Module 1

I think one topic that stuck out the most to me in the first chapter was educational psychology today and how common sense is involved. I have to say that I think I myself am guilty of thinking that psychology is just common sense. I really took a lot from the example where the typical "common sense" conclusion to seeing a child struggle would be to go and provide them with extra help. That is common sense. You see someone on crutches fall in the middle of the street, you run to help them without thinking about it. What research based answers tells us is that this can actually be detrimental to the child based on their peers reactions. When other children see a child receiving extra help that they didn't ask for, they assume that that child is incapable of succeeding. That child is then more likely to attribute their failure to lack of ability instead of lack of effort. 

In chapter 2, I enjoyed learning about the zone of proximal development. It is interesting to learn what this zone entails and how it can be applied to teaching. I think most people have some idea of what this zone is without knowing exactly what it is. It is the time in between when a child can complete a skill completely on their own and when they can complete a skill with some help from an adult. I think this is helpful because it is important to find that zone to help a child grow. 

In chapter 3, I felt the topic of physical development was very interesting to discuss in the way of psychology. To quote the book "physical development is public". I had never thought about it in that way. I feel this is a good reasoning to show why bodily changes are such a cause for concern for teenagers. Their changes are put on display for everyone to see, it is hard to hide. Obesity is on the rise and has been since the 1970s. Cruel teasing can then lead to the opposite of obesity and that is too little weight caused form eating disorders. These are all signs of emotional distress that teachers as well as parents need to be on the lookout for.