: Publication

 Essentials in Educational Psychology (2nd edition) unravels the complex ideas of how students learn so aspiring teachers can understand and apply essential basic
concepts in their classrooms.

Not a textbook in the usual sense, this book’s unique format invites the reader to engage in personal reflection and interactive activities. The learning theories of great educational psychologists such as Jean Piaget, Abraham Maslow, Howard Gardner, Lev Vygotsky,John Dewey, Erik Erikson, Albert Bandura, and others, are made
more accessible through humor and biographical information.

PRAXIS
In addition to being a book that helps preservice teachers understand
and apply theories about learning, this book also helps them
prepare to pass the PRAXIS exam. There is a special section in this
book devoted to PRAXIS preparation.

TEACHERINSIGHT
Useful information on how to successfully pass the TeacherInsight
interview exam is also presented.

Introduction: What’s in This Book? v

About the Author vii

Chapter 1: What Is Educational Psychology? 1
The World of Educational Psychology 1
Educational Psychology and Research 2

Chapter 2: Basic Concepts of Teaching and Learning 11
Does Forrest Gump Know More than You? 11
15 Minutes,15 Gems 19
Self-Directed Learners 26
Learning Styles 28

Chapter 3: Motivation 31
Three Myths about Motivation 32
Three Ideas on Motivation 33
Three Steps That Motivate People to Change 35
The Teacher as Motivator 36
Take a Motivating Quiz 41
Locus of Control (What Motivates You?) 42

Chapter 4: Behaviorist Teaching and Learning 47
Overview of Behaviorism 47
Behaviorism in the Classroom 50
Key Behaviorists and Their Ideas 52
Ivan P. Pavlov, John Broadus Dotson Watson,
Burrhus Frederic Skinner, Edward Lee Thorndike,
Albert Bandura, Robert Mills Gagne, David Premack,
Stephen Covey, Laura Schlesinger

Chapter 5: Cognitive Teaching and Learning 73
Overview of Cognitive Ideas 73
Jean Piaget 75
Lev Vygotsky 84
Robert Sternberg 91
iv
15 Irrational Thoughts 92
Other Unique Thoughts About Thinking and Testing 93

Chapter 6: Constructivist Teaching and Learning 101
Overview of Constructivism 101
Constructivist Thinkers and Their Ideas: 103
John Dewey, Abraham Maslow, Jerome Bruner,
Carl Rogers, Parker Palmer, Maria Montessori
Experiential Learning 122
Cooperative Learning 122

Chapter 7: Developmental Psychology
and Teaching and Learning 127
What Is Developmental Psychology? 127
Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences 128
Three Famous Taxonomies 134
Bloom, Krathwohl, Harrow
Theorists 145
Lawrence Kohlberg, Carol Gilligan, Paulo Freire,
Martin Seligman
The Famous Marshmallow Experiment 152

Chapter 8: Psychosexual and Psychosocial Ideas
Concerning Teaching and Learning 157
Sigmund Freud’s Psychoanalytic and Psychosexual Theory 157
Erik Erikson’s Eight Psychosocial Stages of Development 159

Chapter 9: Caring 169
An Important Definition of Caring 169
Caring Has a Reciprocal Nature 170
Caring Has a Learning Component 172
Should Teachers Project Love or Competency? 172
Quotes on Caring 173
Check to See: Are You a Caring Teacher? 174

Appendix

PRAXIS Information 177

Insightful Insights into the TEACHERINSIGHT Test 185

Dr. Leonard Austin is a Professor at Black Hills State University in Spearfish, South
Dakota, where he enjoys playing his ukulele, writing folk songs, playing Pickleball,
and reminiscing about the days when he played Aussie Rules Football down under.

His first book, The Counseling Primer (published by Taylor & Francis in 2000),
was on a psychology bestseller list. It gave educators a comprehensive look at the
skills and theories acquired in a master’s degree program in counseling. It also has
proven to be a popular resource for teachers and others in the helping professions.
His second book, What Teachers Need to Know About Their Students’ Religious
Beliefs, was published by University Press of America in 2003. This book, his third,
is the main resource for his Educational Psychology course.

Dr. Austin and his wife, Maggie Kubler Austin, are active in presenting workshops
on learning and on strengthening relationships. They have three grown
children and four grandsons. They are originally from California’s grape country,
where they met on the last day of high school in Napa, California. Later, in Napa,
Dr. Austin served as a City Councilman and Vice Mayor.

Dr. Austin has a Bachelor’s degree in Teacher Education from New Mexico State
University in Las Cruces, New Mexico, a Master’s degree in Adult Education from
the University of Wyoming in Laramie, Wyoming (where he worked 10 years in
student affairs), and a Doctorate degree in Educational Psychology and Counseling
from the University of Wyoming.