Chapter 6
Off to School
What were you good at in kindergarten and first grade?
How did you learn?
Piaget’s Last 2 stages
• Concrete Operational (7 – 11 years of age)– Accepting view as not the
only one– Mental operations form
• Reverse thinking• Beginning Math*• Limited to “real” things
Formal Operational Thinking
• This is what you used to figure out the puzzles.– Deductive reasoning– Consider all sides!
• Piaget says that we end cognitive development by 12 to 3 years of age
How did you learn………in the beginning?
• By 7/8 children use the simple strategy of rehearsal.– Repeat, repeat, repeat– Working memory v/s long term
memory.
• Eventually able to use other strategies.– How do you study today?
• Rehearsal• Main points• Outlines• Draw
• I am smart therefore I am intelligent.
• I scored a 180 on my IQ test, therefore I am smart
• There are those that believe that an IQ test is the only way to determine intelligence.
• Others believe that you can be intelligent in some aspects and not others!
Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence Theory (g=intelligence)• 9 Intelligences
– Linguistic– Logical– Spatial– Musical– Bodily – Kinesthetic– Interpersonal– Intrapersonal– Naturalistic– Existential
• Each on different development path
• Different parts of brain control• Savants demonstrate this
theory
Sternberg’s Triarchic theory
• Componential – dependant on cognitive processes (organize and process)
• Experiential – applying experience to new situations.
• Contextual – environmental/cultural influences.
So, what’s an IQ test like??
Intelligence Tests• First development
– Feeble minded from the “select few”
• There are many different ones out there now.– Stanford-Binet– Wechsler Scales– Kaufman Scales
• These are standard measures• These tests DO NOT directly
predict a child’s potential for future learning!!!!!!!
How do I know if the test I use is a good one?• Validity – relates to what
is measured
• Reliability – repeatable
• Culturally fair – reduces biases
The Impact of Heredity & Environment• Heredity
– 2 parents with high IQ’s tend to have a child with a higher IQ.
– WHY?• Is it biological?• Is it environmental?
– Adoption Study
• Environment– Characteristics of family/home– Historical Changes– Increase in strategy for
economically disadvantaged
• Gifted = IQ of greater than 130. OR exceptionally talented in an area (Gardner’s Theory!)
• Intelligence is not creativity!– Intelligence – using information to
determine (convergent thinking)– Creativity – at times using novel,
unusual explanations (divergent thinking)
– Intelligence is to creativity as convergence is to divergent thinking
• Mental Retardation– IQ below 70– Types
• Organic• Familial
– 4 levels of functioning» Mild (90% of pop.)» Moderate» Severe» Profound
• Learning disability– Difficulty mastering a
particular subject– Normal intelligence*– Not suffering from other
condition
• DSM identified LD’s– Reading– Mathematic– Written expression– Others Not specified.
Attention Deficit Disorder
• 3 to 5% of school aged children are diagnosed
• Boys outnumber girls 3 to 1
• 3 symptoms– Overactivity– Inattention– Impulsivity
• Multiple treatments today
Academic Skills
• READING– Starts with word recognition
DogTheCat
ChaseComprehension,ability to extract
meaning, comes later-increases as development progresses…..
The dog chases the cat.
• A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
• Before you read you learn to recognize letters.
• Remember Letter Day in Kindergarten!!!!!
• Working memory makes reading much easier.
• Mathematics– Preschool – understand
concept… 1, 2, 3, 5– Kindergarten – able to
count (may use fingers)– First grade – able to do
simple math in your head– 8 to 9 years old – able to
skip steps in math (addition/subtraction)
– Gender Differences!!!!
• Many concepts have been introduced into the classroom and teachers are now approaching teaching from a different view.
• Is current education more/less efficient than it used to be?
Influences on learning
• Effective classroom management
• Teachers views of their jobs
• Mastery of topics encouraged
• Active Teaching• Pacing• Tutoring• Teacher Techniques