...How do Children Grow Cognitively? How can Teachers create learning environments that Stimulate Cognitive Growth? Word count: 1299 It is important for teachers to understand how children grow cognitively so that they can create learning environments that stimulate their students’ cognitive growth. There are many theories behind how this can be done. This essay will examine the impact of one of leading theorists of children’s cognitive development, Jerome Bruner (1915- ). Bruner’s influence on teaching practice is still relevant for teachers today. Several examples from my recent practicum illustrate how teachers could apply aspects of Bruner’s theories such as the nature vs nurture debate, categorization, discovery learning, spiral curriculum and three modes of representation. Cognitive development is a field of psychology theorizing children’s mental ability to process information and to critically think, reason, remember and understand that information (Duchesne, McMaugh Bochner, & Krauser, 2013). The nature vs nurture debate is ever present in this area. Theorists have different viewpoints on the extent to which nature, genes, DNA and maturation determine a person’s cognitive abilities. Are we born with a fixed cognitive ability? Or are how we were raised, our interactions and our experience the major factors in our cognitive growth? Bruner believed that our cognitive development was determinant on both nature and nurture. Nurture was significant because it would...
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...other obvious physical attributes. The matter of importance lies in the difference in terms of the grasp of understanding as between the two since the ability of one to comprehend greatly influences the person that the child ought to become in the future. As rightfully said, it is the things you do in the present that shape your future. Basic premises of cognitive development theory It is properly established that the field of cognitive development primarily tackles the mental faculties of individuals in the pursuit of understanding their mental undertakings. It goes as far as the extent of realizing and assessing their mental abilities in order to aid the individual concerned in making used of his mental faculties to the fullest extent for his own benefit so that such individual can achieve its maximum potential. The study of cognitive development covers a wide array of endeavors in the form of theoretical and actual practice applications. It is theoretical and practical in the aspect of concept understanding and problem solving wherein a child is placed in a situation to determine if projected theories based on studies are effective and efficient given the predicament of the child concerned. (Bjorklund, 2004) Cognitive development also covers the study of the thinking process, language development, and information processing that a child undergoes in order to determine the factors and triggers that influence the same so as to come up with means and ways that would enhance...
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...working in a childcare environment a quality curriculum needs to be provided. A national curriculum, which is provided, in Scottish nurseries and schools for children aged between 3-18 years of age is ‘Curriculum for Excellence’. Curriculum for Excellence aims to achieve a transformation in education in Scotland by providing a coherent, more flexible and enriched curriculum. The 3-18 curriculum aims to ensure that all children and young people in Scotland develop the attributes, knowledge and skills they will need to flourish in life, learning and work. The Curriculum for Excellence aims to develop four capacities, which will help children become: Successful Learners, Confident Individuals, Responsible Citizens and Effective Contributors. Experiences and outcomes recognise the importance of the quality and nature of the learning experience in developing attributes and capabilities and in achieving active engagement, motivation and depth of learning. An outcome...
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...CUREE summary of Jerome Bruner’s work in relation to the curriculum for the 21st Century Curriculum: Building the Evidence Base project. How can ideas from the past about the curriculum help us make effective changes today? How can ideas from the past about the curriculum help us make effective changes today? Sometimes, when we encounter a change in teaching, such as a change of policy or a new strategy from CPD, we may be tempted to think we are simply returning full circle to ways we used to do things. But the experiences gained in the intervening years are a valuable part of the process of change. Working from a new starting point helps us to move earlier thinking further along. This is not just a case of recycling. Revisiting the ideas Jerome Bruner put forward about the curriculum nearly half a century ago demonstrates this well. They take on a new meaning when we consider them alongside recent developments such as assessment for learning and thinking skills. What did Bruner propose? Bruner argued that curriculum planning should work in a spiral Bruner believed that the curriculum should continually revisit basic ideas, building upon them incrementally and making links and connections between them until the pupil has grasped full understanding – a spiral curriculum that links ideas and thinking skills incrementally over time. Where should we start? Bruner proposed that the starting point of learning should be what learners know, believe and can...
