The Psychology of Teaching and Learning

This seminar course surveys and critically appraises foundational theories of teaching and learning. As we learn about various theories and the theorists behind them, we consider their effect on our construction of students’ learning and teachers’ practice. Through reading research in educational psychology and other disciplines, we will examine topics such as learning- and teaching-related beliefs and behaviors, cognitive and socioemotional processes, and motivation that can be applied to teaching approaches and classroom environments. Special attention will be given to sociocultural contexts that affect learning processes and experiences of diverse students. In doing so, we see how these theoretical paradigms are refined with respect to difference, diversity, and intersectionality.