Complex Cognitive Processes Woolfolk, Cluster 8

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Complex Cognitive ProcessesWoolfolk, Cluster 8

• Overview
• Learning and Teaching about Concepts
• Problem Solving
• Teaching for Positive Transfer

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• Concepts
• categories of similar ideas, events, objects, or
  people-grouped on the basis of similar
  commonalities
• abstraction that does not exist in the real world
• ways to organize information into manageable
  units
• we connect concepts to our schematic knowledge
• Example A Bird. Concept helps us organize the
  amounts of information. There are many different
  kinds of birds but we can categorize them into
  many groups to understand the diversity of birds.
• Key Terms
• Defining Attributes- distinctive features shared
  by members of a category. Bird-all have feathers
• Prototype- best representative of a group- Bird-
  Blue Jay
• Exemplars- specific example or memory of a given
  category that is used to classify an item. You
  have a pool in your backyard-you compare all
  other pools to yours
• Most of the time, prototypes are built from
  experiences with many exemplars and over time
  creating prototypes.

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• Strategies for Teaching Concepts
• Concept Attainment Model
• See Table 21.1, p. 269
• Discovery
• Exposition

Concept Attainment Lesson Components- -name of
the concept -definition of the concept -examples
and non-examples (to set the boundaries) -relevant
and irrelevant attributes Lesson
Structure -present examples and non-examples
before discussion of attributes and/or
definitions -use a variety of examples to avoid
under/overgeneralization undergeneralization-excl
usion of a true member of a
category/limiting category overgeneralization-inc
lusion of nonmembers in a
category/overextending a concept -Concept Mapping
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• Teaching Concepts through Discovery
• structure is the essential information underlying
  what is being studied
• students must actively identify the principles
  for themselvesnot just accept book/teacher
  explanations
• inductive reasoning
• give students a chance to develop their intuitive
  thinking
• Teaching Concepts through Exposition
• meaningful verbal learning vs. rote learning
• teachers present information in an organizational
  way, materials delivered most efficiently
• learning should progress deductivelygeneral to
  specific
• advanced organizers
• comparative organizers activate already existing
  schemas
• expository organizers provide new information
  that students will need for future understanding
• Steps 1) present advanced organizer 2)
  present basic similarities and differences, using
  specific examples

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• Problem Solving-creating new solutions for
  problems
• problem-any situation in which you are trying to
  reach some goal and must find a means to do so
• general problem solving strategy IDEAL
• Identify problems and opportunities
• Define goals and represent the problem
• Explore possible strategies
• Anticipate outcomes and Act
• Look back and Learn
• Defining
• 1)focusing attention 2)understanding the
  words
• 3)understanding the whole problem 4)
  translation and schema
• 5) results of problem representation
• Exploring possible solutions
• Schema-Driven-recognizing a problem as a
  disguised version of an old problem for which
  you already know the solution
• Algorithms-step-by-step prescription for solving
  a problem
• Heuristics-general strategies that might lead to
  the right answer
• Means-End Analysis
• Working backward Strategy
• Analogical Thinking

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• Factors that Hinder Problem Solving
• Functional fixedness-the inability to consider
  unconventional uses for materials that have a
  specific function
• Response sets- tendency to respond in the most
  familiar way
• Lack of flexibility

• Effective Problem Solvers
• large storage of domain knowledge
• quickly recognize patterns
• background knowledge that is elaborated and well
  practiced and
• can be used to organize information for easier
  learning and retrieval
• condition-action schemas
• elaborated and well practiced knowledge
• spend time analyzing
• planning and monitoring

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How Can You Create Expert Students?

• Expert Students are
• cognitively engaged
• focus attention and effort
• monitor understanding
• process information deeply
• Expert Students Possess
• several different learning strategies and tactics
• conditional knowledge of when to use various
  strategies
• when to use
• where to use
• why to use
• desire to employ learning strategies
• may need direct instruction in schematic
  knowledge how
• to identify main ideas

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Learning Strategies and Tactics

• Learning Strategies
• deciding what is important
• creating summaries
• underlining and highlighting
• taking notes
• Examples of Learning Tactics-Table 23.1, p. 291
• Visual Tools for Organizing
• Maps and charts
• Concept Maps
• Timelines
• Reading Strategies
• READS
• PQ4R
• CAPS
• KWL

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READS PQ4R CAPS KWL
Review headings and subheadings Examine bold face print ASK, What do I expect to learn? DO ITRead! Summarize in your own words Preview Question Read Reflect Recite Review Who are the Characters in the story? What is the Aim of the story? What Problem happens? How is the problem Solved? -What do I already Know? -What do I Want to know? At the end-what have I Learned?
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Transfer of Learning

• Low Road spontaneous and automatic transfer of
  highly practiced skills with little need for
  reflective thinking
• High Road conscious application of abstract
  knowledge in one situation to another
• Forward-reaching looking forward to applying
  the knowledge
• Backward-reaching looking back to other
  problems to solve a current one
• Specific transfer- when knowledge is applied to a
  very similar situation
• General transfer- when knowledge is applied to a
  dissimilar situation
• Stages of Transfer
• Acquisition Phase Teach new strategy and how to
  use it
• Retention Phase Practice a strategy Give
  feedback
• Transfer Phase give new problem Use the same
  strategy