Course description
Educational psychology addresses teaching and learning methods and studies cognitive development and aptitude assessment of learners. This diploma course compares teaching and learning and draws on behaviorism, a learning philosophy that focuses on operant conditioning and its important pedagogic implications. We then investigate psychological and social constructivism.
The course then tackles the most common mental issues encountered in the classroom, including learning disabilities, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), intellectual disabilities, behavioural disorders, physical disabilities and sensory impairments. We lay out the specific skills and strategies required to work with students with these special educational needs. Finally, we examine student development and diversity and discuss its two core elements: gender and culture.
Educators require the desire and guts to stand in front of a class and teach but they also need compassion and special skills to connect with different students. This course is of great benefit to education professionals who would like to improve their teaching. Understanding how learners think and feel can boost your ability to understand and meet their educational needs so sign up to earn a diploma that signals your ability to do so.
Upcoming start dates
Training content
Module 1: Introduction to the Learning Process
Description: This module will introduce you to two main learning theories and four different domains of learning. You will also learn about curriculum learning and incidental learning.
- Learning Outcomes
- The Learning Process
- Teachers’ Perspective on Learning
- Lesson Summary
Module 2: Behaviourism
Description: You will be introduced to behaviourism and operant conditioning. You will learn about research into operant conditioning using laboratory rats and how this research has influenced learning in the classroom.
- Learning Outcomes
- Introduction to Behaviourism
- Operant Conditioning
- Operant Conditioning and Students’ Learning
- Further Key Concepts about Operant Conditioning
- Lesson Summary
Module 3: Constructivism
Description: You will be introduced to constructivism and its two main branches - psychological constructivism and social constructivism. You will also learn about assimilation and accommodation in relation to constructivism.
- Learning Outcomes
- Introduction to Constructivism
- Psychological Constructivism
- Social Constructivism
- Theoretical Differences between Psychological & Social Constructivism
- Implications of Constructivism for Teaching
- Lesson Summary
Module 4: Diploma in Educational Psychology - First Assessment
Description: You must score 80% or more to pass this assessment.
- Assessment: Diploma in Educational Psychology - First Assessment
Module 5: Introduction to Special Education
Description: In this module you will learn how to correctly define special education and the main responsibilities of teachers who teach students with special educational needs. You will be introduced to the concept of least restrictive environment and how to modify assessments for students with special educational needs.
- Learning Outcomes
- Special Education and Legalisation
- Teachers’ Responsibilities for Special Education
- The Individual Educational Plan
- The Value of Inclusive Education
- Categories of Disabilities
- Lesson Summary
Module 6: Learning Disabilities
Description: Learn how to correctly define learning disability and how to distinguish a learning disability from other types of disabilities. You will be introduced to strategies that can help students with learning disabilities.
- Learning Outcomes
- Introduction to Learning Disabilities
- Case Study: Assisting a student with a learning disability
- Lesson Summary
Module 7: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Description: This module introduces Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and behavioural signs exhibited by students. You will learn about the drugs that students with ADHD take to reduce their symptoms and practical problems associated with taking these drugs. The modules also describes strategies that a teacher can use to teach students with ADHD.
- Learning Outcomes
- Introduction to ADHD
- Teaching Students with ADHD
- Lesson Summary
Module 8: Intellectual Disabilities
Description: You will learn how to distinguish between an intellectual disability and a learning disability, and the strategies that teachers use when teaching students with intellectual disabilities.
- Learning Outcomes
- Introduction to Intellectual Disabilities
- Teaching Students with Intellectual Disabilities
- Lesson Summary
Module 9: Behavioural Disorders
Description: You will learn about potential types of triggers of inappropriate behaviour. You will be introduced to examples of problematic behaviour that a student with a behavioural disorder might display and strategies for teaching students with behavioural disorders.
- Learning Outcomes
- Introduction to Behavioural Disorders
- Teaching Students with Behavioural Disorders
- Lesson Summary
Module 10: Physical Disabilities and Sensory Impairments
Description: You will learn to recognise the signs of hearing loss and visual impairment and strategies for teaching students with hearing loss and visual impairment.
