Cognitive and Knowledge Development A presentation of learning theories that explain the differences between the ways children think and develop and the ways adults learn.

1. ED 6400 - Brownlee Cognitive and Knowledge Development Chapter - Piaget Adapted from California State University, Los Angeles, School of Education (www.calstatela.edu/faculty/fhernan/510.htm) & Driscoll, M.P., (2005). Psychology of Learning for Instruction, 3rd ed., Pearson Education: New York.

2. ED 6400 - Brownlee Theoretical Framework There was a need for a learning theory that could explain the differences between the ways children think and develop and the ways adults learn.

3. ED 6400 - Brownlee What is genetic epistemology and how is the term used by Piaget? Origins of knowledge - sometimes labeled constructivism, since cognition was assumed to be an interaction between heredity and the environment. Discuss and differentiate between the various types of knowledge as defined by Piaget Physical knowledge - knowledge about objects in the world which can be gained through their attributes or perceptual properties Logical-mathematical knowledge is abstract and must be created or invented through actions on objects that are fundamentally different from actions that enable physical knowledge. There must be some type of schema or framework created. The advantage with this type of knowledge is that it has a greater range of applications Social knowledge - cultural specific and can only be gained through experience and interaction with others with the cultural group

4. ED 6400 - Brownlee What criteria were used by Piaget to define his developmental stages? Each stage represents a qualitative change Children progress through each stage regardless of their cultural orientation Each stage includes the cognitive structures and abilities of the preceding stage At each stage the child's schemes and operations form an integrated whole

5. ED 6400 - Brownlee Discuss and state characteristics of each of Piaget's stages of development Sensorimotor - birth - age 2 Modifies reflexes to make them more adaptive Becomes goal -directed in behavior with goals moving from concrete to abstract Preoperational - ages 2 - 7 Acquires the semiotic function; engages in symbolic play and language games Has difficulty seeing another person’s point of view; thought and communication are egocentric Reasons from a focus on one perceptual dimension of problems Concrete operational - ages 7-11 Performs true mental operations (conservation, reversibility) and solves concrete problems on a logical fashion Has difficulty thinking hypothetically and systematically considering all aspects of a problem Formal operational age 11 - on to adult Solves abstract problems in systematic and logical fashion Reasons hypothetically and often develops concerns over social issues

6. ED 6400 - Brownlee Define and discuss: Assimilation occurs when a child perceives new objects or events in terms of existing schemes or operations Accommodation When existing schemes or operations must be modified to account for new experiences, accommodation has occurred. Equilibration the master developmental process including both assimilation and accommodation - characterizes the transition from one stage to the next

7. ED 6400 - Brownlee What are the specific criticisms of Piaget's stage theory The sequence of stages is invariant There is a qualitative change in cognition from stage to stage with consistency of reasoning within a stage Children exhibit the characteristics of each stage and each stage includes all the competence of the previous stage Global restructuring characterizes stage shifting

8. ED 6400 - Brownlee Discuss the main principles of instruction agreed to by both Piaget and his critics The learning environment should support the activity of the child Children's interactions with their peers are an important source of cognitive development Adopt instructional strategies that make children aware of the conflicts and inconsistencies in their thinking

9. ED 6400 - Brownlee Discuss the role of rule in children's thinking It is useful to think of children's thinking in terms of rules, yielding specific recommendations for instruction Educators should understand the rules that children use in order to understand how they learn. If a child's rule is faulty, it can be corrected. Rules and sequence of rules for each child is important to know in order to be able to teach well

10. ED 6400 - Brownlee Chapter Vygotsky - Interactive Theory of Cognitive Development Adapted from California State University, Los Angeles, School of Education (www.calstatela.edu/faculty/fhernan/510.htm) & Driscoll, M.P., (2005). Psychology of Learning for Instruction, 3rd ed., Pearson Education: New York.

11. ED 6400 - Brownlee Discuss the concept of discovery learning All forms of obtaining knowledge are available for oneself by the use one's own mind rearranging or transforming evidence in such a way that one is enabled to go beyond the evidence assembled to additional new insights The act of discovery became the basis of school wide pedagogy by some educators discovery is not haphazard it proceeds systematically toward a model which is there all the time the process involves not so much the idea of discovering what’s out there, rather what's in the student's own head.

12. ED 6400 - Brownlee Who is Lev Vygotsky and what are the major themes that make up the core of his theory? Born in 1896 in Russia Graduated with degree in law and liberal arts background Active participant in the post-revolutionary era in Soviet Union Themes of his learning theory Reliance on genetic or developmental method Higher mental process of the individual have their origin in social processes Mental processes can be understood only if we understand the tools and signs that mediate them

13. ED 6400 - Brownlee Discuss the nature of Vygotsky's developmental method, including: The process of development Children must be studied being children. Not in artificial scenarios or tightly controlled environments What's important is not how well did the students perform, but what did they do while they were learning or trying to solve a problem Mediation The individual actively modifies the stimulus situation as a part of the process of responding to it. phylogenetic comparisons Cognitive development is based on both biology and culture (nature and nurture)

14. ED 6400 - Brownlee Discuss the nature of Vygotsky's developmental method, including: Socio-cultural history Development of intelligence to be the internalization of the tools of one's culture. These tools are constantly in flux and evolving as the culture evolves. A historical perspective is important to consider when discussing development Tools The tools a culture uses are in a sense a reflection of the kind of thinking that is occurring Signs (include various types) Vygotsky believed literate cultures represented a later stage of social evolution and should have evolved higher psychological functions. Literate individuals tended to group by relationship irrespective of context. Non-literate individuals tended to group by context in which items were used.

15. ED 6400 - Brownlee Discuss Vygotsky's concepts ofInternalization Any higher mental function necessarily goes through an external stage in its development because it is initially a social function. Learning is dependent upon interactions between individuals zone of proximal development The gap between the child's actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers With the "Zone of Proximal Development" as a framework what constitutes good instruction? Teaching thinking skills versus Content-specific skills Attention to and monitoring of the type and level of interaction accruing between the student who is less advanced and the student is more advanced

16. ED 6400 - Brownlee Describe the important role Vygotsky placed on language in cognitive development A consequence of internalization is the ability to use signs in increasingly elaborate ways that that extend the boundaries of children's understanding The development of language was thought of by Vygotsky to have the greatest impact on children's acquisition of higher psychological processes Language constitutes the most important sign-using behavior to occur during cognitive development because it frees children from the constraints of their immediate environment It allows children to become more and more removed form a concrete context.