EDUC 1068 Development and Learning 1

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EDUC 1068Development and Learning 1

• MAGILL CAMPUS
• Staff Dr Greg Yates, Dr Barbara Spears, Margaret
  Chandler, Murray Oswald, Deb Green, and Sue
  Mitchell.
• Greg Yates is course coordinator for 2007. This
  PPT will appear on course website (via Unisanet)

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TEXTBOOK

• Woolfolk, A. Margetts, K. (2007).
• Educational Psychology. NSW Pearson.
• (Use within EDUC 1068, and also next year,
  Development Learning 2)
• Note other general educational psychology
  books are valuable in this course, as many books
  overlap considerably.

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Reading for Week 1

• Chapter 1, Teachers, teaching, and educational
  psychology
• This chapter is gives an overview of how
  educational psychology relates to our knowledge
  about human learning and teaching. Specific focus
  on what we know about expert teachers.

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What is educational psychology?

• It is a branch of psychology (1 of 50), where
  staff hold qualifications in both teaching and
  psych.
• Psychology is a discipline area where the subject
  content is concerned with human behaviour,
  learning and adjustment.
• Educational psychology is an applied science. It
  uses the scientific model for accumulation of
  knowledge relevant to teaching.
• Our discipline draws upon empirical data, not
  personal opinion. It is associated with an
  extensive data base, much of which is available
  within the professional journals accessible
  within UNISA Library and on-line journals.

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How can educational psychology help? As a source
of professional development

• It will provide new insights into how you
  yourself learn.
• It will help you to appreciate your own
  limitations, and be able to set far more
  realistic goals.
• It will provide you with an excellent model of
  how children naturally develop.
• It will help you to analyse the appropriate
  conditions under which you can assist other
  humans to master new skills.
• It will become an on-going source of personal
  reflection, especially in aspects such as How do
  I motivate these students?, How can I develop
  my instructional strategies?, What is going on
  in their heads?

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Will edpsych turn me into a great teacher?

• Of course not !
• Reading about skills is not same do actually
  performing skills.
• As a professional you make your own decisions.
  But when you do so, it is prudent to do so with
  appropriate professional knowledge.
• At best, edpsych gives you ideas. Its value often
  lies in suggesting some very good strategies,
  rather then telling you what you should be
  doing.

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What can you learn from Chapter1?

• That there is a large body of research into
  traits found in expert or effective teachers.
• These traits hinge around two key aspects
  Instructional strategies, and motivational
  strategies.
• That teachers exhibit predictable stages of
  professional development, from beginning teacher
  to expert.

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David Berliners theory of teacher professional
development

• Novice (In training Idealistic,
  overly-optimistic, highly conscious, needs
  considerable direction)
• Advanced beginner (Graduate level, attuned to
  realistic concerns Basically responsible under
  guidance, level of effort still very high)
• Competent teacher (Teaching now easier, and
  this person is professionally autonomous)
• Expert (Around 10 years skill Teaching is now
  almost totally automatic Extremely skilful
  displays in the ability to interact with students
  conveying educational goals, even though they may
  not be able to verbalise what they do)

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Please note the use of theory

• Within psychology we use the term theory
  remarkably different from its lay meaning.
• It means a well-validated analysis. We endorse
  theories as models or descriptions that
  represent an extensive area of knowledge.
• But they have been extensively validated through
  observations and experiments.
• In following slides, I now cite two major
  theories (a) attribution. (b) reinforcement.

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An example of a highly-validated theory
Attribution theory

• This theory says that for every major event that
  occurs to a person, the person will need to
  explain how, and why, this event happened.
• A thought experiment Suppose you did well in
  SSABSA exams. Why? Why did you do OK?

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In objective terms, its ALL of these (and more)

• school you attended
• teaching you received
• subjects you studied
• pressure placed on you by your home
• pressure placed on you by the school
• peer group you belonged to
• your parents educational level
• your personal motivation to achieve
• your siblings attitudes
• the amount of time you devoted to study
• the availability of holiday study programs
• your natural ability
• your confidence in knowing you could do it
• AND SO ON, (a never ending list?)

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In truth

• The truth is that human behaviour is
  multi-determined.
• There is never any one SINGLE explanation.
  Instead, at any one point, there are scores of
  salient factors that can determine and predict
  behaviour
• But the human brain typically can highlight only
  around 4 such causes. In many contexts we
  highlight only 2 such things, and in our personal
  thinking, we fix upon ONE cause.
• In fact, we know from many experiments, that
  humans typically DO NOT KNOW what caused them to
  react as they did.

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In effect

• During your study of Edpsych with us, 2007 and
  2008, you will be exposed to many such
  well-validated theories.
• Do not be fooled by what may appear as competing
  theories. Avoid dichotomous thinking (either one
  or the other is true). In fact, our theories
  turn out as far more complementary than
  conflicting.
• E.g. theories of direct , and indirect
  instruction. Studies show us these two traits
  correlate together, and are not opposites, as
  they may appear.

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How common themes run through behaviour Consider
following

• Child bangs head on floor when asked to do
  things. Andre was a 6-year-old autistic child.
• Another child, 9-years, lit fires. He created
  much damage, even set fire to own bedroom. Lovely
  healthy child, but highly dysfunctional family.
• In South Australia, people loose over one million
  dollars per year via poker machines. Several
  thousand people are rendered destitute,
  miserable, or suicidal.
• But there is a common theme cutting through all
  these examples Reinforcement theory, that
  behaviour is controlled by its consequences.

