cThomas Flashcards
decentration (Piaget) -
ability to think of more than one quality at a time
Social Development Theory -
Vygotsky
Educational Psychology -
a branch of psychology that is concerned with understanding and improving how students acquire a variety of capabilities through formal instruction in classroom settings.
uses theory and research to understand the factors that affect teaching and learning
How Will Learning about Educational Psychology Help You be a Better Teacher? -
teaching is a complex enterprise, research can inform teachers, and professional coursework contributes to competence
5 characteristics of scientific observation -
sampling, control, objectivity, publication, and replication
Teaching as an art involves… -
beliefs, emotions, values, and flexibility
Teaching as a science means… -
Research provides a scientific basis for “artistic” teaching
Teaching as an Artistic Scholar -
combines science and art theories
4 steps of Teaching as Inquiry -
1: ask useful questions
2: gathering data
3: reflecting on (analyzing) what you have learned
4: taking action
Characteristics of being a flexible teacher (Wasserman) -
- ability to improvise and modify
- know when to take advantage of an unexpected event
- communication emotions and interests in a variety of ways (classroom management)
- willingness and resourcefulness to work around impediments not of your own doing (interruptions, poor-quality textbooks, inadequate facilities, etc.)
- Identify and explain Erikson’s psychosocial stages, with specific attention on those stages that occur from preK to the end of high school. -
Trust Versus Mistrust (Birth to One Year)
Autonomy Versus Shame and Doubt (Two to Three Years; Preschool)
Initiative Versus Guilt (Four to Five Years; Preschool to Kindergarten)
Industry Versus Inferiority (Six to Eleven Years; Elementary to Middle School)
Identity Versus Role Confusion (Twelve to Eighteen Years; Middle Through High School)
Intimacy Versus Isolation (Young Adulthood)
Generativity Versus Stagnation (Middle Age)
Integrity Versus Despair (Old Age)
- Identify at least 3 strategies to help students develop a sense of industry (you may also refer to chapter 13, and don’t forget to read the “Suggestions for Teaching!”). -
Set them up to be successful!
- base grades on realistic and attainable standards that are worked out ahead of time and communicated to the students
- providing clear expectations as to what students should be able to do after a unit of instruction
- designing lessons that are logical and meaningful
- using teaching methods that support effective learning processes
identity diffusion (Marcia)
crisis: not yet commitment: weak
Not self-directed; disorganized, impulsive, low self-esteem, alienated from parents; avoids getting involved in schoolwork and interpersonal relationships.
foreclosure (Marcia)
crisis: not yet Commitment: strong
Close-minded, authoritarian, low in anxiety; has difficulty solving problems under stress; feels superior to peers; more dependent on parents and other authority figures for guidance and approval than in other statuses.
Moratorium (Marcia)
crisis: partially experienced commitment: weak
Anxious, dissatisfied with school; changes major often, daydreams, engages in intense but short-lived relationships; may temporarily reject parental and societal values.
identity achievement (Marcia)
crisis: fully experienced commitment: strong
Introspective; more planful, rational, and logical in decision making than in other identity statuses; high self-esteem; works effectively under stress; likely to form close interpersonal relationships. Usually the last identity status to emerge. Occurs over many years (10 or more) and only a small percentage of individuals will make it here.
- Identify the role of social interaction and instruction in cognitive development. Compare and contrast Piaget’s and Vygotsky’s beliefs concerning these roles. -
Piaget: children are more likely to discuss, analyze, and debate with other children than adults. Needing to understand another’s point of view helps create new, more complex mental schemes.
Vygotsky:
- Give two examples of technology applied to Piaget and two examples of technology applied to Vygotsky. -
Piaget:
microworlds- Virtual learning allows students to engage environments and collaborate with people not otherwise accessible
Vygotsky:
within technological environments, children can support each other’s learning, and the scaffolding that occurs in such environments supports learners cognitively, affectively, and technologically
multi-user virtual environments (MUVEs)
telementoring
- Explain and contrast Piaget’s morality of constraint and morality of cooperation. -
morality of constraint- younger children, rules come from authorities above them
morality of cooperation- rules created by mutual agreement/social contracts
- Explain the difference between micromoral and macromoral issues. -
macromoral issues: broad social intererst- civil rights, free speech, etc.
a moral person is one who attempts to influence laws and regulations because of a deeply held principle
micromoral issues: personal interactions in everyday situations- courtesy, helpfullness, punctuality, etc.
a moral person is one who is loyal, dedicated, and cares about particular people.
- Identify and explain the four parts of character development as an educational goal. -
intellectual character- ways of thinking that direct and motivate what a person does when faced with a learning task and that often lead to a meaningful outcome. curious, open-minded, reflective, strategic, and skeptical. once these habits of mind are acquired with one or two subject areas, they are likely to generalize to other domains.