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...these theories are integrated into my instructional program. There are many lenses for learning that educators use to instruct students. Key elements are the implementation of learning lenses and selection of the processes effective for students. Listening to one’s inner voice is described in Women’s Ways of Knowing. There are five stages as described by Belenky, Clinchy, Goldberger, Tarule, 1986 p.15. The five stages are silence, received knowledge, subjective knowledge, procedural knowledge and constructed knowledge. Crow and Crow 1963, p. 123, further explain: Learning involves change. It is concerned with the acquisition of habits, knowledge, and attitudes. It enables the individual to make both personal and social adjustments. Since the concept of change is inherent in the concept of learning, any change in behavior implies that learning is taking place or has taken place. Learning that occurs during the process of change can be referred to as the learning process . In education, teachers may contemplate the types of learning theory to use with their students. Can teachers distinguish which process is best for their students? What determines the type of learning theory to use? Can the environment determine this or does a teacher’s philosophy determine the theory? These are questions we, as educators, often ponder. Some are answered because everyone learns differently. Can the epistemological lenses through which adult learning be effective...
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...behavior analysis (ABA) is a science that involves using modern behavioral learning theory to modify behaviors. Behavior analysts reject the use of hypothetical constructs[1] and focus on the observable relationship of behavior to the environment. By functionally assessing the relationship between a targeted behavior and the environment, the methods of ABA can be used to change that behavior. Research in applied behavior analysis ranges from behavioral intervention methods to basic research which investigates the rules by which humans adapt and maintain behavior. A daydream is a visionary fantasy, especially one of happy, pleasant thoughts, hopes or ambitions, imagined as coming to pass, and experienced while awake.[1] There are many types of daydreams, and there is no consistent definition amongst psychologists.[1] The general public also uses the term for a broad variety of experiences. Research by Harvard psychologist Deirdre Barrett has found that people who experience vivid dream-like mental images reserve the word for these, whereas many other people refer to milder imagery, realistic future planning, review of past memories or just "spacing out"--i.e. one's mind going relatively blank—when they talk about "daydreaming."[2] Habits (or wonts) are routines of behavior that are repeated regularly and tend to occur subconsciously.[1][2][3] Habitual behavior often goes unnoticed in persons exhibiting it, because a person does not need to engage in self-analysis when undertaking...
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...study was an attempt to find out the problems and solutions of one rural grade 7 teacher in a Philippine public high school in the implementation of K to 12 Mathematics curriculum. It is believed that knowledge is constructed when learners are able to draw ideas from their own experiences and connects them to new ideas while cooperative learning puts premium on active learning achieved by working with fellow learners as they all engage in a shared task. There were three main problem categories/themes including administrativerelated, teacher-related and student-related. The findings include: (a) lack of trainings, seminars, unclear standard operating procedures, (b) late arrival and lack of modules, (c) developing/weak teaching skills and strategies, (d) teacher’s difficulty in teaching the subjects or contents, (e)lack of time to tackle the content efficiently, (f) unavailability or lack of instructional materials, (g) non-mastery of the basic concepts and skills, (h) poor problem solving and critical thinking skills (i) indifferent student behaviour. The solutions are sharing of modules or guides, conducting cooperative learning class, giving extra time for research work, taking time in the preparation of the lesson, making use of the indigenous materials, reviewing basic concepts and giving examples, motivating and teaching students enthusiastically. Introduction Mathematics has always played a vital role in education. Mathematics teachers should therefore be...
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...Teachers as Curriculum Leaders Introduction: For the purpose of this assignment, the syllabus under consideration is the mathematics syllabus and the outcome that is to be discussed shall be the level 3 outcome for topic N 3.2. This outcome shall take in consideration the students’ ability to add and subtract numbers that are either whole or in fraction. This is related to a problem solving scenario where the students are not just given the numbers to work on but they are given a word problem that they would have to interpret and then solve in order to understand how the rules of addition and subtraction would work in the real life situations. This paper shall take a look at this outcome in terms of the various conceptions of the curriculum that Eisner and Vallance have laid out in their paper entitled “Five Conceptions of Curriculum: Their Roots and Implications for Curriculum Planning.” Keeping this in mind, it is vital for us to understand that even though it is the children that present us with the outcome of a curriculum, it is the teachers’ job to lead them to it. It is thus very important for the teachers to be professional and that they undergo specific professional development programs. Conceptions of Curriculum 1. The cognitive process approach to curriculum: a. Pedagogy In this regard, the teachers would need to focus on ‘how’ to teach the students instead of what they are teaching. With respect to our outcome, it is imperative that the teacher teaches...
