PSYCHOLOGY AND EDUCATION - 2020/1

Module Overview

Please note: This module is part of the Developmental Psychology stream of Level 6 optional modules and will not be running every year. In some years an alternative optional module within the Developmental Psychology stream will be offered instead.

This module covers several aspects of the relationship between psychology and education, including the process of learning, differences between learners and the implications for education, and special educational needs.

Module provider

Psychology

Module Leader

COOK Anna (Psychology)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 6

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 1

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

All Level 5 Psychology modules are pre-requisites. This module has a capped number and may not be available to ERASMUS and other international exchange students. Please check with the departmental exchange coordinator.

Module content

Indicative content includes:

• Principles of education and views of learning


• Learning environments and classroom assessment


• Learner differences and learning needs


• Special educational needs in language and literacy


• Special educational needs in movement and coordination


• Special educational needs in numeracy


• Special educational needs - attention deficits


• Special educational needs - behavioural, emotional and social difficulties


• Segregation, integration and inclusion: Theory and policy


• Inclusion in practice


• Revision and consolidation

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

Students who take temporary suspension partway through this module may not be able to complete the remaining classes for this module on their return if it is not running in the following academic year. Such students will have the choice to take a replacement module, or, if they have already completed an assessment for the original module, to attend classes from a new optional module within the same stream (area of psychology) and complete an alternative assessment based on this content that meets the learning outcomes of the original module. The specific alternative assessment will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of the relationship between psychology and education, their ability to apply theory to practice, their ability to read and review literature critically, their ability to formulate an argument and their ability to write for both academic and non-academic audiences.

Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:

• 4 page information leaflet (50%)

This information sheet will require students to demonstrate their understanding of how psychological principles, theory and research can inform educational practice in relation to an area of special educational need. Students will be required to present this information in an accessible format which would be of use to teachers/educational practitioners.

For support, the assessment will be discussed in class. Students will also be encouraged to swap drafts with each other to give each other feedback.

• 1 hour exam (50%)

In this one-hour examination, students will be required to answer one question from a choice of four, covering any aspect of the course content.

Formative assessment and feedback

Students will receive verbal feedback on their topic understanding, ideas and critical thinking from the lecturer, and from each other, during in class discussions. At the beginning of each lecture, students will be given 2 to 3 questions which will be discussed as a group to test and provide formative feedback on their understanding of the previous weeks' material. The module convenor will engage with the SurreyLearn discussion board and respond to queries or issues that arise there.

Students will also be given the opportunity to receive formative feedback directly related to each component of the summative assessment:

Each student will have the opportunity to submit a 1 page plan for their information leaflet and a practice exam answer to obtain formative feedback.

 

Module aims

• This course critically considers the relationship between psychology and education, through examination of educational policy and practice from a psychological perspective, and by considering how psychological theory can be used to understand a range of special educational needs and educational issues. The aim of this course is to understand how psychology plays a key role in education. The development of independent and critical thought will be supported each week through a series of questions to consider when students review the lecture material and complete the reading

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:

• Provide students with a thorough grounding in the application of psychology to areas of educational practice.


• To encourage students to reflect on their own experiences of education and apply these to critical evaluation of theories and empirical findings.


• To develop sound critical thinking skills that cross the boundaries between theory and practice.


• To consider education through the lens of evidence-based practice

The learning and teaching methods include:

• 11 x 2 hour lectures and 128 hours of independent study, which involves:


• Weekly formative assessments to develop an integrated body of knowledge


• Weekly case studies for discussion and to surface students’ pre-existing views on a topic


• Critical discussion of videos showing classroom practice


• Critical discussion of research findings


• Problem-based learning activities


• SurreyLearn resources reposiutory including documentaries and links to websites


• Reflective log book


• Weekly ‘Consolidating and Applying your knowledge’ activities on SurreyLearn

 

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: PSY3082

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2020/1 academic year.