A Cognitive Approach to Instruction of Individuals with Special Learning Needs

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A Cognitive Approach to Instruction of
Individuals with Special Learning Needs
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• Harry Fullwood
• Department of Psychology and Special Education
• Texas AM University-Commerce
• Commerce, Texas 75429
• emailHarry_Fullwood_at_tamu-commerce.edu

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A Cognitive Model

• Information Processing Paradigm
• Input
• Process
• Output

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• Input through attention to Short Term Memory
• Large amount of date taken in
• Vision often our favorite tool
• Data recorded as photographs
• Detail limited
• Picture a large funnel

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• Process to Working Memory
• Working memory limited
• One bit at a time
• The small end of a funnel
• Decisions regarding what to keep and what to
  release
• What photographs go in the album (schemata)

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• Long term memory
• Unlimited read-able and write-able storage
• Organized according to existing photo albums (a
  new album or sub-album may be required)
• What we already know retained (LTM)
• Can be fetched if album location known
• Dynamic-always under reconstruction

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• Executive Control Intellect
• The COE
• Responsible for system decisions
• Limited by experience, training, insult, injury
  and/or disease
• Strategy orientation-stepwise in nature
• A significantly critical element in cognition

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Executive Control Function(ECF)

• Human store traces of earlier cognitive acts, not
  the products. Pictures are not just drug out in
  tact, but fragments of such are used to support
  new construction.
• Retrieval of information is directed by executive
  routines or mental activities the order of which
  is governed by ECF

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Stages of Information Processing

• Encoding matching pictures to know photos
• Elaboration making connections to know photos
• Transformation applying rules to know photos
• Storage addition of pictures to photo album
• Retrieval finding previously stored photos
• Searching assessing photos for properties
• Comparing photos are either old or new
• Reconstruction modification of photo collection

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• Knowledge systems
• Declarative (shared factual information) unique
  learners appear like but different in extent to
  normally achieving peers.
• Procedural (how to knowledge)
  proceduralization and compositional strategies
  appear limited in unique learners
• Conditional (knowing when to use strategies or
  acquired information) executive control models
  appear limited in unique learners.

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The Main Concepts

• Leaning is active not passive
• Shift from product to process
• Most important thing to know about a learner is
  what he/she already knows
• Watch learner learn

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• Watch learner monitor
• Develop Talk Aloud Protocol
• Develop Cognitive Portfolio

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Who Are Those Guys

• Perceptual-motor or psychological process model
  (cracked kid syndrome)
• Medical model-rooted in work with brain-injured
  and still a possibility
• Behavioral
• Ability deficit, then skill deficit, finally
  inactive kid

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Strategy Deficient Learners(SDL)

• SDL appears to
• utilize inappropriate strategy selection
• demonstrate ineffective strategy execution
• Useful information must be linked to prior
  knowledge
• SDL does not elaborate material spontaneously
  nor develops short definitional information

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• Leaning disabilities may be the result of complex
  multiple processes including strategy
  inappropriateness, higher-order activities (ECF)
  and inefficient retrieval constructs. It is not
  just an inability to spell, read or do
  mathematical calculations.

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Photo Album Model

• Learning a reasonable permanent change in
  behavior behavior not explained by organic states
  or conditions.

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Input Taken Rolls of Pictures

• Input date taken in through human receptors
• see, hear, smell, taste and touch
• Taking photographs

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Short Term Memory Which Pictures to Keep?

• Executive Control System must decide what to keep
  and then discard
• What photographs will I keep?

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Working Memory Fetch Albums I Have
Accumulated(schema)

• What Albums do I have that contain similar
  photographs
• Fetch them (scratch pad memory)
• Compare and contrasts present and new pictures

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Long Term Memory My Own Album Collection

• Family pets my first dog, cat, fish-will include
  all family pets and information concerning that
  subject
• Organized into cognitive model

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A Real Time model

• Think of the knowledge systems and long-term
  memory as the contents of photo albums you have.
  (children, pets, trips)
• Recall the stages of development used to
  construct these albums.
• Think of newly added pictures and those that are
  worn and faded from time.

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Memory

• From the sensory registers, information is
  transferred into limited-capacity short-term
  memory to decay unless elaborated.
• Long-term memory is permanent storage with
  unlimited capacity. Information is stored by use
  of links, associations and general organizational
  plans, is semantic and decays because of loss or
  interference.

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Working Memory

• Much more dynamic than short-term memory while
  sharing some of the same characteristics.
• Working memory is an active process that involves
  the mental activities leading to long-term memory
  store. (Photo development, organization and
  glue-up)

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• Organizational strategies to long-term memory
• chunkinggrouping for completing of a series of
  items
• clustering organization into categories
• mnemonics GBDFA and HOMES
• coding images and pictures for words

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Learning Disabilities and Strategy
Inappropriateness

• Focus is placed on what is modifiable
• Rule creating and metacogntive models
• Environmental factors dictate strategy selection
  and use
• Active rather that passive interaction with pupil
• Maximize strategy use through instruction

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Principles of Strategy Instruction

• Strategies serve different purposes
• Strategies must operate on the law of parsimony
  (reduced to simplest order)
• Effective strategies for student without learning
  disabilities are not not necessarily good for
  students with learning disabilities.
• Strategy instruction does not eliminate
  processing differences

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• Strategies must be considered in relation to a
  students knowledge base and capacity.
• Comparative strategy use may not eliminate
  performance differences.
• Strategies taught do not necessary become
  transformed into expert strategies.

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• Where to begin?
• Seven elements of Think-Aloud Protocol
• subject
• learning task
• instructional procedures and material
• specific strategy management observed
• strategy management technique to be taught
• evaluation of training
• Statement for Cognitive Portfolio

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Think-Aloud Questions

• How would you start to solve this problem?
• Do you have a plan?
• Why do you think that approach will work?
• How will you tell if your plan is working?
• What were you thinking then?
• Can you think of another way to do that?

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• A variety of learning situations must be observed
  to form a generalization concerning strategy
  ability.
• A picture begins to form of the strategy
  capabilities of the student and effective ways to
  approach and facilitate instruction.

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Cognitive Portfolio

• Case specific and subject specific observations
  through Think-Aloud Protocol
• Determination of strategy usage and
  appropriateness
• Methods of instruction selected by the teacher,
  learning environment or school district
  concerning content remain in tact

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• If cognitive data is collected each year by the
  instructional and diagnostic staff, a compressive
  picture of the learner forms and is available for
  future placement.
• This model requires complete commitment board
  level, administration, diagnostic teams,
  instruction and parent.
• Pre-service and in-service training will be
  required for all players.

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The Bottom Line

• Learning disabilities, at best, has no single
  cause to treat and each individual is unique unto
  his/her own cognitive needs.
• In order to function in an included setting, this
  individual requires instructional models that
  allow for independent and successful outcomes in
  school.