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...Ahead 1 1 Limits to Information 11 2 Agents and Angels 35 3 Home Alone 63 4 Practice Makes Process 91 5 Learning -- in Theory and in Practice 117 6 Innovating Organization, Husbanding Knowledge 147 7 Reading the Background 173 8 Re-education 207 Afterword: Beyond Information 243 Notes 253 Bibliography 289 Index 307 About the Authors 319 Chapter 5: Learning -- in Theory and in Practice Knowledge management is the use of technology to make information relevant and accessible wherever that information may reside. To do this effectively requires the appropriate application of the appropriate technology for the appropriate situation. Knowledge management incorporates systematic processes of finding, selecting, organizing, and presenting information in a way that improves an employee's comprehension and use of business assets. We began the last chapter contemplating the trend from business process reengineering to knowledge management. There, we focused primarily on the limits of process, which we suggested was an info-friendly concept, but one that might be blind to other issues. In this chapter, we take up the other half of the matter and consider knowledge and learning, again in relation to practice and again as distinct from information. We do this with some trepidation. On the one hand, epistemology, the theory of knowledge, has formed the centerpiece of heavyweight philosophical arguments for millennia. On the other, knowledge...
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...DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE EDUCATION UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA, NSUKKA EFFECT OF STUDENTS’ IMPROVISED INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS ON SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ACHIEVEMENT IN BIOLOGY. BY MBEREKPE AUGUSTINE, CHUKWUNYEREMUNWA REG NO: PG/M.ED/09/50813 SUPVERISOR: PROF: U. M. NZEWI JANUARY, 2013 CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION Background of the Study Science has been reorganized as the bedrock on which modern day technological breakthrough is hanged. The major goal of science education is to develop scientifically literate individuals that are concerned with high competence for rational thoughts and actions. The objectives of science education in this country according to Maduekwe (2006) include the need to prepare students to: Observe and explore the environment, explain simple natural phenomena, develop scientific attitudes including curiosity, critical reflection and objectivity, apply the skills and knowledge gained through science to solve everyday problems in the environment, develop self-confidence and self-reliance through problem solving activities in science. Nowadays, countries all over the world, especially the developing ones like Nigeria, are striving hard to develop technologically and scientifically, since the world is turning Scientific and all proper functioning of lives depend greatly on Science. According to Ogunleye (2006), Science is a dynamic human activity concerned...
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...believes that when we are born we are a “tabula rasa” a blank slate which means that he supports the idea that we are products of our environment and also supports behaviourism. Another debate is continuity v discontinuity, some individuals have created continuity theories and others have created discontinuity theories. Continuity theorists believe that the development of an individual is constantly continuous while discontinuous theorists believe that there are specific periods where individuals develop. For example Freud’s psychosexual stages are a discontinuous theory. There is also an issue of nomothetic vs idiographic; some theorists adopt a nomothetic approach while others adopt an idiographic approach. Individuals that adopt a nomothetic approach create theories based on what we share with others, and find general laws that can be applied to large groups of people, for example behaviourism is a nomothetic approach. On the other hand the idiographic approach goes into large detail for the individual to investigate why we are unique, for example Freud’s theory is an idiographic approach. There are six principle psychological perspectives which are applied to the understanding which includes; behaviourism, social learning, psychodynamic, humanistic, cognitive and developmental. These perspectives can be used to explain the development of individuals. Cognitive development starts when developing from when we are born. It refers to how intelligence, conscious thought and problem...
