Applications of Psychological Science to Teaching and Learning modules
Dasha Bunks
Liberty University
PSYC 775 - Teaching of Psychology
Dr. Winn
2022
Applications of Psychological Science to Teaching and Learning modules
How can teachers capitalize on evidence about student learning that is generated in their
classrooms every day? How can this information best be collected and used to increase student
learning?
Effective feedback is a great way for teachers to use collected data in order to improve student
learning. Unfortunately, feedback opportunities are scarce in most classrooms (Bransford, Brown, &
Cocking, 1999). Teachers can create more opportunities for generating evidence about what their
students have, and have not learned, and provide effective feedback to students.
The research we have undertaken with our various colleagues has shown important increases in
student learning when teachers:
Clearly define the purposes of each lesson that they teach.
Use lessons to collect evidence on how students learn.
Use collected evidence and promptly re-direct students as needed.
Results from almost any assessment can be of great benefit to students, provided they are used to
make instructional adjustments. And the shorter the amount of time between assessment and
adjustment the more powerful its effect on learning.
Don't think that feedback itself is enough to make an assessment formative. Although providing
feedback is a necessary first step, an assessment only becomes formative when the information fed back
to the learner is used by the learner to improve future performance. Therefore only feedback that is
potentially useful to the learner is formative. For example, if a teacher says, "That's very creative," the
student does not know why her product is creative, or how to make future products creative. An
exception to this occurs when the teacher has already provided the criteria for what a "creative"
response looks like.
To ensure that feedback is formative:
Don't leave it open-ended or ambiguous. Give clear indications of the criteria that have been
used to assess the quality of the product a student submits.
Don't wander from the point. Base all feedback on criteria specified for the assignment.
Don't delay. Provide feedback as soon as possible after the student submits the assignment.
References
Battistich, V., Schaps, E., & Wilson, N. (2004). Effects of an elementary school intervention on
students' "connectedness" to school and social adjustment during middle school. The Journal of Primary
Prevention, 24(3), 243-262.
Bryk, A. S., Sebring, P. B., Allensworth, E., Luppescu, S., & Easton, J. Q. (2010). Organizing schools
for Improvement: Lessons from Chicago. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press.
