Teaching the Psychology of Learning

Abstract

While teaching psychology is always demanding, teaching courses about the psychology of learning presents unique challenges for instructors. Learning courses have specialized language and procedures not found in other areas of psychology, students tend to enter courses with certain misconceptions, and published materials related to teaching learning can be lacking. This chapter discusses these and other challenges and potential ways to overcome them. Being aware of these pitfalls can help instructors to understand any confusion students might have or develop about the material and take actions to correct it. Also included is a brief history of learning as a field, and proposed core content and learning outcomes for learning courses. Evidence-based teaching and assessment strategies are discussed in general, along with specific examples pertaining to learning courses. A way of approaching the teaching of operant conditioning based on common student difficulties is also outlined. Lastly, some general teaching tips as well as teaching resources (some general, some specific to learning courses) are provided. Though this chapter is aimed at instructors of learning courses (or those looking for guidance in teaching the learning portion of an introductory psychology course), many of the strategies can be applied widely.