Trends in Research on Educational Psychology

Education psychology is the branch of psychology that is involved in the scientific study of human learning. The study of education, from both cognitive and behavioural perspectives, allows researchers to understand the individual differences in intelligence, cognitive development, affect, motivation, etc., as well as their role in learning. This field relies substantially on observation and quantitative methods of research, including testing and measurement, to enhance educational activities, classroom management or assessment in varied educational settings.

A trend is a general direction in which something is developing or changing, and as the word suggests, indicates the tendency of a system. Trend analysis is an essential practice in today’s research as it allows us to collect data in order to spot the pattern, or trend. Historically, it has been recorded that education remained largely unchanged – a classroom full of students deferring to the wisdom of an all-knowing professor. This traditional system was considered to be the accepted mode of instruction, and still is considered so in some parts of the world. However, due to developing technology, our world has completely changed, making it both smaller and larger at the same time. We can communicate more quickly and easily and spread information faster, and at the same time this new information expands our views about the world.

Contemporary research and theories are indicating major and minor points about the education system that can be tweaked to give the optimum learning experience to the students of today’s global world, like:

STUDENTS TEACHING TEACHERS
Contrary to old beliefs that students are too young to know what they need; schools are achieving better performance when students have opportunities to give feedback. Originating in Japan is a style of teaching known as lesson study, which promotes the idea that teachers constantly improve and change their style of teaching based on students’ performance and reaction to it. It was found in studies that giving students the chance to contribute and revise classroom rules actually made the students abide to them more.

TEAM TEACHING
Putting two instructors in one classroom is known as team teaching, collaborative team teaching or co-teaching. This model provides benefits and presents challenges to both teachers and students. Kids in co-teaching classrooms observe teamwork in action and learn to see concepts from more than one perspective. They have the chance to learn from teachers with diverse backgrounds and can delve deeper into subjects thanks to the opportunity for more one-on-one instruction time. However, conflicting personalities and the tendency of students to favor one teach over the other can threaten the stability of this model.

INDIVIDUALIZED INSTRUCTION
A great deal of research is being done on how diversification of instruction to cater to the unique needs of students may help them to better grasp core subjects. This type of instruction moves away from the traditional lecture model of teaching and offers students a way to learn at their own pace. Slower learners can take the time they need to develop a solid understanding of material while more advanced students don’t have to wait to move on to the next concept. This better addresses individual learning styles and allows teachers to utilize diverse platforms to provide instruction.

MIXED-AGE TEACHING
The potential benefits of putting kids of different ages together in the same classroom are still being researched, but many schools have been using this teaching method for years with good results. In a mixed-age classroom, young students learn how to interact with older ones and benefit from observing their academic abilities. Collaboration between age groups facilitates further development. Achieving advanced competencies at a young age increases confidence. Teachers also benefit from mixed-age classrooms in that they’re able to track their students through more than one grade to get a clearer picture of academic growth.

BRAIN-BASED TEACHING
Based on neuroscience research that shows consistent practice of a concept creates strong pathways between neurons, brain-based teaching takes advantage of the power of the developing mind to create the greatest amount of positive changes during the short period that kids are in school. Kids work in groups, participate in games that address specific concepts and engage in lessons built around central themes, all with the goal of improving their understanding of important academic skills and ideas. Physical education is included to facilitate the growth and development of new neuronal pathways.

CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS
Although memorisation of fundamental facts is critical to building a foundation of knowledge in the early grades, kids also need to be taught how to apply those facts in a multitude of situations. Research into critical thinking skills is driving new ways of teaching that include encouraging students to ask questions, develop problem-solving skills by working in groups and discuss the outcomes of their experiments. These methods of discovery give kids a more active role in their education and teach them how to make decisions by applying the facts they’ve learned to the problem at hand. In Australia, nursing programmes have begun to embrace this style of teaching and learning because it challenges the students to work as if they’re dealing with real problems they’ll encounter in the workplace.

LEARNING WITH TECHNOLOGY
Nowadays, there are online learning sites, online schools, digital portfolios or books and various learning games and sites suitable for all levels of education. Whether you would want to prepare for a national exam, get a degree while being employed at a job, or simply want to teach a child how to read, all of it can be done better now on the Internet. It can be considered the greatest tool and learning device today, especially due to the more visual and movement based mediums used on most educational sites. With current events limiting the continuation of education, learning through technology has become a saving grace for many.

Change in the trends of how education is delivered to students is mainly due to the advancement and application of knowledge, which is necessary for building a technical and professional capacity within students.