This document discusses different cognitive views of learning, specifically the views of Jerome Bruner and David Ausubel. It uses the example of teaching the concept of immortality through the novel "Tuck Everlasting". Bruner's view is that students should discover concepts through guided exploration, while Ausubel believes concepts should be directly presented with clear organization. The document proposes using both approaches to teach this concept, initially allowing students to form hypotheses about immortality, then providing a structured outline of the pros and cons as the novel progresses. Technology like PowerPoint would allow students to demonstrate how their views change over time.

1. Carolyn Matthews Cognitive Views of Learning: Complex Cognitive Processes

2. Choice #1 Choose and abstract concept: Fountain of Youth: If there is such a thing, would you drink from it? Life in general can be a very abstract concept. How do people interpret life? Should people have control over their own lives/ their own deaths?

3. Tuck Everlasting A book that I read every year with my 6 th grade students brings up this very question. That book is Natalie Babbit’s Tuck Everlasting . Every year as I begin the novel, I present to the class the question of “If you could live forever, would you choose to? Why or Why Not? Usually the majority of my 6 th grade students will answer yes. By the end of the novel, they usually discover that living forever is not always a good thing.

4. Teaching concepts through discovery This idea is based on the teachings of Jerome Bruner Bruner teaches that for discovery learning to take place: Students must be active Students must work on their own to discover the basic principles Teachers must provide examples Students will work with the examples until they discover the interrelationships.

5. Guided and Unguided Discovery For young children unguided discovery may work; yet once a child gets to school age, a teacher should help to facilitate a child’s discovery and understanding.

6. Guided Discovery According to Bruner, a guided discovery is when a student is presented with a question or situation and based on the information they have as well as ongoing observations, they will come up with a hypothesis about the question at hand.

7. Using Bruner’s ideas If I were to use Bruner’s ideas of discovery learning in my classroom, I would most likely present the question about living forever to the class and see where it is they will go with that question. Children have great minds and should be guided towards discovery.

8. Ausubel’s ideas of “exposition” Ausubel states that learning should be presented rather than discovered. He believes that learning is only meaningful if it can be connected to prior knowledge. All learning should start with organization. This can be either text based or through diagrams.

9. Advanced Organization Comparative Organizers: is based on prior knowledge Expository Organizers: is based on new knowledge

10. Using Ausbel’s ideas If I were to use Ausbels’ ideas of learning through exposition in order to teach Tuck Everlasting , I would most likely provide the class with a clear outline of what we would be learning. I would present the question about living forever at the beginning and discuss the pros and the cons while writing a clear list for the class to see.

11. How can Technology help to teach this lesson? Technology can be applied to discussing the abstract concept of the Fountain of Youth by researching the information on the internet about the topic. I am able to take my class to the computer lab once a week where my 6 th grade students are using technology to enhance their learning. I would have each student create their own PowerPoint slideshow to show the class how they feel about the concept.

12. Continuing… As the novel is progressing, I will have to students go back to their initial PowerPoint to see if their views have changed. For this particular concept, I would follow Bruner’s teaching of discovery rather than Ausubel’s teaching of exposition.

13. Lesson Extensions A lesson extension could be to have the class rotate around the computer lab to see what the other students have “discovered” As a class, we can discuss where their thoughts were at the beginning, middle and end of the novel.

14. The End!!