Psychology is a broad field of study that looks at human behavior and mental processes in certain situations. One important branch of psychology, educational psychology, focuses on the impact educational systems have on the learning experience and how those systems can be improved for a higher-quality education. But what exactly does an educational psychologist do?
What is educational psychology?
Educational psychology is the study of behavioral, cognitive, social, and emotional processes that occur during learning and how that knowledge can be applied to improve the learning process. More simply, it’s the study of how people learn.
The modern educational system is a vast and complex network. There will never be a one-size-fits-all solution to learning because everyone learns differently. Still, educational psychology aims to create the most helpful learning environment for any given situation.
Educational psychologists need to incorporate other disciplines from the psychological field, including behavioral sciences, school psychology, and clinical psychology, among others.
What do educational psychologists do?
A wide range of career paths are open to an educational psychologist, but what exactly do they do? Here are some of the core responsibilities of educational psychologists.
Design curriculum
Educational psychologists’ deep understanding of the educational system makes them ideal curriculum designers. Curriculum designers work with schools, individual clients, and organizations to design and implement effective educational programs.
Since every program will have unique needs, educational psychologists need to dig into those programs to see what is working, what needs improvement, and what should be changed completely to create the best learning experience.
Conduct tests and assess data
Institutions with struggling test scores may consider working with an educational psychologist to assess and address the gaps in their programs. Through detailed research protocols and quantitative analysis, educational psychologists can create an overall picture of the organization’s methods to determine where their programs fall short. In addition to pointing out problem areas, these tests can also highlight success stories to build from. Educational psychologists then use their findings to suggest changes and improvements to the current methods.
Guide teachers
New educational programs with inexperienced or early career teachers can benefit from an educational psychologist’s skillset.
For educators, knowing a subject completely does not mean knowing how to teach it. Educational psychologists work with teachers to help them implement new programs and learning methods that complement the material being taught.
Educational psychologists give teachers an edge in the classroom by teaching them why certain methods are better than others. Their advice can help teachers and other school staff develop skills to support the unique needs of their students who may need additional assistance, and they can provide guidance for setting realistic targets for their students to hit.
Implement technology
Technology is so integral to the modern educational system that our educational psychology program includes it in the name: Educational Psychology and Technology.
Graduates of our Educational Psychology and Technology program learn how to evaluate the efficacy of emerging learning technologies and integrate those technologies in the classroom to improve teaching and learning outcomes.
Our Educational Psychology and Technology students work with virtual and augmented reality, game-based learning methods, and artificial intelligence in their quests to enhance the educational system.
You can learn more about the field of Educational Psychology and Technology by listening to our Ed Tech Hour podcast.
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