In an age where the quality of teacher education programs has never been more important, educators need a fundamental understanding of the principles of human learning, motivation, and development. Each volume in this series will draw upon the latest research to help college instructors select and model essential principles of learning, motivation, assessment, and development to prepare professionals to work with children and adolescents in diverse learning contexts using asset-based pedagogies. Theory to Practice: Educational Psychology for Teachers and Teaching is a series for instructors who teach educational psychology content in teacher education programs.
Chapters in this volume may include (a) a review of the empirical research that supports the teaching of learning and cognition as it applies to P-12 settings; (b) a description of instructional practices used in college courses that have been effective in teaching about and modeling principles of learning and cognition; or (c) a systematic discussion of issues surrounding the teaching of learning and cognition theories, research, and classroom applications, with clear connections between the empirical literature and the instructional practices. Please note that while this volume is not a venue for sharing research studies, theoretical and empirical support is fundamental to a well-written manuscript.
In the Teaching Learning for Effective Instruction volume, we are seeking chapters that fall within the following themes (under which we have provided some potential guiding questions):
Theme 1: Essential learning principles, concepts, theories and their importance to teachers and student learning. (Authors may choose to focus on a particular learning theory or concepts across multiple theories.)
Guiding Questions:
- What is most important for teachers to understand about human learning?
- What issues surrounding learning and cognition are misunderstood, misapplied, or in need of greater attention?
- How does an understanding of human learning by teachers foster student learning and well-being?
- How do theories of learning and cognition apply to an increasingly diverse student population?
Theme 2: Effective practices for teaching learning principles, concepts, and theories to prospective teachers
Guiding Questions:
- What methods and strategies are most effective in understanding and applying learning theory and research to practice?
- What assignments and assessments support prospective teachers’ learning about theories of learning and cognition? How can assessment for learning be incorporated into instruction?
- How do college instructors “walk the talk” in their own classrooms so their students (i.e., preservice and practicing teachers) understand and apply learning principles to their P-12 instruction?
- How might college instructors address common misconceptions about student learning and cognition?
Proposals should be between 500-750 words (not including references) and address the following:
- Scope and summary of the proposed chapter
- Fit to the series and volume, as well as a theme listed above
Submit proposals to Christina Regier ([email protected]) as a .docx or .pdf attachment named FirstAuthorLastName_Theme 1 (or 2). Please include a title page with the title, author names, degrees, and institutions, as well as contact information for corresponding author.
In the spirit of collaboration and mentorship, we encourage authors to include their graduate students on the work. Likewise, graduate students are strongly encouraged to seek mentorship and collaborate with a faculty member.
Proposals will be reviewed and evaluated based on: a) usefulness to college instructors of educational psychology, b) evidence of theoretical/empirical support, c) broad accessibility and applicability of topics, d) quality of writing, and e) overall quality of ideas.
Estimated Timeline:
- Sept. 15 – Proposals submitted to Christina Regier ([email protected])
- Nov. 30 – Decisions made
- Mar. 30 – First drafts due
- June 15 – Feedback from Editors
- Sept. 30 – Final drafts due
- Early Spring 2021 – Volume published
Final chapters will be approximately 20-30 double-space pages including references, tables, and figures.
Questions? Contact volume co-editors Michelle Buehl ([email protected]) or Jane Vogler ([email protected])