature of students. To differentiate between normal children and children with special needs, the knowledge of Educational Psychology helps the teacher. Providing special children with the needed attention and instructions seems to be very much possible only through the learning and reflection of education psychology.
• Would help with the professional growth and development of the teacher. When you’re in the line of Educational Psychology, you would be in the urge of continuous learning and you would keep track of the current research, trends and practices. This would benefit you by progression in your career lattice.
• Would promote motivation and self-efficacy among the learner by incorporating motivational theories into the application.

To put it in a nutshell, Educational Psychology remains a beam of light for teachers in the illumination of success in the lifelong journey of teachers making them progress with the learning process, formulation of teaching methodology, understanding individual differences among students, practices and much more. Thus, Education Psychology provides an impactful support in the lives of people in the Education sector.