Chapter 7 Flashcards
Metacognition
Students’ knowledge and beliefs about their own cognitive processes which influences their ability to learn successfully
Reconstruction error
Constructing a logical but incorrect memory by using information retrieved from LTM plus one’s general knowledge and beliefs about the world
Individual cognitive structures
A theory developed by Piaget to describe how children construct knowledge through their actions on the world
Social constructivism
A theory developed by Vygotsky that emphasizes that an individual’s meaning making is mediated by adults or more knowledgeable peers
Inquiry-based instruction
Based on challenging students with open questions or problems
Distributed cognition
A process where people think about an issue or problem together, sharing ideas and working collaboratively to draw conclusions or develop solutions
Concept
A mental grouping of objects or events that have something in common
Undergeneralize
For example, excluding fish, birds and insects from the concept “animal”
Overgeneralize
Omitting squares from your concept of “rectangle”
Negative instances
A non-example of a concept
Positive instance
An accurate and specific example of a concept
Schema
An organized body of knowledge about a particular object or phenomena
Script
A schema that involves a predictable sequence of events related to a common activity such as going to the grocery store
Personal theories
Ideas that are developed before the lesson and influence the way that students consider new information
Misconceptions
Erroneous beliefs based on prior personal theories
Conceptual change
Revising one’s knowledge and understanding of a topic in response to new information about that topic
Higher-level thinking
Thought that goes beyond information specifically involved and focuses on application, analysis and evaluation
Comprehension monitoring
The process of checking oneself to make sure that one understands the things being read or heard
Illusion of knowing
Thinking one knows something that one does not actually know
Self-questioning
The process of asking oneself questions as a way of checking one’s understanding of a topic
Epistemological beliefs
One’s beliefs about the nature of knowledge and knowledge acquisition (learning)
Transfer
A process wherein something that an individual has learned at one time affects how the individual learns or performs in a later situation
Positive Transfer
A phenomenon where something learned at one time facilitates learning or performance at a later time (ex. knowledge of French helps to learn Spanish quicker)
Negative Transfer
A phenomenon where something learned at one time interferes with learning or performance at a later time (ex. transferring the grammar rules for French to Spanish)
Specific Transfer
An instance of transfer in which the original learning task and the transfer task overlap in content
General Transfer
An instance of transfer in which the original learning task and the transfer task do not overlap in content
Generativity
Creating new learning from previous learning, including new combinations and new contexts or application
Retrieval in transfer
Information learned in one situation helps in another situation only if the information is retrieved in the context of the second situation
Well-defined problem
A problem in which the goal is clearly stated, all information needed to solve the problem is present, and only one correct answer exists (ex. making change $)
Ill-defined problem
A problem in which the desired goal is unclear, information needed to solve the problem is missing and/or several possible solutions to the problem exist (ex. deforestation of the rain forest)
Algorithm
A prescribed sequence of steps that guarantees a correct problem solution
Heuristic
A general problem-solving strategy that may or may not yield a problem solution (identify subgoals, work backward, draw an analogy
Mental set
Encoding or creating a mental representation of a problem in a way that excludes potential problem solutions
Metacognitive processes
Enable students to use problem-solving strategies flexibly and to apply them to more complex problems
Critical thinking
Evaluating the accuracy and worth of information or arguments
Verbal reasoning
Understanding and evaluating the persuasive techniques found in oral and written language (ex. deductive and inductive logic)
Argument analysis
Discriminating between reasons that do and do not support a particular conclusion
Probabilistic reasoning
Determining the likelihood and uncertainties associated with various events (ex. rolling dice)
Hypothesis Testing
Evaluating the value of data and research results in terms of the methods used to obtain them and their potential relevance to particular conclusions
Convergent evidence
Multiple sources or types of support for an observation, argument, theory or practice, all pointing to a common conclusion
Meme
Term coined by geneticist Richard Dawkins to describe shared ideas that, like genes, have somehow managed to become self-replicating in a culture and that are commonly believed even though they may not be true (ex. an apple a day keeps the doctor away)
Metacognitive scaffolding
A support structure that guides students in their use of meta-cognitive strategies
