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This book is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 LicensePrefaceDr. Kelvin Seifert: Why I wanted this book to be part of the Global Textbook ProjectI have taught educational psychology to futureteachers for nearly 35 years, during which I used one oranother of the major commercial textbooks written forthis subject. In general I found all of the books wellwritten and thorough. But I also found problems:(1) Though they differed in details, the majortextbooks were surprisingly similar in overall coverage.This fact, coupled with their large overall size, made ithard to tailor any of the books to the particular interestsor needs of individuals or groups of students. Too often,buying a textbook was like having to buy a huge Sundaynewspaper when all you really want is to read one of itssections. In a similar way, commercial educationalpsychology textbooks usually told you more than youever needed or wanted to know about the subject. As aformat, the textbook did not allow for individualization.Dr. Kelvin Seifert(2) Educational psychology textbooks were alwaysexpensive, and over the years their costs rose faster than inflation, especially in the United States, where most of thebooks have been produced. Currently every major text about educational psychology sells for more than USD 100.At best this cost is a stress on students' budgets. At worst it puts educational psychology textbooks beyond the reachof many. The problem of the cost is even more obvious when put in worldwide perspective; in some countries thecost of one textbook is roughly equivalent to the average annual income of its citizens.(3) In the competition to sell copies of educational psychology textbooks, authors and publishers have graduallyadded features that raise the cost of books without evidence of adding educational value. Educational psychologypublishers in particular have increased the number of illustrations and photographs, switched to full-color editions,increased the complexity and number of study guides and ancillary publications, and created proprietary websitesusable fully only by adopters of their particular books. These features have sometimes been attractive. My teachingexperience suggests, however, that they also distract students from learning key ideas about educational psychologyabout as often as they help students to learn.By publishing this textbook online with the Global Textbook Project, I have taken a step toward resolving theseproblems. Instructors and students can access as much or as little of the textbook as they really need and finduseful. The cost of their doing is minimal. Pedagogical features are available, but are kept to a minimum andrendered in formats that can be accessed freely and easily by anyone connected to the Internet. In the future,revisions to the book will be relatively easy and prompt to make. These, I believe, are desirable outcomes foreveryone!--Kelvin SeifertEducational A Global TextThe Saylor Foundation

This book is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License1. The changing teachingprofession and youA teacher named Ashley reflects: She looked around the classroom, enjoying a blessed moment ofquiet after the students left at the end of the day. “Ashley, the teacher, that’s me”, she said proudly tothe empty room. “But why am I doing this?” she asked herself quietly—and realized she wasn’talways sure of the answer. But then she remembered one reason: she was teaching for Nadia, whosat at the table to the left, always smiled so well and always (well, usually) tried hard. And anotherreason: she was teaching for Lincoln, tired old Lincoln, who needed her help more than he realized.She remembered twenty other reasons—twenty other students. And one last reason: she was alsoteaching for herself, challenging herself to see if she really could keep up with twenty-two youngpeople at once, and really accomplish something worthwhile with them. She was teaching so shecould keep growing as a person, keep connecting with others, keep learning new ideas. That’s whyshe was teaching.The joys of teachingWhy be a teacher? The short answer is easy: to witness the diversity of growth in young people, and their joy in learning to encourage lifelong learning—both for yourself and for others to experience the challenge of devising and doing interesting, exciting activities for the youngThere is, of course, more than this to be said about the value of teaching. Consider, for instance, the “youngpeople” referred to above. In one class they could be six years old; in another they could be sixteen, or even older.They could be rich, poor, or somewhere in between. They could come from any ethnic background. Their firstlanguage could be English, or something else. There are all sorts of possibilities. But whoever the particularstudents are, they will have potential as human beings: talents and personal qualities—possibly not yet realized—that can contribute to society, whether as leaders, experts, or supporters of others. A teacher's job—in fact ateacher's privilege—is to help particular “young people” to realize their potential.Another teacher reflects: Nathan paused for a deep breath before speaking to me. “It’s not like Iexpected it to be,” he said. “I’ve got five kids who speak English as a second language. I didn’t expectthat. I’ve got two, maybe three, with reading disabilities, and one of them has a part-time aide. I’vehad to learn more about using computers than I ever expected—they’re a lot of curriculum materialsonline now, and the computers help the kids that need more practice or who finish activities early.I’m doing more screening and testing of kids than I expected, and it all takes time away fromteaching.Educational A Global TextThe Saylor Foundation

1. The changing teaching profession and you“But it’s not all surprises. I expected to be able to ‘light a fire’ under kids about learning to read. Andthat has actually happened, at least sometimes with some children!”As a teacher, you will be able to do this by laying groundwork for lifelong learning. You will not teach any onestudent forever, of course, but you will often work with them long enough to convey a crucial message: that there ismuch in life to learn—more in fact than any one teacher or school can provide in a lifetime. The knowledge may beabout science, math, or learning to read; the skills may be sports, music, or art—anything. Whatever you teach, itsimmensity can be a source of curiosity, wonder and excitement. It can be a reason to be optimistic about life ingeneral and about your students in particular. Learning, when properly understood, is never-ending, even though itoften focuses on short-term, immediate concerns. As a teacher, you will have an advantage not shared by everymember of society, namely the excuse not only to teach valuable knowledge and skills, but to point students beyondwhat they will be able to learn from you. As an old limerick put it (before the days of gender-balanced language),“The world is full of such a plenty of things, I’m sure we should all be as happy as kings.”Jennifer Fuller, a third teacher reflects: “OK”, suddenly getting businesslike in her tone. “Here’s mytypical day teaching tenth grade: I get up at 6:30, have a quick breakfast, get to school by 7:45 if thetraffic’s not bad. Then I check my email—usually there’s a little stuff from the principal or some otheradministrator, maybe one or two from parents concerned because their child is doing poorly in oneof my classes, maybe one or two from students—“I’m going to be sick today, Ms Fuller!”—that sort ofthing. Now it’s 8:15 and I have two hours before my first class—this term I teach only biology, and Ionly teach periods 2, 3, and 5. Maybe I have marking to do before class, or maybe I have to get a labdemonstration ready. Or maybe we all have to troupe down to the library for a staff meeting(groan ). Whatever I don’t finish in the morning, I have to finish after school. But that’s also when Imeet with the Ecology Club (I’m the faculty advisor), so I might have to finish stuff in the evening. Itry not to do it then, but a lot of times I have to. But I always quit by 9:00—that’s always when Iwatch TV for an hour, or just “vegetate ” with a book.”Whatever you teach, you will be able to feel the satisfaction of designing and orchestrating complex activitiesthat communicate new ideas and skills effectively. The challenge is attractive to many teachers, because that iswhere they exercise judgment and “artistry” the most freely and frequently. Your students will depend on your skillat planning and managing, though sometimes without realizing how much they do so. Teachers will need you toknow how to explain ideas clearly, to present new materials in a sensible sequence and at an appropriate pace, topoint out connections between their new learning and their prior experiences. Although these skills really take alifetime to master, they can be practiced successfully even by beginning teachers, and they do improve steadily withcontinued teaching over time. Right from the start, though, skill at design and communication of curriculum is oneof the major “perks” of the job.The very complexity of classroom life virtually guarantees that teaching never needs to get boring. Somethingnew and exciting is bound to occur just when you least expect it. A student shows an insight that you neverexpected to see—or fails to show one that you were sure he had. An activity goes better than expected—or worse, ormerely differen

development of effective strategies of blended learning. He is the author of four university textbooks (with Houghton Mifflin, in traditional print format) about educational psychology, child and adolescent development, and lifespan human development. He is also the editor of the online C