Comment: Educational psychology is also concerned with the dynamics of learning. In his contribution to this course, George Reese analyzes by way of example the notion of "productive struggle." How can educational psychology help us to understand the processes of learning?

George Reese discusses productive struggle within the context of math and computer science. However, productive struggle is essential across all subject areas. To summarize his presentation, George Reese states that "students are willing to persist with problems until they can make it work." He emphasizes the importance of finding tasks that require thought and creating a collaborative learning environment. He provides examples of productive struggle, such as a problem involving box folding and the famous locker problem. He concludes by mentioning the importance of asking the right questions, logical thinking, and helping others who are struggling.

Where educational psychology can help us to understand the process of learning is by helping teachers facilitate environments in which they foster a creative and collaborative space to encourage productive struggle. Creating a collaborative learning environment that promotes productive struggle involves implementing various strategies and techniques. Some ways educators can foster this is by task selection (choosing challenging tasks), group work (collaborative problem-solving/different perspectives), scaffolding supports (gradually help students gain confidence through graphic organizers or guiding questions), teacher facilitation, technology, peer feedback, and reflection/metacognition.

Earlier in this course, sociocultural theory was discussed so this ties in with Lev Vygotsky's theories of social learning and then processing through metacognition. Lev Vygotsky acknowledges the notion of productive struggle in what he calls the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). Saul McLead, Ph.D., states that "ZPD is the zone where instruction is the most beneficial, as it is when the task is just beyond the individual’s capabilities. To learn, we must be presented with tasks just out of our ability range. Challenging tasks promote maximum cognitive growth." According to Lynch, et. al (2022), "productive struggle nurtures the spirit of innovation by encouraging students to think creatively and approach problems from novel perspectives." When students embrace the discomfort of uncertainty and push beyond their comfort zones, they unlock new pathways for discovery and innovation, "fueling progress and advancement in their respective fields." Engaging in productive struggle allows students to grapple with complex problems and think critically.

Educational psychology helps us understand the social, emotional, and cognitive processes that constitute learning throughout our lifespan.

Make an Update: Take one area of the learning sciences. How does educational psychology contribute to our understanding? What evidence does it offer? What interpretative concepts and theories does it provide?

An area of the learning sciences that is of interest to both educators and psychologists is neuroscience. We are discovering new ways to develop synapses and connections in the brain, to improve cognitive function, as well as acknowledging how trauma negatively affects the brain.

The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) (2020) Domains of Practice highlights areas where school psychology can support connections between neuroscience and educational practice.

Although educational neuroscience was introduced over 30 years ago, some have argued that educational neuroscience cannot be translated to education. However, Bruer (2006) has noted that psychology can support the bridge-building between the two fields. Howard-Jones et al. (2016) note that educational researchers use neuroscience to understand behavioral data. Neuroscience has impacted education in many ways. For example, it has informed the mechanisms of dyslexia and interventions for dyslexia and insights into how anxiety, attention, relationships, and sleep impact educational outcomes (Wilcox, et. al, 2021).

School psychologists help schools improve how students learn, especially in subjects like reading and math. They use what they learn about how the brain works to make interventions and teaching methods better. For example, they found that kids with dyslexia struggle with certain parts of their brains when doing reading tasks. So, interventions that help with both the brain and reading skills might work better for them. Similarly, kids with dyscalculia have trouble with math because of certain brain areas. So, focusing on those areas might help them with math. Lots of research shows that how our brains work is connected to how we do in school. Using this knowledge, psychologists are making programs to help kids improve in math and other subjects. School psychologists, with their training in both research and practice, are uniquely situated to help school administrators and educators make evidence-informed decisions about which interventions to implement and which ones to potentially question and avoid. (Wilcox, et. al, 2021).

Bruer, J. T. (2006). Points of view: on the implications of neuroscience research for the science of teaching and learning: are there any? CBE Life Sci. Educ. 5, 104–110. doi: 10.1187/cbe.06-03-0153

Howard-Jones, P. A., Varma, S., Ansari, D., Butterworth, B., De Smedt, B., Goswami, U., et al. (2016). The principles and practices of educational neuroscience: comment on bowers (2016). Psychol. Rev. 123, 620–627. doi: 10.1037/rev0000036

Lynch, J., Orsino, A., & Kawamura, A. (2022). Productive struggle and failing safely: implications for developing adaptive expertise in communication. Advances in Health Sciences Education, 27(5), 1331–1344. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10459-022-10175-x Opens in a new tab

Mcleod, Saul. “Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development & Scaffolding Theory In Psychology.” Simply Psychology, 1 February 2024, https://www.simplypsychology.org/zone-of-proximal-development.html. Accessed 11 April 2024.

Wilcox G, Morett LM, Hawes Z and Dommett EJ (2021) Why Educational Neuroscience Needs Educational and School Psychology to Effectively Translate Neuroscience to Educational Practice. Front. Psychol. 11:618449. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.618449