Educational Psychology
Dropbox Assignment 1: 3 pages, due Saturday
Vygotsky and his followers have proposed that children’s and adolescents’ cognitive development is
promoted when they work within their zone of proximal development and that scaffolding enables
them to do this successfully.
a. Explain these two concepts, and give a concrete example of each one.
b. Choose a topic or skill that is apt to be in the zone of proximal development for most
students at a particular grade level. Then explain how you would
(1) scaffold students’ efforts and
(2) modify the scaffolding over time.
Dropbox Assignment 2: 3 pages, due Saturday
Drawing on research findings presented in the textbook, identify at least four ways that students
from diverse cultural backgrounds may have difficulty adjusting to a traditional classroom. Give
specific examples and offer suggestions about how a teacher could support these students in each
situation. Dropbox Assignment 3: 3 pages, due Saturday
You are a classroom teacher. Select a grade level and subject you are teaching. Identify the standards
you want students to know and be able to do. Using principles of cognitive psychology, describe how
you will use these three instructional strategies: elaboration; prior knowledge; and visual imagery to
insure meaningful learning (pages 169-173). One of the strategies should also address the needs of
the learning disabled students in your classroom. Be specific and concrete in the description of the Dropbox Assignment 4: 2 pages
In your own words, distinguish between positive and negative transfer and give an original, concrete
example of each. With the factors affecting transfer in mind, describe three different strategies you
can use to help students transfer what they learn to situations outside the classroom. For each
strategy, be specific and concrete as to what you would do.
Dropbox Assignment 5: 3 pages, due Saturday
Compare and contrast behaviorism and social cognitive theories. In your own words discuss the
main components of each theory. How does each theory guide behavior management in the
classroom? Include examples and conclude with your opinion of these approaches.
Dropbox Assignment 6: due Saturday
Develop a questionnaire on motivation (based upon information from the text), then interview a
classroom teacher, using your questions. (Approximately 10 questions). Submit your questions and
the responses with an analysis of the teacher’s approach to motivation. Review the chapter
information on motivation before you develop your questionnaire. Include the name and phone
number of the teacher you questioned. Dropbox Assignment 7: 3 pages, due Saturday
Chapter 12 outlines a series of instructional strategies and describes how to create a lesson plan.
Select a topic to teach to a specific grade level. Name your standards (objectives) for students to
learn. Identify a minimum of three strategies and describe how you will develop the lesson (teach the
standards), using the strategies to maximize student learning. Be explicit.