Teaching and Learning

How Does Educational Psychology Help Children’s Learning?

by Melbourne Child Psychology & School Psychology Services

When you mention psychology most people think of counselling as a treatment for emotional issues, such as anxiety or depression…

And while all psychologists have training in these areas, our team has specific postgraduate training in Educational and Developmental Psychology, which is a branch of psychology focused on learning and development.

Educational Psychology draws from other fields such as neuroscience and often involves standardised testing to obtain information about children’s learning skills and abilities.

This information enables us to gain insight into how children learn and process information and what their learning potential might be.

And it enables us to recommend specific learning strategies and supports for home and school to help them to reach that potential.

So what does this actually involve and how can it help children with learning?

NEPSY: Assessments for improving your child’s learning potential — Part 3

by Melbourne Child Psychology & School Psychology Services

In part 1 and 2 of our blogs on our learning assessments, we taught you about the WIAT-III and WISC-V assessments.

We have invested in the most update-to-date versions of these assessments so that they can best identify your child’s learning potential and their educational needs.

And now we’d like you to learn about another invaluable assessment tool that we recently acquired — the NEPSY.

It’s a unique and effective test, offered by only a few psychology clinics in Melbourne, and designed to assess the neuropsychological development of children aged 3 to 16.

But before we get into the nitty gritty of the assessment, you’re probably wondering…

What is neuropsychological development?

WIAT-III: Assessments for improving your child’s learning potential — Part 2

by Melbourne Child Psychology & School Psychology Services

Learning assessments help to ease the frustrations or concerns parents may have about their child’s academic performance.

And importantly, learning assessments can help your child to achieve their full potential during their school years.

By assessing the major areas that impact learning, our psychologists get a comprehensive insight into your child’s ability, potential, and any barriers stopping them from achieving it.

From there, the best approaches and solutions can be put in place to help a child thrive school.

In our first post of this series, we delved into one of the key tools for assessing learning potential — the WISC-V assessment.

In this post, we’ll give you a run down of one of our other core assessment tools — the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test — and how it can help your child.

WISC-V: Assessments for improving your child’s learning potential — Part 1

by Melbourne Child Psychology & School Psychology Services

We are always looking for new technologies to help our patients be their best selves.

And this is particularly important when it comes to educational intervention.

A learning assessment helps to identify a child’s learning potential, and address any barriers stopping them from achieving it.

The WISC — the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children — is a tool for assessing a child’s academic progress and potential.

We have been using the WISC for years, and recently invested in the updated version, the WISC-V.

It’s been reevaluated, redesigned and retooled to provide a more comprehensive picture of a child’s learning ability.

But what is it, exactly, and how will it help your child?

Teaching Your Kids ‘Social Media Smarts’

by Melbourne Child Psychology & School Psychology Services

For most parents these days, there’s no avoiding social media.

You probably have it yourself, as do all your friends, and if you’re among the vast majority of parents in Australia — your kids will have it too.

According to the ACMA, 4 years ago only 45 per cent of 8-11 year olds were using social media….

That proportion has now risen to at least 60 per cent, with many of the platforms in question being age restricted (generally for users aged 13+).

So while trying to eliminate social media from your family’s life would be fighting an increasingly steep up-hill battle, there are some easy, preventative ways to help keep your children safe on these platforms.

Why We Need Empathy, and How We Teach it to Children

by Melbourne Child Psychology & School Psychology Services

There is an increasing dialogue in social organisations — in schools, workplaces, court rooms, governments — on the importance of empathy.

Empathy is what sets us apart from machines and even from many other animals.

It’s what enables us to relate to other people and their experiences…

It’s what enables us to understand them.

And it’s what makes us compassionate.

So it’s little wonder why it’s so integral to the social experience of schooling and childhood.

But empathy is not innate — it’s learnt.

And like most things, it’s best learnt during childhood.

And the best teachers are adults.

How Can We Engage Our Students in the Classroom? Part 1.

by Melbourne Child Psychology & School Psychology Services

There is an epidemic of disengagement in Australian classrooms.

And our students’ education is suffering as a result.

Research from the Grattan Institute has shown that around 40 per cent of school students are regularly unproductive, bored, or struggling to keep up with the curriculum.

This ‘passive disengagement’ can result in students being up to two years behind their engaged peers in the academic setting.

But who or what is to blame?

Tips for Raising Moral Children — From Harvard Psychologists

by Melbourne Child Psychology & School Psychology Services

We’ve talked about how to raise motivated children children on the blog…

How to help them develop good habits, how to be happy, how to thrive in school, how to avoid becoming too materialistic…

But the question of how to raise moral children is a different ball game.

Just like these other positive qualities and habits we hope to encourage in our kids, morality isn’t something we’re born with — it’s learnt.

And the fact of the matter is that sometimes, teaching our children moral lessons will get in the way of their immediate happiness.

How and When Should We Teach Kids About Money?

by Melbourne Child Psychology & School Psychology Services

Kids and money — it’s one of the most divisive conversations in parenting, and the topic is approached in a myriad of ways.

Some kids have limitless handouts, some kids have consistent allowances, some work for pocket money, some don’t…

And the age at which parents choose to give children control over and knowledge about money differs widely as well.

There’s no one right or wrong answer, but it can be helpful to follow some guidelines from experts.

Why Australian Students May Be Falling Behind, and Private Tutoring is Booming

by Melbourne Child Psychology & School Psychology Services

According to a recent article in The Sydney Morning Herald, the Australian education is failing our kids.

While the school curriculum is becoming increasingly academically rigorous, more and more students are falling behind…

And the result is an increase in private tutoring for students around the country.

Health educator and GP Dr Annemarie Christie attributes these findings to a number of factors.

So what does this actually involve and how can it help children with learning?

But what is it, exactly, and how will it help your child?

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