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...Principles of Learning and Teaching STUDENTS AS LEARNERS – 35% THEORISTS LEV VYGOTSKY http://facultyweb.cortland.edu/andersmd/VYG/ VYG.HTML JEROME BRUNER http://tip.psychology.org/bruner.ht ml JOHN DEWEY http://www.infed.org/thinkers/e t-dewey.htm Importance of CULTURE humans use of tools and symbols to learn – culture dictates what we learn and how • Higher and Lower mental functions – elementary (or lower) functions gradually transform to HMF through culture • Central ROLE OF LANGUAGE: Language is made possible because of our culture (tools and symbols). The learning of language (or signs) is brought about by social processes, and language or signs ultimately make thought possible. Three stages in the development of speech a. Social speech – speech to control the behavior of others b. Egocentric speech – three to seven year olds – talking to themselves to learn c. Inner speech – soundless speech – thinking in our head • ZONE OF PROXIMAL DEVELOPMENT: The discrepancy between a child's mental age [indicated by the static test] and the level he reaches in solving problems with assistance is the zone of his proximal development. _________________________________ ABRAHAM MASLOW http://www.ship.edu/~cgboeree/m aslow.html HEIRARCY OF NEEDS • Physiological needs • Safety needs • Belonging needs • Esteem needs • Self-actualization • Principles: learning is an active process in which learners construct new ideas or concepts based upon their current/past knowledge – DISCOVERY...
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...NATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT TEST RESULT AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN HEKASI, GRADE SIX PUPILS, BONKOKAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: PROPOSED IMPROVEMENT MEASURES GRADUATE SCHOOL AND PROFESSIONAL STUDIES October 2015 NATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT TEST RESULT AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN HEKASI, GRADE SIX PUPILS, BONKOKAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: PROPOSED IMPROVEMENT MEASURES CHAPTER I THE PROBLEM AND ITS SCOPE Introduction The national government through the Department of Education (DepEd) takes charge of the educational programs, projects, goals and objectives of the country's educational system particularly the elementary and secondary. Department of Education (DepEd) designs educational innovations to keep abreast with the needs of the changing times. We all know and aware that our government is doing their best to improve the plight of our educational system and that is why big allocations of budget is given to the DepEd yearly. National Achievement Test is an examination annually conducted by the Department of Education ( DepEd) to public and private elementary and secondary schools in the Philippines to measure the knowledge of the pupil in five areas, in which HEKASI is included. The annual NAT examination results is one of their materials in assessing the effectiveness of education...
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...A test or examination is an assessment intended to measure a test-taker's knowledge, skill, aptitude, physical fitness, or classification in many other topics (e.g., beliefs). A test may be administered orally, on paper, on a computer, or in a confined area that requires a test taker to physically perform a set of skills. Tests vary in style, rigor and requirements. For example, in a closed book test, a test taker is often required to rely upon memory to respond to specific items whereas in an open book test, a test taker may use one or more supplementary tools such as a reference book or calculator when responding to an item. A test may be administered formally or informally. An example of an informal test would be a reading test administered by a parent to a child. An example of a formal test would be a final examination administered by a teacher in a classroom or an I.Q. test administered by a psychologist in a clinic. Formal testing often results in a grade or a test score.[1] A test score may be interpreted with regards to a norm or criterion, or occasionally both. The norm may be established independently, or by statisticalanalysis of a large number of participants. A standardized test is any test that is administered and scored in a consistent manner to ensure legal defensibility.[2]Standardized tests are often used in education, professional certification, psychology (e.g., MMPI), the military, and many other fields. A non-standardized test is usually flexible in scope...
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...the Philippines, teachers are important factor in molding the society because of their tasks in guiding the learners out in the world of ignorance. Being a teacher demands basic competencies necessary in carrying out effectively his noble mission of promoting progressive human development and study social amelioration which involves hardwork, limitless dedication, and all around knowledge and skills. As part of the education curriculum, student teaching is one of the most important elements in the training of prospective teachers. According to Lugos (1985), student teaching is “designed to meet the needs of the soon-to-be teachers in understanding the fundamentals of the teaching-learning process, the problems of actual teaching, and the processes of directing learning.” This part of program enables the student teacher to try his best and see how it feels to do the work of a professional teacher. It is in student teaching where a prospective teacher will be challenged in...
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