EDU220: Midterm 1 Flashcards
What are the supporting and non-supporting arguments for using teaching standards?
Supporting: teaching standards will create a better learning environment for students because teachers will know what to teach and how to teach it well (according to these set standards); creates higher status and greater autonomy for teachers
Non-supporting: difficulty in creating the standards themselves; a lot of teachers are forced out of their area of expertise because of issues in the school system so responsibly of employers to create good conditions for teachers should be recognized first; could end up punishing a lot of teachers and also students in the end
Differentiated instruction
Teaching that takes into account students’ abilities, what they already know and challenges so that what they are learning matches the subject being taught as well as the students’ needs
Educational psychology
The discipline concerned with teaching and learning processes; uses methods and theories from psychology but has its own as well
History of edu psych
- Plato and Aristotle started discussing edu psych topics before the field was created
- psych and edu have been intertwined since the beginning (William James discussing it in 1890 when psych was created)
- hall encouraged teachers studying students’ development
- thorndike wrote first edu psych text in 1903
Focus of edu psych throughout history
40s and 50s: individual diffs, assessment, learning behaviours
60s and 70s: cognitive development and learning, how students learn concepts and remember them
Now: how cultural and social factors affect learning and development, assessment
What method should a teacher use to select students to read in class?
Going around a circle so as not to skip any child by accident
When should teachers help students one-on-one in class?
Not until kids ask, because helping them without them asking makes the student and the kids around them think that the student is lacking the ability to succeed, and motivation suffers
Should schools encourage kids to skip grades if very smart?
Yes because it encourages the student and has long term social and academic benefits. Depends on child’s maturity and social skills though
Descriptive studies
Collect detailed info about specific situations, using observation, surveys, interviews, recordings, or a combo of those methods
Use qualitative analysis
Ethnography
Descriptive approach to research
Concentrates on life within a group and tries to understand the meaning of events to people involved (type of descriptive study)
Ex: studying life of expert high school math teacher
Participant observation
Method of conducting descriptive research where the research becomes a participant in the situation to better understand the life of that group
Case study
Intense study of one person or one situation
Ex: how a teacher plans a course
Correlation
Statistical description of how closely two variables are related (DO NOT prove cause and effect!)
The closer the correlation is to either 1.00 or -1.00, the stronger the relationship
Positive correlation
Relationship between variables where an increase in one causes an increase in the other and vice versa
Ex: calorie intake and weight gain
Negative correlation
A relationship between two variables where a high value on one is associated with a low value on the other
Ex: height of a person and the distance from top of head to ceiling
Experimentation
A research method where variables are manipulated and the effects are recorded
Uses participants picked at random (preferably)
Quasi-experimental studies
Studies that fit most of the criteria for being “true” experiments, but participants are not assigned at random; instead existing groups such as classes/schools participate
Statistically significant
A result that is not likely to have happened “by chance” (part of experimental studies)
Single subject experimental studies
Systematic interventions to study effects with one person, often by applying and then withdrawing a treatment
Goal= determine effects of therapy, teaching method or other intervention
Ex: ABAB experiment
Microgenetic studies
Detailed observation and analysis of changes in cognitive as the process unfolds over several days or weeks
Researchers: 1- observes change from start to finish (stable)
2- make many observations using exact words
3- study the observed behaviour moment by moment or trial by trial
Longitudinal studies
Same participants over a long period of time
Time-consuming and expensive
Not always practical
Cross-sectional studies
Studies that focus on groups of participants at different ages rather than following the same group for many years
Systematic observations or tests of methods that teachers make to improve learning and teaching
Action research
Established relationship between two or more factors
Principle
Statement which includes multiple principles that attempts to explain a body of data and make predictions about results of future experiments
Theory
A prediction of what will happen in a research study based on theory and previous research
Hypothesis
Empirical
Based on systematically collected data
Three steps of a research cycle
1- pose RESEARCH QUESTIONS based on current understandings or theories
2- gather, analyze and interpret info or data
3- refine and improve understandings and theories
What is good teaching?
Commitment to students
Adapting instruction and assessment to the needs of students
Take care of emotional needs of a students
Carefully plan and teach the basic procedures for living/learning in their classes
What should beginning teachers focus on?
