By: Alexa Orbin, Secondary Education/English Dual Major, Gumberg Humanities Library Intern

Since my last post, I have begun to create my research guide titled “Educational Theorists”. The research guide will provide a picture of the theorist, a brief statement regarding their contributions to educational psychology or theory, and links to several useful resources via the Gumberg Library’s online catalogue. Each entry on the research guide will include sources from Gumberg Library’s ERIC database as well as a biography from an encyclopedia. When discussing the guide with my supervisor, Mr. Ted Bergfelt, we decided it would be effective to limit the guide to twelve educational theorists. I then had to decide which twelve educational theorists I think are the most important for current education students and other audience members to research. When deciding which theorists to include, I tried to think what theories would be most beneficial for current high school students. Current high school students are coming to the classroom with a unique set of needs based on the Covid-19 pandemic, social distancing, and quarantining policies.  As I was choosing educational theorists, I focused on theories that will be especially helpful for educators trying to navigate the current Hybrid and social distanced classrooms. I also tried to take into account the increasing number of secondary students dealing with mental health issues due. I selected the educational theorists that would be most beneficial for college students or other future educators studying Secondary English Education, like myself. Some educational theorists focus on early cognitive development, which is extremely useful in the elementary setting, but may not be as useful for Secondary Education majors. I am hopeful that my research guide will be a helpful resource for Education students and in turn, will help prepare them to teach current high school students.

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