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Educational Psychology (with "Becoming a Professional" CD-ROM), Ninth Edition
Anita Woolfolk
Edition: 9
Retail Price (not our price): $98.40
ISBN: 0205366929
ISBN-13: 9780205366927
Publication Date: 2003-04-02
Format: Paperback
Pages: 704


Editorial Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):

1) Book Description
Renowned for its clarity, readability, and organization, this market-leading Educational Psychology book continues to offer the best blend of current theory, research, and practice in a completely up-to-date new edition. This book provides an organizational framework that readers can immediately grasp to help them understand complex and ever-evolving theories. The Eighth Edition reflects the field's continuing interest in constructivism and authentic learning as well as other areas of growing emphasis such as students with disabilities and inclusion. Other topics that have been added or received significant updating include self-regulated learning, brain development, culturally relevant pedagogy, and student autonomy. Includes free Interactive Companion CD-ROM, featuring video clips of the author discussing important topics and instructive scenes from real classrooms; links to useful websites that deepen awareness of issues pertinent to teaching; activities that provide challenging problems and cases from which readers may gain further insight into the applications of theories covered. For anyone interested in educational psychology.

Customer Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):
Average Customer Rating: 3.5 out of 5

1) Educational Psychology 9th Ed. (With CD-ROM)   [Rating: 3 out of 5]
I was very pleased with the product and the price. It came on time but it is listed as coming with the CD and it was broken. If I had been counting on the CD I would have been very dissapointed. You should not advertise the CD if it is unusable.

2) A Fine Introduction to the Field   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
Contrary to some of the other reviews on this page, I found the book to be a helpful and very readable itroduction to the field of educational psychology. No, it is not a definitive and cutting edge expert treatise, but that is not its purpose. It is introducing first year students to the major theories and ideas that have historically shaped educational psychology, and it does so very concisely and thoroughly. Just like an Introduction to Christian History text is not going to delve into the finer points of Crossan's theories about Jesus' death, or a first year Calculus text is not going to stress the use of set theory and formal proofs, so this book serves its purpose best by giving a broad, yet thorough introduction to a very interestig field without confusing students with unecessary details. If you are looking to dive into educational psychology and need a helpful introduction to help guide you, this is a great place to start. Recommended.

3) Nonplussed by criticisms.   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
It is notable that the critics of this title have failed to indicate a text that they consider superior. Woolfolk's text is so broad in its scope that the accusation of bias is difficult to sustain. In any case, would be educators would willingly accept recommendations on more up-to-date texts.

4) Badly dated - be afraid when educators defend this book.   [Rating: 1 out of 5]
Woolfolk's book reflects educational psychology ca. 1975. She cynically - and selectively - cites references that are much more recent to give this the gloss of being current, but don't be taken in.This book ignores the last two decades of neurobiological research, and presents obsolete theories as still being valid. She presents Piaget's theories, then suggests they have "some limitations." I guess so - since they are almost entirely disproven by PET-scan based research.(Which is not meant to be a jab at Piaget per se. He did initiate much of the THINKING in this field. Subsequent research has simply unearthed different truths, based on actual neurobiopsychological evidence.)Woolfolk gets more than cognitive development wrong. Language development? She appeals to outmoded works of Vygotsky.Gender-identified differences in math skill? Due to "stereotyping in the preschool years," according to Woolfolk. No mention, not a breath of illumination, of the recent work identifying inherent differences (not deficiencies!) in spatial reasoning in young children. Woolfolk even opines that neurocortical stimulants (e.g., Ritalin) are "controversial" in the treatment of hyperactivity. Go to brains.org and read any of the hundreds of recent journal articles listed there. You won't find a legitimate study that suggests a "controversy."Beyond being dated, two things are really disturbing about this book. First, it is cynical to keep archaic views fresh-seeming by selectively citing modern writers. Other reviewers have called this "bias," which seems too nice a word.Second, and worse, this book suggests bad educational policy - precisely because it's ignorant of current research. Consider this chestnut in the chapter on language acquisition: "Learning the standard speech is easy for most children...as long as they have good models, clear instruction and opportunities for authentic practice." Ummm, NO. It is not easy. It is precisely because it is not easy that children of color are often tagged as 'slow' when they have difficulty shifting from one dialect to another.This book offers bad science and perniciously dated pedagogical advice. It's disheartening that it's still assigned to education majors - and appalling that it is defended by practicing educators.

5) Great book for education majors!   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
I am not sure where people get the idea that the book is bias and that Woolfolk is living in the dark ages. This books shows updated examples and scenarios of today's classrooms. It is a reflection of what the students and teachers see and experience. It gives a lot of methods and strategies to use in the classroom and really talks about the psychology of students. It is an awesome book that has become a treasure to me. I think that the people that have been posting negative comments do not have much experience working with students or are not aware of the diversity and the differences that exist in school districts around the United States.