By The work of a psychopedagogue contributes to the academic and life success of every person, detecting difficulties, offering support and preventing long-term problems. Learn more in the following reading.
Psychopedagogy is an indisputable pillar in every advanced society. Its work, focused on promoting learning processes in human beings, guarantees that every person reaches their maximum cognitive, emotional and behavioural potential. What’s more, its tasks and responsibilities are not limited exclusively to the school environment.
Its function is to evaluate, prevent and develop interventions so that every individual, regardless of age, adapts to their environment and has a good quality of life. An example of this is support for older adults. This discipline also has certain particularities that differentiate it from pedagogy. In the following article we will detail everything you need to know about the subject.
“Education is the passport to the future. Tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.”
~ Malcolm X ~
What is psychopedagogy?
Psychopedagogy is the science that studies learning processes and optimizes teaching. It should be noted that it is a young discipline. Its foundations were laid following the work Essais de Pédologie Générale (1910) by Jean-Paul Persigout . From here, figures such as Jean Piaget or David Ausubel enriched it.
On the other hand, although it is true that it shares very similar aspects with pedagogy itself, there are nuances that make it unique. Its approach is more clinical and, among its aims, it includes prevention, detection and intervention in the individual’s learning problems. Below, we give you more details to understand these differences in each area.
Differences with pedagogy
Pedagogy is an interdisciplinary science that seeks to facilitate effective learning environments. It has more to do, therefore, with research and reflection on educational theories . Its tasks and responsibilities are very extensive, but do not include, for example, assessment and diagnostic activities. Let us clarify this a little more.
Approach
While pedagogy focuses on teaching and education in general, psychopedagogy seeks to identify and address learning difficulties. To do so, it assesses, diagnoses and designs specific interventions to help students overcome any difficulties.
Aim
Pedagogy aims to develop mechanisms for effective teaching. It designs curricula and selects appropriate teaching methods. A psychopedagogist, on the other hand, seeks to understand how each person learns, what their difficulties are, and to help them overcome any barriers that may arise in this process.
The educational psychologist evaluates the cognitive, affective and social aspects of children or adults in order to enhance their abilities in any given context. To do so, they have extensive knowledge in areas such as neuroscience, psychopathology and human development.
What are the objectives of a psychopedagogue?
Psychopedagogy transcends school settings and reaches all social spheres. It is important to clarify this aspect, because it is common to associate the figure of these professionals, almost exclusively, with schools and institutes. However, as they clarify in the Indian Journal of Public Health , they can also intervene in the field of mental health, such as schizophrenia.
In this case, its work is to improve the quality of life among caregivers of patients with this condition. By this, we mean that this science aims to detect needs and improve all learning situations. Although it is evident that the area where most of its efforts are focused is the school. Let’s now see what its objectives are.
1. Study of learning
Educational psychologists investigate how people acquire and process information. They also try to understand how they solve problems, are motivated to learn, and develop cognitively and emotionally throughout their lives.
2. Detection and diagnosis of difficulties
We have pointed this out in the previous section. One of its objectives is related to the clinical field and is the evaluation of learning difficulties . They detect possible developmental problems, neurological disorders, difficulties related to reading, writing, mathematics, attention, memory, etc.
3. Intervention and support
Once difficulties are identified, educational psychologists design and implement intervention strategies to help children or adults overcome their obstacles. This ranges from the implementation of individualized support programs to individual therapy, as well as educational guidance and counseling for parents and teachers.
On the other hand, this discipline is concerned with the emotional and social well-being of students and not only with their academic performance. Its work is comprehensive and always seeks to collaborate with all social agents.
4. Promoting educational success
Early detection of at-risk students, together with preventive measures, promotes educational success. Psychopedagogues also have this purpose.
These professionals help to identify and address the barriers that hinder students’ learning. This, as we well know, maximises their chances of having more job opportunities in the future. All of this adds up to quality of life in the short and long term.
5. Educational inclusion
Educational inclusion is part of social justice. Thus, as described in Frontiers in Psychology , all children should have the same opportunities when it comes to learning, regardless of the difficulties they present. In this sense, psychopedagogy collaborates with this goal, since it helps all students with special needs to reach their full potential.
6. Preventing long-term problems
Once again, educational psychologists are key when it comes to preventing both school dropout and any educational difficulty. To do so, they focus their efforts on early detection and intervention of any learning problem.
7. Improving educational quality
These professionals collaborate in the development of more effective educational practices, providing teachers, educational institutions and even families with tools and strategies to meet the diverse needs of students.
Tools used by this science of learning
Psychopedagogical science uses a variety of tools and methods in its daily work. In general, these resources vary according to the requirements of the person on whom it focuses its intervention. Caring for a student with autism is not the same as caring for an elderly person with dementia.
Typically, there is a psycho-pedagogical evaluation with interviews, observations, standardized tests and evaluation scales, to identify the student’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as possible learning difficulties.
Parents and teachers are also interviewed to understand the student’s behavior and performance in different environments. Let’s see below what other mechanisms are essential in this learning discipline.
Clinical interviews
These meetings serve to gather information about the student’s developmental history, as well as traumatic events, emotional problems or any other factor that affects their learning.
Direct observation
It is not always enough what educators and families say. Psychopedagogues must also observe the student in the classroom and in other contexts, to evaluate his behavior and how he develops.
Academic Aptitude Tests
These test batteries are always available to educational psychologists because they are used to detect writing problems such as dysgraphia , reading problems, reading comprehension problems, or mathematical reasoning problems.
Psychometric tests
These are designed to assess specific cognitive abilities, such as intelligence quotient (IQ), memory, attention, etc. They include the WISC (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children) and the WAIS (Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale).
Educational technology
There are specialized educational software programs to help students with learning difficulties, offering everything from assisted reading programs to math applications or applications to enhance attention and memory. It is innovative and very useful.
Psychopedagogical interventions
Once all the information is collected, if deemed appropriate, intervention will be carried out. These range from educational support programs to individual or group therapy. The Creative Education magazine describes, for example, how educational psychologists intervene with university students with disabilities and other problems.
Psychopedagogy is a core discipline in every advanced society
In a constantly evolving world, where each student has different needs and learning rhythms, psychopedagogical science plays an essential role. It is not only concerned with academic performance. The ultimate goal is to promote equal opportunities and the full development of each individual.
Their work is the foundation of any society that calls itself advanced and modern. Because these figures are essential to strengthen educational systems and ensure that everyone has the same opportunities to reach their full academic and personal potential. Do not hesitate to value their work.