Moral character- a disposition to do both what is good and what is right.
civic character- the desire and willingness to use one’s knowledge and skills to become an engaged and responsible citizen
Performance character- personal qualities that facilitate the achievement of one’s goals. the willingness to persevere, especially in the face of obstacles, starting tasks in a timely manner, being able to recover from failure, being willing to take a stand or express a contrary point of view, having a positive outlook, and attending to detail.
epigenetic principle (Erikson) -
in fetal development, certain organs of the body appear at certain specified times and eventually “combine” to form a child.
*What Erikson used to create personality theory
identity (as defined by Erikson) -
a feeling of being at home in one’s body, a sense of ‘knowing where one is going’ and an inner assuredness of anticipated recognition from those who count
Criticisms of Erikson’s theory -
- based more on personal ideas and less on scientific research
- described but doesn’t really explain why/how
- may be more accurate for males then females (Gilligan)
Applying Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory as a Teacher -
- With younger preschool children, allow plenty of opportunities for free play and experimentation to encourage the development of autonomy, but provide guidance to reduce the possibility that children will experience doubt. Also avoid shaming children for unacceptable behavior.
- With older preschool children, encourage activities that permit the use of initiative and provide a sense of accomplishment. Avoid making children feel guilty about well-motivated but inconvenient (to you) questions or actions.
- During the elementary and middle school years, help children experience a sense of industry by presenting tasks that they can complete successfully.
- At the high school level, recognize that there are benefits to helping students develop a sense of who they are and how they fit into adult society.
psychological androgyny -
approach to gender-role development that combines traditional “masculine” and “feminine” behaviors
organization (Piaget) -
the tendency to systematize and combine processes into coherent general systems
adaptation (Piaget) -
the tendency to adjust to the environment
2 sub-processes, assimilation and accomodation
schemes (Piaget) -
organized, generalizable patterns of behavior or thought
disequilibrium (Piaget) -
a perceived discrepancy between an existing scheme and something new
equilibration (Piaget) -
organize their schemes to achieve the best possible adaptation to their environment.
constructivism (Piaget) -
process of creating knowledge to solve a problem and eliminate a disequilibrium
Piagets Stages of Cognitive Development -
Sensorimotor (birth-2): senses and motor activity, object permanence
Preoperational (2-7): conserve and decenter, not capable of operations and unable to mentally reverse actions.
Concrete Operational (7-11): Capable of operations but solves problems by generalizing from concrete experiences. Not able to manipulate conditions mentally unless they have been experienced.
Formal Operational (12 and older): Able to deal with abstractions, form hypotheses, solve problems systematically, engage in mental manipulations.
operation (Piaget) -
action carried out through logical thinking
conservation problems (Piaget) -
those that test their ability to recognize that certain properties stay the same despite a change in appearance or position.
perceptual centration (Piaget) -
strong tendency to focus attention on only one characteristic of an object or aspect of a problem or event at a time. – preoperational stage
egocentrism (Piaget) -
inability to take another person’s point of view – preoperational stage
adolescent egocentrism (Piaget) -
This occurs when high school students use their emerging formal operational capabilities to think about themselves and the thinking of others, why they can’t discriminate between the way the world should be and the way it actually is.
Applying Piaget’s Theory- General Guidelines -
Focus on what children at each stage can do, and avoid what they cannot meaningfully understand.
gear instructional materials and activities to each student’s developmental level.
instructional lessons and materials that introduce new concepts should provoke interest and curiosity and be moderately challenging to maximize assimilation and accommodation.
Mental and physical manipulation is more effective then direct instruction
point out to them how new ideas relate to their old ideas and extend their understanding. Memorization of information for its own sake should be avoided
Begin lessons with concrete objects or ideas, and gradually shift explanations to a more abstract and general level.
Criticisms of Piaget’s theory -
Underestimate children’s abilities
Overestimate adolescent abilities
Vague explanation for cognitive growth
Lack of attention to cultural differences
Applying Piaget’s Theory- Preschool, Elementary, and Middle Grades -
Assess each child’s learning and current stage
Learn through activity and direct experience
Incorporate social interaction
Applying Piaget’s Theory- Middle and Secondary Grades -
To become aware of the type of thinking that individual students use, ask them to explain how they arrived at solutions to problems.
Teach students how to solve problems more systematically, and provide opportunities for hands-on science experiments.
Psychological tools (Vygotsky) -
the most important things a culture passes on to its members
the cognitive devices and procedures with which we communicate and explore the world around us. They both aid and change our mental functioning.
Speech, writing, gestures, diagrams, numbers, chemical formulas, musical notation, rules, and memory techniques idea
ideas about the role of social interaction -
Most theories and Piaget- cognitive development makes social interaction possible.
