Teaching Challenges in Secondary Schools: Cases in Educational Psychology

This case study book serves as a valuable tool for professors and instructors of educational psychology. It contains 17 cases that represent current areas of interest in Educational Psychology embedded within current challenges that teachers face in today’s middle and high school classrooms. The cases are organized into six major parts: Human Development, Individual Differences and Diversity, Learning Theories, Motivation, Classroom Management, Instructional Approaches, and Assessment and Evaluation. Each case describes a detailed teaching scenario written from either the student or the teachers’ perspective. To engage students in critical thinking, perspective-taking, analysis, problem solving and decision-making, the cases have been intentionally written without a conclusion. Because the cases are open-ended, it allows the professor or instructor more flexibility and autonomy in how they use the cases. Each case is followed by thought-provoking questions, highlighting the significant issues in the case, from which to analyze the case and apply various theoretical viewpoints. While the cases do not replace actual classroom experience, they present a way to immerse students in the classroom’s culture by providing them with real-life teaching examples.

Table of Contents:
Part I: Human Development Case 1: Adolescent Cliques: To Belong or Not to Belong? Case 2: Internet Plagiarism Case 3: Academic Honesty Case 4: Cyberbullying and Adolescent Identity Part II: Individual Differences and Diversity Case 5 : Gender Equity: Encouraging Female Students in Science Case 6: Teaching Students with Special Learning Challenges Part III: Learning Theories Case 7: Cell Phones in Class: Problems with Texting Case 8: Adolescent Relationships and the Power of Social Media Case 9: Grade Grubbing: Complaining and Arguing About Grades Part IV: Motivation Case 10: Encouraging Girls Confidence in Math Case 11: Stressed Out: Dealing with Academic Pressure in High School Part V: Classroom Management Case 12: The Role of the Teacher: Can Students and Teachers Be Friends? Case 13: Responding to Students’ Backtalk and Disrespect Case 14: Encounters with Difficult Parents Part VI: Instructional Approaches Case 15: Making the Most of Academic Learning Time Case 16: Meaningful Authentic Learning: Finding the Funding Part VII: Assessment and Evaluation Case 17: Meaningful and Fair: Grading Subjective Assessments

About the Author :
Alyssa Gonzalez-DeHass received her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Florida in 1998, she has been publishing in the area of student motivation since receiving her doctorate. Her research interests lie in the areas of students’ achievement goals, parent involvement, school-community partnerships, and the case study method to teaching educational psychology. Patricia P. Willems is an associate professor of educational psychology at Florida Atlantic University, where she currently teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses in educational psychology. She earned her PhD in educational psychology from the University of Florida and her publications are in the areas of case study instruction, learning environments, motivation, school-community partnerships, and parent involvement.

Review :
The topics covered in this text are with-it scenarios that explore the ever changing and evolving student body around us. As teachers-in-training being exposed to these scenarios in our learning process prior to becoming full fledged educators will undoubtedly improve our approach to our current and future students.This text will provide pivotal insight and opportunities for meta-cognition, detailed peer to peer discussion, and ultimately furthering our understanding of the difficulties that educators face in their classes, and students face in their day to day lives. Based on the table of contents, I would recommend the book. Pedagogy theories and practices can be taught in the classroom, but real understanding and application comes only when one is able to see how those theories and practices play out in real world school situations. That is when pedagogical theories and practices become useful to a teacher. In my opinion, as a former K-12 teacher and current coordinator of an early teacher induction program, the topics covered in Teaching Challenges in Secondary Schools: Case Studies in Educational Psychology is essential reading for pre-service and in-service K-12 teachers.  A strong understanding of human development, individual differences and diversity, learning theories, motivation, classroom management, instructional approaches, and assessment and evaluation can only improve the pre-service or in-service teacher’s instructional practice.