What good is educational psychology? The case of cognition and instruction

Research on cognition and instruction has made considerable progress in rec ent years, in terms of contributions both to cognitive theory and to educat ional practice. Two important contributions are psychologies of subject mat ter, which specify how people learn school subjects such as reading and mat hematics, and teaching of cognitive strategies, which fosters improvements in how students learn and think. In short, the thesis of this essay is that psychology and education are good for one another. When it comes to the ro le of psychology in education, there is nothing as beneficial to practice a s a good theory. When it comes to the role of education in psychology, ther e is nothing as beneficial to theory as a good practical problem. Although much has been accomplished, the promise of educational psychology in the 21 st century rests in the development of an educationally relevant science of how people learn.