Vygotsky- social interaction is primary cause of cognitive development
mediation (Vygotsky) -
a more knowledgeable individual interprets a child’s behavior and helps transform it into an internal and symbolic representation that means the same thing to the child as to others
Spontaneous concepts (Vygotsky) -
early childhood- they learn various facts and concepts and rules as a by-product of such other activities as engaging in play and communicating with parents and playmates. This kind of knowledge is unsystematic, unconscious, and directed at the child’s everyday concrete experiences.
scientific concepts (Vygotsky) -
psychological tools that allow us to manipulate our environment consciously and systematically. Vygotsky believed that the proper development of a child’s mind depends on learning how to use these psychological tools, and this will occur only if classroom instruction is properly designed. This means providing students with explicit and clear verbal definitions as a first step. The basic purpose of instruction, then, is not simply to add one piece of knowledge to another like pennies in a piggy bank but to stimulate and guide cognitive development
empirical learning (extension of Vygotsky’s scientific concepts) -
way in which young children acquire spontaneous concepts. The hallmark of empirical learning is that the most observable characteristics of objects and events are noticed and used as a basis for forming general concepts
theoretical learning (extension of Vygotsky) -
compare to empirical learning
psychological tools to learn scientific concepts. As these general tools are used repeatedly with various problems, they are gradually internalized and generalized to a wide variety of settings and problem types. Good-quality instruction, in this view, is aimed at helping children move from the very practical empirical learning to the more general theoretical learning and from using psychological tools overtly, with the aid of an adult, to using these tools mentally, without outside assistance
The Zone of Proximal Development (Vygotsky) -
the difference between what a child can do on his own and what can be accomplished with some assistance
4 components to help students with scaffolding (Vygotsky) -
- model desired academic behaviors
- create a dialogue with the student
- practice
- confirmation
microworlds (Piaget) -
also known as microcomputer-based laboratories
simulated learning environments that provide opportunities for students to think about problems for which there are not obvious solutions or situations that do not immediately “make sense.”
morality of constraint (Piaget) -
moral realism
up to age 10
absolute moral perspective (right or wrong)
level of guilt determined by damage done
rules are unbreakable
rules should be obeyed because they are handed out by older authorities
morality of cooperation (Piaget) -
moral relativism
age 10 and up
believes rules are flexibles, understands different viewpoints
considers intentions when determining guilt
punishment = restitution or facing same fate as victim
peer aggression should be punished by retaliatory behavior
rules should be followed because of mutual concerns for rights of others
Example of Kohlberg’s stages of moral reasoning -
Why shouldn’t you steal from a store?
Stage 1: punishment-obedience orientation. “You might get caught.” (The physical consequences of an action determine goodness or badness.)
Stage 2: instrumental relativist orientation. “You shouldn’t steal something from a store, and the store owner shouldn’t steal things that belong to you.” (Obedience to laws should involve an even exchange.)
Stage 3: good boy-nice girl orientation. “Your parents will be proud of you if you are honest.” (The right action is one that will impress others.)
Stage 4: law-and-order orientation. “It’s against the law, and if we don’t obey laws, our whole society might fall apart.” (To maintain the social order, fixed rules must be obeyed.)
Stage 5: social contract orientation. “Under certain circumstances, laws may have to be disregarded—if a person’s life depends on breaking a law, for instance.” (Rules should involve mutual agreements; the rights of the individual should be protected.)
Stage 6: universal ethical principle orientation. “You need to weigh all the factors and then try to make the most appropriate decision in a given situation. Sometimes it would be morally wrong not to steal.” (Moral decisions should be based on consistent applications of self-chosen ethical principles.)
Does moral thinking lead to moral behavior? -
No.
The Hartshorne and May studies
Applying Theories of Development to the Preschool and Kindergarten Years -
Psychosocial development: initiative vs. guilt. Children need opportunities for free play and experimentation, as well as experiences that give them a sense of accomplishment.
Cognitive development: preoperational thought. Children gradually acquire the ability to conserve and decenter but are not capable of operational thinking and are unable to mentally reverse operations.
Moral development: morality of constraint, preconventional. Rules are viewed as unchangeable edicts handed down by those in authority. Punishment-obedience orientation focuses on physical consequences rather than on intentions.
General factors to keep in mind: Children are having their first experiences with school routine and interactions with more than a few peers and are preparing for initial academic experiences in group settings. They need to learn to follow directions and get along with others.
Applying Theories of Development to the Primary Grade Years -
Psychosocial development: industry vs. inferiority. Students need to experience a sense of industry through successful completion of tasks. Try to minimize and correct failures to prevent development of feelings of inferiority.
Cognitive development: transition from preoperational to concrete operational stage. Students gradually acquire the ability to solve problems by generalizing from concrete experiences.
Moral development: morality of constraint, preconventional. Rules are viewed as edicts handed down by authority. Focus is on physical consequences, meaning that obeying rules should bring benefit in return.
General factors to keep in mind: Students are having first experiences with school learning, are eager to learn how to read and write, and are likely to be upset by lack of progress. Initial attitudes toward schooling are being established. Initial roles in a group are being formed, roles that may establish a lasting pattern (e.g., leader, follower, loner, athlete, or underachiever).