Maintaining discipline Motivating students Accommodating differences between students Evaluating students work Dealing with parents Getting along with other teachers
Development
Orderly, adaptive changes that humans or animals go through from conception to death
Name and define the four types of development
1- PHYSICAL: changes in body structure as one grows
2- SOCIAL: changes in how one relates to others over time
3- COGNITIVE: gradual, orderly changes where mental processes become more complex and sophisticated
4- PERSONAL: changes in personality
Maturation
Changes that happen naturally and spontaneously, and that are genetically programmed (as opposed to changes brought up through learning)
What is the source of development? Discuss nature vs nurture
Both work together
Current views emphasize coactions of nature and nurture as we build our own environment
Now want to understand how both work together
What is the shape of development? Discuss continuity vs discontinuity (is human development a continuous process of adding and increasing abilities, or are there leaps to new stages when abilities actually change?
Discontinuous change=qualitative/like walking up stairs (ex: changes that occur during puberty, like ability to reproduce)
Continuous change=quantitative; like walking up a ramp (ex: teens getting taller)
Timing: is it too late? Describe critical periods and earlier vs later experiences
Many psychologists influences by Freud thought that early childhood experiences were critical (especially for emotional/social and cognitive development)
More recent research shows that later experiences are important too and can change the direction of development
Now: sensitive periods not critical
Name and describe the three general principles of development
1- people develop at diff rates
2- development is relatively orderly (people develop certain skills before others but it doesn’t mean that it’s predictable as some people advance, stay the same for a long time or even go backwards)
3- development takes place gradually
Neurons
Nerve cells that store and transfer info
Neurogenesis
Production of new neurons
How does a neuron send a message?
Neuron sends message to other cells through axon
Myelin cover on the axon makes transmission of impulses faster
Synapse (area between axon and dendrite) neurotransmitters carry info between neurons
Describe “pruning” in the brain
Around age 2-3, children have too many synapses and unused neurons are pruned
Necessary and supports cognitive development
Defects in pruning can cause developmental disabilities
Describe the two types of pruning/overproduction processes
1- EXPERIENCE EXPECTANT: synapses are overproduced in certain parts of brain during specific development periods, awaiting or expecting stimulation. If the parts experience the expected stimulation, they develop properly. If not, that part of the brain changes (ex: auditory processing area of brain becomes devoted to processing visual info). This is responsible for general development in large areas of the brain (could explain why pronunciation in L2s is difficult)
2- EXPERIENCE DEPENDANT: synaptic connections are formed based on individuals experiences; response in very localized areas of brain when individual has trouble processing info; involved in individual learning (ex: mastering new sound pronunciations or developing an ear for music)
What is cortical hyperarousal and what causes it?
Diminished electrical activity in the brain caused by lack of stimulation
(Ex: kids in institutions or orphanages) Goes with problems in attachment, attention and emotional control and delays in cog/language development
Do expensive toys or baby education programs help kids?
No, as it offers more stimulation than is necessary
Glial cells
White matter of the brain; outnumber neurons and have many functions (ex: fighting infections, controlling blood flow, and communication among neurons and providing myelin coating around axon fibres)
Mylelination
Process where neural fibres are coated with fatty sheath called myelin
Makes transferring messages between neurons more fast
Cerebral cortex
Largest area of the brain
Last part to develop therefore more susceptible to environmental influences
Rate of maturation: first physical motor movement, then complex senses, then frontal lobe that controls higher-order thinking processes
Temporal lobes (emotion, language, judgement) don’t finish developing until high school years or later
Lateralization
Specialization of two hemispheres of the brain cortex
Damage on one side creates problems on the opposite side of the body
Left= language processing
Right= special visual info and emotions
Plasticity
Brains tendency to remain somewhat adaptable or flexible (adaptability)
Seen more in brains of young children as their brains are not yet as specialized or lateralized as older people
What two systems contribute to teenagers difficulty in avoiding risks and controlling impulses?
Limbic system develops first (involved with emotions and reward-seeking/risk-taking behaviours) and the prefrontal lobe takes longer (involved with judgement and decision making)
What happens in the brain of a poor reader?