- Learning Outcomes
- Introduction to Physical Disabilities and Sensory Impairments
- Teaching Students with Hearing Loss
- Teaching Students with Visual Impairment
- Lesson Summary
Module 11: Diploma in Educational Psychology - Second Assessment
Description: You must score 80% or more to pass this assessment.
- Assessment: Diploma in Educational Psychology - Second Assessment
Module 12: Student Development
Description: This module differentiates between learning and development and outlines ways that students' development is relevant to teachers. You will be introduced to different developmental models such as the staircase model and the kaleidoscope model of development.
- Learning Outcomes
- Introduction to Student Development
- Developmental Trends
- Lesson Summary
Module 13: Physical Development
Description: You will learn about puberty and the types of physical changes that occur during puberty. You will be introduced to trends in the height and weight in students, and factors that contribute to a rise in obesity levels. The module also describes the importance of developing motor skills in young children.
- Learning Outcomes
- Trends in Height and Weight
- The Effects of Puberty
- Development of Motor Skills
- Health and Illness
- Lesson Summary
Module 14: Cognitive Development
Description: This module introduces the work of the famous Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget who developed the four stage cognitive development theory. The module outlines the ages at which each of Piaget's stages occur and describes each of the four stages in detail.
- Learning Outcomes
- Jean Piaget’s Theory
- The Sensorimotor Stage
- The Preoperational Stage
- The Concrete Operational Stage
- The Formal Operational Stage
- Lesson Summary
Module 15: Social Development
Description: This module introduces research into social development such as Erikson's eight stage model of social development. You will learn how changes in social development affect student behaviour in the classroom.
- Learning Outcomes
- Introduction to Social Development
- Erik Erikson’s Theory
- Abraham Maslow’s Theory
- Lesson Summary
Module 16: Moral Development
Description: You will learn how to distinguish between morality and moral development, and between morality of justice and morality of care. The module introduces the work theorists such as Kolberg and his theory of moral development, and Gilligan's theory of moral development.
- Learning Outcomes
- Introduction to Moral Development
- Lawrence Kohlberg's Theory
- Carol Gilligan's Theory
- Character Education
- Lesson Summary
Module 17: Student Diversity
Description: This module introduces the concept of individual learning styles in students. You will learn how to distinguish between field dependence and field independence, and between the two cognitive styles of impulsivity and reflectivity.
- Learning Outcomes
- Introduction to Student Diversity
- Individual Learning Styles
- Multiple Intelligences
- Gifted and Talented Students
- Lesson Summary
Module 18: Gender Differences
Description: This module describes ways that gender differences affect students in day-to-day classroom life, and what are the implications of gender differences in the classroom. You will learn about differences in the way that boys and girls usually socially interact, and how teachers can influence gender roles.
- Learning Outcomes
- Introduction to Gender Differences
- Physical Differences in Gender Roles
- Social, Academic and Cognitive Difference in Gender Roles
- Lesson Summary
Module 19: Cultural Differences
Description: You will learn about bilingualism and compare and contrast the two second language teaching techniques - total immersion and additive approach. The module helps you identify what a culture is and how language is used differently across various cultures.
- Learning Outcomes
- Introduction to Cultural Differences
- Cultural Differences in Language
- Cultural Differences in Attitudes and Beliefs
- Accommodating Cultural Diversity
- Lesson Summary
Module 20: Diploma in Educational Psychology - Third Assessment
Description: You must score 80% or more to pass this assessment.
- Assessment: Diploma in Educational Psychology - Third Assessment
Course assessment
- Assessment: Module 21: Diploma in Educational Psychology - Final Assessment
Certification / Credits
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Describe the process of learning in terms of educational theory
- Compare the two major learning theories: behaviorism and constructivism
- Identify various psychologists, philosophers and researchers associated with it
- Discuss trends in contemporary student development
- Outline key cognitive, social and moral development theories
- Explain how cultural differences can affect students’ educational experiences
- Describe the most common types of disabilities encountered in classrooms
- Indicate the physical, social, academic and cognitive differences in terms of gender role
- State the fundamentals of special education
- Outline an individual education plan for a student with special education needs
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