Educational Psychology Course Contract

1. List 2-3 specific goals you have for this course.

• I will become more aware of how I best learn new material and then ensure that those tactics are then implemented into my learning activities. 
• Learn different ways that others learn so that I can better tailor my teaching techniques to students’ unique needs and styles.
• Learn as much as I can about the learning process so that when I teach I will not just teach the course content but help students become better learners. 

2. Describe your weekly preparation plan. Be specific. What will you do each day of the week to prepare for this course. You may want to use this time management tool to help you get organized. I also strongly recommend that you use an online calendar/task list such as Google Calendar to organize your time and assignments.

• On Wednesday nights, after class I will put the finishing touches on my study guide and then turn it in.
• On Thursday and Friday I will pace myself in reading assignments. I will use the study guide as I read to help to know what ideas and concepts are most important for me to understand and then spend the most time on those things.
• On Monday and Tuesday I will ensure that the study guide is complete and then review the concepts to make sure that I have a good understanding of the material.
•  On Wednesday I will come to class prepared for discussion and activities to further gain and cement the understanding of critical class concepts. 

3. Outline the study strategies that you will use to understand the material. You planned your time in the previous question, now how will you prepare? This link includes some things to think about.

• While reading I will use highlighting techniques to record key phrases and ideas that stood out to me.
• If I am having difficulty understanding an important concept I will use the KWL technique to help me focus my learning.
• If concepts are still challenging me I will create concept maps to help me see the bigger picture.
• In class I will take notes to help me remember what I learned and then review them outside of class to reinforce my learning.

4. Explain the process you will follow if you do not understand a topic. The Goals page in Module 0 offers some suggestions. The Internet and other resources are available for you to use on everything except closed-book examinations.

• First, I will search for an answer on my own
• If I still don’t know or understand I will then talk to one of my peers and try to gain understanding from them.
• If I still just can’t get the concept I will visit Dr. Cox to ask her to share her valuable experiences and insights with me. 

5. Complete the following statement: I will reach my goals in this course by... (your response should be a statement rather than a date! It should summarize everything above.)

• I will stay up to pace with the class. I will ensure that I learn, through self-regulation techniques and learning strategies/tactics, from assigned materials before each class period. If there are ideas or concepts that I am still struggling with after class I will follow the outlined procedures to gain enlightenment.