Underuse of parts of the left hemisphere and sometimes overuse of parts of right hemisphere
Have trouble establishing good representations of new words in their brain
Piaget’s two basic tendencies in thinking
1- tendency towards organization (combining and arranging thoughts/behaviour into coherent systems; involves schemes)
2- tendency toward adaptation (adjusting to the environment; involves assimilation and accommodation)
Schemes (Piaget)
Mental systems or categories of perception and experience
Define assimilation and accommodation (Piaget)
Assimilation: fitting new info into existing schemes
Accommodation: changing existing schemes or creating new ones to fit new info
Sometimes neither is used if something is too familiar or there’s no point in trying to figure it out, like a convo in a diff language
Equilibration (Piaget)
Search for mental balance between cognitive schemes and info from the environment
Disequilibrium (Piaget)
“Out of balance” state that happens when a person realizes that their way of thinking is not successful in solving a problem or understanding a situation
Not enough=no interest in changing
Too much= creates anxiety and discourages against change
Neo-piagetian theories
More recent theories that use findings about attention, memory and strategy use with Piaget’s insights about children’s thinking and how knowledge is constructed
Fischer’s three tiers of development
1- actions
2- representations
3- abstractions
Limitations of Piaget’s theory
Lacking in reasoning behind WHY thinking develops as it does
Stages are inconsistent/may be more continuous than they seem
Underestimate children’s abilities (his tests were too hard and the kids may have understood more than they could show)
Doesn’t take culture and social environment into account
Sociocultural theory (vygotsky)
Theory that emphasizes the role in development of cooperative dialogues between children and more knowledgable members of society; children learn ways of thinking and behaving through these interactions
Vygotsky’s “co-constructing”
Higher mental processes (ex: directing own attention or thinking through problems) are first co-constructed during shared activities between a child and another person, then they learn to regulate their behaviour using private speech later on
Which people are best for children to interact with according to Piaget and vygotsky?
Piaget: peers at same level
Vygotsky: adults or someone with higher knowledge than the child
Cultural tools (Vygotsky)
Real tools and symbol systems that allow people in a society to communicate/think/solve problems and create knowledge
Vygotsky’s opinion of private speech
Vital for solving tasks, overcoming impulsive action, planning solutions to problems prior to execution, and to master their own behaviour
Collective monologue/egocentric speech vs private speech
Collective monologue/egocentric speech (Piaget): because children can’t see the world through the eyes of others, gradually changes to socialized speech
Private speech (Vygotsky): important role in cog development because move children toward self-regulation, later regulates their own behaviour with silent inner speech
Zone of proximal development (ZPD)
Phase at which a child can master a task if given appropriate help and support
Vygotsky and Piaget’s ideas of the role of learning and development
Piaget: cognitive development needs to happen first in order for the child to have the capacity to learn
Vygotsky: learning pulls development to higher levels and social interaction is key to learning
Limitations of Vygotsky’s theory
Still underestimates children’s abilities (children figure out a lot about the world without being taught by their culture or teachers)
He died before he could elaborate on his ideas so very general
He didn’t have time to detail the applications of his theories for teaching
Implication of Piaget’s theory for teachers
Main goal of edu=teach kids how to learn
We can learn about kids way of thinking by watching how they solve problems
Level of difficulty must be just right (disequilibrium)
Learning is a constructive process
Playing provides important stimulation
Implication of vygotsky’s theory for teachers
Three ways that higher mental functions can be developed through cultural tools/passed between people:
1- imitative learning
2- instructed learning
3- collaborative learning
Tailor scaffolding to the needs of students
Assisted learning (aka learning by having strategic help provided in the initial stages which gradually diminishes as students gain independence)
Make sure students have access to powerful tools that support thinking
Build on students’ cultural funds of knowledge
Capitalize on dialogue and group learning
4 big agreed-upon ideas about cognitive development
1- requires both social and physical stimulation
2- learners must be active in their learning
3- teaching students what they already know is boring, or not ready=frustrating
4- challenge with support is best
Relation between exercise and education?
Systematic exercise programs can enhance the development of specific types of mental processing (important for academics and life in general)
More breaks equals…?
Better test results (Asian countries)
Less behaviour problems especially important for kids with ADHD
How much exercise recommended for kids? How much do they get?
90 minutes per day
23% get it
4 parenting styles
1- authoritative: high in warmth, firm in control
2- authoritarian: cold and controlling, no open affection, punishments, not much talk of emotions
3- permissive: warm but little control; don’t expect maturity and few consequences
4- rejecting/neglecting: low in warmth and control, have their own problems that take up their time and leave no attention for the kids
Which parenting style has the best effect?
Authoritative; happy with themselves, relate well to others, do well in school, have positive relationships with their parents
Permissive, authoritarian, and neglecting parenting styles both have bad effects but how are they different?
Authoritarian: perform worse in school, more hostile, less popular, lower levels of self-control
Permissive: immature, demanding, impulsive, rebellious, aggressive
Neglecting: insecure in relationships, don’t obey, aggressive, more likely to engage in dangerous behaviour and activities, have low development socially and cognitively, and perform poorly in school
Is authoritarian parenting ever best?
