Psychology

This book simultaneously contributes to the fields of critical pedagogy and educational psychology in new and innovative ways by demonstrating how critical pedagogy, postformal psychology, and Enlightenment science, seemingly separate and distinct disciplines, are actually part of the same larger, contextualized, complex whole from the inner most developmentally-fixed biological context of human faculties to the perpetually shifting, socially and politically constructed context of individual schema and human civilization. The text's uniqueness stems from its bold attempt to connect the postformal critical constructivist/pedagogy work of Joe Kincheloe and others to Western science through a shared, although previously misunderstood, critique and rejection of crude forms of social control, which the psychologists call behaviorism and Western scientists identify as mechanical philosophy. This book therefore argues that critical pedagogy-- which includes, among others, anarchist, Marxist, feminist, Indigenous (globally conceived), Afro-Caribbean/American, and postmodern traditions--and critical/constructivist educational psychology have much to gain by engaging previously rejected work in critical solidarity, that is, without compromising one's values or democratic commitments. The goal of this book is therefore to contribute to this vision of developing a more transgressive and transformational educational psychology.

The field of educational psychology is primarily concerned with teaching and learning. Educational psychology has a long historical past and an extensive record of conducting empirical research into the teaching/learning process. Educational psychology has also been involved with the topics of motivation, intelligence, memory, cognition, intellectual development and evaluation and assessment. Over the past 50 years, educational psychology has been predominantly involved with the learning processes of the " normal, average " student. However, over the past 20 years, mainstreaming and later inclusion has presented an additional challenge for educational psychologists and classroom teachers. This book presents leading research on cognition and learning, individual differences and motivation.

Educational Psychology Casework is a practical, accessible guide to working with children, outlining the basic skills needed and practical strategies to promote positive change and obtain the best results for children. The book covers how to develop skills such as establishing rapport, gaining a child's trust and respect, interviewing skills and techniques, and interpreting children's responses. The author outlines the theoretical background and how this translates into practical work and includes case examples which demonstrate the theory in practice.

This book sets out a proposal for applying psychological and educational psychology concepts to improve work with children and young people. The book is based on the fundamental premise that good professional practice is contingent upon circumstances that allow practitioners to apply their knowledge, experience and skills in the specific encounter with a specific task. This means that the ability to act pragmatically and creatively is, and will increasingly be, an important skill not only for educational psychologists, but also for psychologists in general. Intended primarily for students of psychology, school psychologists and other professional groups that provide counseling in schools, the book is also a valuable resource for the various groups that use pedagogical-psychology tools and insights in their work with children and young people.

This book takes up the agenda of the late (but unknown) L. S. Vygotsky, who had turned to the philosopher Spinoza to develop a holistic approach to psychology, an approach that no longer dichotomized the body and mind, intellect and affect, or the individual and the social. Once such an approach is adopted, the classical question of cognitive scientists about how symbols are grounded in the world comes to be recognized as an artefact of the theory. Drawing on empirical materials from different learning settings--including parent-child, school, and workplace settings--this book explores the opportunities and implications that this non-dualist approach has for educational research and practice.