BOOKS FOR TEACHERS, ADMINISTRATORS, AND POLICYMAKERS IN HIGHER EDUCATION

This succinct, jargon-free, and user-friendly volume offers faculty an introduction to 35 concepts from educational psychology that illuminate what’s going through the minds of learners as they grapple with new information.

The concepts are conveniently grouped under major topics, each introduced by a summary of the field, its origins, the latest relevant research, and the implications for teaching: Cognition and Thinking, Memory, Learning, Perceiving and Living in the World, Working in Groups, Motivation, and Perceptions of Self.

Within each section Todd Zakrajsek and Donna Bailey provide summaries of each key concept, explaining the terminology, its background, relevance to student learning, and offering ideas and tips for immediate application in teaching.

As an example, the entry on Cognitive Load – the amount of information that the brain can process at any given time, and beyond which further input becomes hard to process, and usually induces errors – explains its constituent elements, intrinsic, extraneous, and germane, and how they are triggered. The authors conclude with specific tips to reduce cognitive load, and strategies to help students encountering difficulties with complex new material understand and accept the need to budget energy and time for certain tasks.

This is an illuminating book for teachers seeking to understand student learning, offering a foundational understanding of educational terms often tossed about in discussions of student learning, and a range of solutions to challenges they commonly encounter in the classroom.

1) Introduction
2) Cognition and Thinking
3) Memory
4) Learning
5) Perceiving and Living in the World
6) Working in Groups
7) Motivation
8) Perceptions of Self
9) Conclusion

Todd D. Zakrajsek

Todd D. Zakrajsek, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Family Medicine at UNC - Chapel Hill and President of the International Teaching Learning Cooperative (ITLC).

Todd was a tenured associate professor of psychology and built faculty development efforts at three universities before joining UNC. At UNC he is an Associate Director of the Faculty Development Fellowship within the School of Medicine. Through his work with the ITLC, Todd directs five Lilly Conferences on Evidence-Based Teaching and Learning and also consults with a wide variety of campuses on topics related to teaching/learning, leadership, and scholarly activity.

Todd has served on many educationally related boards and work groups, including The Journal of Excellence in College Teaching, International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, College Teaching, and Education in the Health Professions.

He has consulted with organizations such as The American Council on Education (ACE), Lenovo Computer, Microsoft, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; and delivered keynote addresses and campus workshops at over 300 conferences and university campuses in 49 states and 12 countries.

Todd publishes on topics pertaining to student learning, effective teaching, leadership, scholarly activity, and assessment. Todd’s recently co-authored books include Teaching for Learning (2nd Ed)(2021); Advancing Online Teaching (2021); The New Science of Learning (2nd Ed) (2019); and Dynamic Lecturing (2017). Check out Todd’s two TEDx talks here. You can follow and connect with him on Twitter @toddzakrajsek and LinkedIn.

BOOKS FOR TEACHERS, ADMINISTRATORS, AND POLICYMAKERS IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Understanding How We Learn

Applying Key Educational Psychology Concepts in the Classroom

Library E-Books

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Todd D. Zakrajsek