Educational psychology is essentially the scientific study of how we learn new things. Connected to this is the impact of different teaching methods and environments, various instructional processes and individual differences in learning, especially in childhood and adolescence. It is a multi-disciplinary field that takes into consideration different approaches, divergent methodologies and wide-ranging research.

As with any complex subject that can have a positive (or negative) influence on others, it is best to start with comprehensive foundation courses that give you a solid grounding in the basics of educational psychology. These are:

1. Educational Psychology Training

A great course if you’re a beginner, the modules take you through key history, important experiments and crucial findings while also exploring special education needs and learning challenges like dyslexia.

2. Fundamentals of Educational Psychology and Development

Another very useful foundational course that tackles everything from developmental stages in babies and children to understanding behavioural learning and recognising learning disabilities.

3. Diploma in Educational Psychology

Once you feel like you are really interested in educational psychology, enrol in our diploma course. It will cement your knowledge of important theories like constructivism, help you consider cultural differences and give you a greater understanding of learning disabilities. 

Careers that involve educational psychology can be broken down into ‘pure’ and ‘applied’. Pure means you focus on new research, working with test subjects and devising experiments to understand more about how we accumulate knowledge. You would write up your studies and possibly influence classroom design, teaching methodologies and even diagnoses.

Applied educational psychology roles work directly with students: you take what the pure researchers have found and use that knowledge to help your learners. Anyone who works with children - even nannies and au pairs - will benefit from a free course in educational psychology as will parents, coaches, counsellors, therapists and anyone working with individuals with special needs.

If you work with vulnerable adults who had interrupted educations for whatever reason (poverty, incarceration, emigration or a dysfunctional family life), a background in educational psychology will help you assess their needs and find solutions far more accurately. Imagine the joy in being able to help someone who thinks they’re ‘stupid’ because they struggle to read when actually they have undiagnosed dyslexia. It could change their lives!

Remember, Alison courses:

• Have no monthly subscription fees
• Have no registration fees
• Have no enrollment fees
• Have no limit on how many courses you can do
• Have no time limit on completing a course

Once you have passed a course, you have the option of purchasing a certificate for a nominal amount. This is super-useful to add to your CV or resume but not compulsory at all. The choice is yours!