Yes, for African American and some Asian kids
Strict, directive, warm, affectionate parenting better for inner city kids
Chiao shun= “training” (Asian parenting style)
Groups of young people with their own rules and norms, specifically about music/clothes/social values/behaviour/appearance
Peer culture (not to be confused with clique or crowd)
4 different types of children and their subtypes
Popular children
- popular prosocial: academically/socially competent
- popular antisocial: aggressive and athletic, may seem cool in the way that they bully and defy authority
Rejected children
- rejected aggressive: conflict and hyperactivity and impulsivity; often misunderstand intentions of others, assign blame and act aggressively on their angry/hurt feelings
- rejected withdrawn: timid and withdrawn, targets of bullies, avoid social interaction for fear of scorn or attack
Controversial children: have both positive and negative social qualities so their social status can change over time, but have friends and are generally happy with their peer relationships
Neglected children: surprisingly well adjusted and not less socially competent, usually viewed as shy but don’t feel lonely or unhappy about their social lives; don’t experience the same wariness and social anxiety of withdrawn children
5 types of child maltreatment
Psychical abuse Sexual abuse Neglect Emotional harm Exposure to family violence
Individual’s knowledge and beliefs about themselves (ideas, feelings, attitudes, expectations)
Self-concept
Two parts of a student’s self-concept
Overall academic self-concept and subject-specific self-concept
How self-concept develops
Starts off very positive and optimistic
Changes once learning to read starts
Some children suffer from illusions of incompetence later on in school
What shapes self-concepts?
How their performance relates to their performance history
Also to other students
“Little fish big pond effect”=students who are good at math in an average school feel better about their math skills than equally talented kids in a high achieving school
Difference between self-concept and self esteem
Self-concept= cognitive structure; belief about who you are
Self esteem= overall feeling of self worth that incorporates your self concepts from every area of your life aka summary judgement of your worth as a person
Best way to improve self-concept?
Short term= focus on self-concept enhancement directly
Long term=direct self-concept enhancement + appropriate feedback and praise
Sex differences in self concept
Girls= language arts and developing close friendships Boys= math science athletics
What is theory of mind and how does it develop?
Theory of mind= an understanding that everyone is an individual with their own thoughts, feelings, beliefs, desires and perceptions
(Perception-taking ability)
Age 2- kids understand their own intention/desires
Older preschool- separate intentional actions from unintentional and react accordingly
Improves with age
What is distributive justice and how does it develop? (Moral reasoning)
Distributive justice: beliefs about how to divide materials or privileges fairly among members of a group
Ages 5-6: want equality
Later: recognize that some people deserve to have more based on skill or merit
Age 8: able to take need into account and reason based on benevolence (some students may get more time with teacher because they need it more)
Moral realism
Child of 5 or 6 believes that all rules are absolute
Punishment should be based on how much damage is done, not intention or other
Eventually shifts to morality of cooperation (people make rules and people can change them)
Kohlberg’s 6 stages of moral development
Preconventional level
Stage 1- obedience orientation (obey rules to avoid punishments and bad consequences)
Stage 2- rewards/exchange orientation (right and wrong determined by personal needs and wants)
Conventional level
Stage 3- being nice/relationships orientation (being good=being nice and pleasing others)
Stage 4- law and order orientation (must obey laws and authorities and the social system must be maintained)
Post conventional (principled) stage
Stage 5- social contract orientation (moral choice determined by socially agreed upon standards; greatest gold for greatest number)
Stage 6- universal ethical principles orientation (universal principles of human dignity and social justice that individuals must uphold, no matter what the law or other people say)
Criticisms for kohlberg’s theory of moral reasoning
1- reasoning for moral choices usually reflect more than one stage at the same time
2- moral choices involve more than just reasoning (emotions, competing goals, relationships, etc)
3- stages are based in favour of western male values that emphasize individualism
4- mixes up moral judgments with decisions about social conventions; overlooks personal choice
Situations in which no choice is clearly and indisputably right
Moral dilemma
What is the opposing theory to kohlberg’s stages of moral reasoning
Gilligan’s ethic of care
Says that individuals move from focus on self interests to moral reasoning based on commitment to specific individuals and relationships
Highest level= principles of responsibility and care for all people (like kohlberg’s stage 3)
Agreed-upon rules and ways of doing things in a particular situation
Social conventions