ARE EDUCATIONAL-PSYCHOLOGY COURSES EDUCATIONALLY AND PSYCHOLOGICALLY SOUND - WHAT TEXTBOOKS AND TEACHERS SAY

Educational psychology courses should be the best taught courses on co llege campuses given that its instructors and textbook authors are res ident experts in learning and teaching. More specifically, we contend that educational psychology courses should adhere to six principles. E ducational psychology courses should: (a) be driven by teaching models (b) integrate theory and practice, (c) provide opportunities to pract ice teaching skills, (d) present an integrated model for instructional planning, (e) prepare teachers to teach learning strategies, and (f) help students learn. We surveyed practicing teachers and analyzed curr ent educational psychology texts and found that these principles are n ot upheld. We report on the principles our findings, and how an educat ional psychology course that upholds these principles might be develop ed.