Teaching and learning to foster the psychologist of the future

ESPLAT – the European Society of Psychology Learning and Teaching

Dear colleagues, to those interested in Psychology learning and teaching in Europe,

On behalf of myself and the board members, can I extend a very warm welcome to the inaugural conference of ESPLAT, from the 25^th to 27^th September 2019, in Utrecht, the Netherlands.

The ESPLAT conference marks a pivotal moment in the early years of ESPLAT, after two years since the first meeting of delegates at the EuroPLAT conference in Salzburg, where it was officially decided that we would establish a new European Society for Psychology Learning and Teaching. As our first official conference, this is an exciting and promising opportunity: a time to share new research on teaching and learning, and to develop ways in which we can support and improve psychology teaching across all levels.

The city of Utrecht is a beautiful place in which to begin this adventure together. We look forward to seeing you there.

Warm regards,

Dr Sally Wiggins
President, ESPLAT

Welcome from the ESPLAT Conference Chairs

We are very honored to host the first B i-annual conference of the European Society of Psychology Learning and Teaching, and to welcome you all to Utrecht!

We are delighted to be part of the kick-off of a new society, aiming at ensuring and improving the quality of psychology teaching and learning, in order to contribute to a healthy and sustainable society, and to wellbeing of people of all ages and cultures.
This conference will allow us to share knowledge and best practices , but will also offer the opportunity to share ideas and strategies to promote the need for psychological expertise and services for wellbeing as well as in solving current societal issues.

As relationships form the basis for effective communication and learning, we will make sure to offer enough time to meet your colleagues and to develop new friendships and collaborations.

We are very much looking forward to an inspiring conference,  and hope to see you in Utrecht!

Yolanda van Beek and Helen E. Bakker,
Co-chairs

 

 

Keynote speakers

We are very honoured and excited to announce our keynote speakers for the ESPLAT 2019 Conference:

Dr. Sari Lindblom
University of Helsinki, Finland
The importance of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SOTL)-model in enhancing quality at university.

Evidence-based discipline-specific development of teaching and learning is a key principle to enhance the quality of students’ learning outcomes. Learning and teaching processes take place in real-life environments and are therefore very complicated in nature. Research can help identify factors that contribute to high-quality teaching and learning. Some findings from educational research often make sense intuitively and can even sound self-evident. However, the development of teaching and learning cannot be based on previous experiences or on intuition only, as the empirical evidence often reveals complicated inter-relationships or even counter-intuitive aspects which need to be considered.

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Dr. Julie Hulme
Keele University, United Kingdom
Bringing Psychology to Life (and Life to Psychology)- Psychological Literacy.

Psychological literacy, the “capacity to intentionally apply psychological science to achieve personal, professional and societal goals” (Cranney & Dunn, 2011), has been emphasised as an important concept within psychology education at all levels of the last decade. This talk will draw on research and scholarship to explore the value of teaching for psychological literacy, in terms of making psychology a relevant and engaging topic of study for students, and its utility as a framework for developing critical thinking, global citizenship and employability.

Psychology is an unusual discipline, in that it relates to all aspects of what it is to be human – from prenatal development to death. As such, it requires us to think objectively, critically and scientifically about experiences that can be personally meaningful, and to recognise the difference between ‘real’ psychology and popular psychology. Students often bring their personal experiences to the classroom, seeking explanations for events in their own lives, and this can make psychology a challenging subject, but also a fascinating one. For the educator, we must manage the emotional sensitivities around this, but also find ways to encourage students to move from anecdote to evidence-based critical thinking.

Psychological literacy relates to our ability to “intentionally apply psychological science to achieve personal, professional and societal goals” (Cranney & Dunn, 2011). This talk will explore ways of enabling students to use psychology to interpret and solve problems in the world around them, including in everyday life, employment and as global citizens, using psychology as an evidence base, and critical thinking as a key element of their toolkit. Some examples of teaching for psychological literacy will be presented, and delegates will be encouraged to share their own practices during the session.

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Dr. Christel Lutz
UCU, The Netherlands
Teaching Psychology in the International and Diverse Classroom.

As European bachelor and master programs are serving more international and diverse cohorts of students, we are challenged to broaden the perspectives we bring to our teaching of psychology.  Ideas, experiences, and practices taken from liberal arts college settings will be presented in this talk.