Rockford University Department of Education EDUC620: Psychological Foundations of Education Spring, 2016 This Syllabus is Subject to Revision Instructor: Kevin S. Zayed Email: kzayed@rockford.edu Classroom: Online/Adobe Connect Time: Thursday 6-9 PM Empowered Minds Learning Together EDUC 620 Course Description [3 credit hours] This course examines classroom management theorists, concepts, and practical research-based models. Students will explore systematic best-practice strategies conducive to positive social interaction with diverse student populations; active student engagement and motivation; and, effective classroom organization in a variety of education settings. Course Overview This course examines a variety of learning theories (e.g. humanistic, behaviorist, cognitive, multiple intelligences) and the philosophical and educational implications they raise for contemporary teachers. The course begins by briefly exploring the schism that occurred between the disciplines of psychology and philosophy that has continued to shape the very school systems, classrooms, and tools that we work with(in) today. Each session thereafter will be devoted to the context in which a particular learning theory was developed and applied, the philosophical and educational implications raised by the theories themselves (PI), and relevant issues and strategies within the fields of contemporary classroom management, instructional design, assessment, and coordination with mental health and social services (CI). The guiding questions of this course will be: How do teachers strike a balance between changing students to suit the structure of the school and changing the school to suit the diverse nature of students; How are learning theories and the tools and practices that they affect subject to the political, economic, and socio-cultural contexts in which they originate and are applied; How can we reflect on schooling experiences of others through the use of written works from a variety of traditions and methodologies? Course Objectives Satisfactorily completing this course will allow students to: - Develop a competency in a number of learning theories from the humanistic, behaviorist, cognitive, and multiple intelligences perspectives - Understand the relationship between learning theories and the political, economic, and socio-cultural contexts in which they operate