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Toward Understanding ResearchThe Different
Types (pp12-15)

• Descriptive research.
• Correlational studies.
• Experimental studies.
• Other types include Case studies, Single case
  designs, microgenetic work.
• Cross-sectional vs longitudinal studies.
• Quantitative vs qualitative distinction

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Finally, a word about your self-efficacy as a
young trainee

• Self-efficacy is your confidence about being an
  effective teacher.
• Typically, at outset of training it is strong
  (i.e. high). Thats why you are here.
• However, during training it reduces. You may
  become disillusioned as reality kicks in.
• By end of training (or later) your confidence
  gets rebuilt. You now move to professional
  concerns stage, with feelings that the job is
  hard, but you can do it. You believe that
  outsiders totally under-estimate how much
  effort job needs. Only by about 3rd year in the
  job do you feel highly comfortable in your
  role.

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BREAK SLIDE
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SECOND LECTURE ON COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

• Recap Importance of Piagetian tradition. A rich
  descriptive account of (a) how we learn, (b)
  developmental stages.
• Development as slow and maturational. The
  gardening metaphor. (Vs hot-housing).
• Development as outcome of individual interactions
  with the world The metaphor of personal
  scientist.
• Piaget has secure place in the history of ideas,
  some important themes defined. But he did not
  really give us a theory of teaching. But our next
  theorist does Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934).

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A short storyThe lion, the hunters, and the
jammed rifles
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Dont be silly, you cant possibly outrun a
fully grown lion

• Yes, but it is not the lion that I have to
  outrun
• How to stand up to the lion. The trick used by
  the primates
• The lion video (Desmond Morris) (save for tutes)

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Power of the human group 1

• Groups permit large goals to be accomplished
• Groups often can outperform individuals on set
  tasks
• Groups compete against each other
• Dark side The capacity for evil
• Groupwork entails people monitoring each other,
  assessing progress toward goals, cueing each
  other, giving instructions, and some level of
  shared decision making.

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Power of the human group 2

• Some concepts used to describe group processes
  are
• -shared vocabulary (a common language).
• -brainstorming
• -distributed cognition
• -leadership, and pecking order
• GENERAL PRINCIPLE Being human entails
  cooperation with others, learning how and when to
  interact, what role to play, who to pay attention
  to, what words to respond towards, and what
  obligations one has toward other humans
• THEORY OF CORTICAL SIZE AND FUNCTION.

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VYGOTSKY FOUR BASIC PRINCIPLES

• Children will construct their knowledge
  gradually.
• Development occurs within a social context.
  Children are apprentices of their culture.
• Natural learning processes lead to natural
  development, characterised as increasing
  sophistication in tool usage.
• Language plays a central driving role in mental
  development. Language is the key tool device in
  all aspects of human cognition.
• Question Piagetian theory goes along strongly
  with only one of these principles. Which one?

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VYGOTSKY DEVELOPMENTAL THEORY OF LANGUAGE

• (But do not take the following ages too rigidly,
  please)
• First two years Children learn to use specific
  words to satisfy primary goals, but is not
  conceptual thought.
• Around 2 years Language is used by mum and dad
  to direct the child. That is, child can follow
  instructions which provide organisation and
  coherency to subsequent action.
• Around 3 years Ego-centric speech appearing.
  This allows a degree of planning, self-control
  and autonomy. We know that this private speech
  is (a) more prolific in brighter children, (b)
  more prolific in face of obstacles, for everyone.
• Around 5 years Ego-centric speech beginning to
  go covert. This occurs sooner in brighter
  children.
• Around 10 years Language permits abstract
  symbolic thought The language of your culture.

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DEVELOPMENTAL TRENDS

• external control to internal control
  ("interiorised")
• egocentric speech begins "noisy" but becomes
  "quiet".
• mental shift from dialogue to private monologue.
  
• but note overt self-speech is always with us, a
  basic tool in problem solving.

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VYGOTSKY THEORY OF LEARNING

• Development occurs through guided assistance.
• The critical concept is the ZPD or zone of
  proximal development, i.e. the gap between what
  child can accomplish by herself, and could
  accomplish with strong guidance cues.
• In some situations, trying to do something for
  yourself might be loosely called "play". Playing
  enables child and "teacher" alike to become
  familiar with the ZPD currently active. Hence,
  some degree of time is needed for child to assay
  current skill level.
• However, child realises that unaided play is not
  leading to satisfactory development. The
  intervention of any "teacher" is welcomed.
  Teacher uses directive, attention-focussing cues
  to get child to perform again, and so move
  development forward. Hence, as development
  proceeds, the "teacher" provides support which is
  progressively withdrawn, i.e., a process known as
  scaffolding.

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COMPONENTS OF VYGOTSKIAN INTERACTIONS(For
example, within parent-child interaction)

• There is some form of relationship in existence.
• Child is active and agentic (has goals), but is
  unable to proceed.
• Parent observes, and makes assessments What are
  child skills? What is nature of the task? Parent
  believes child can "do it".
• Parent formulates plan Is aware of need to
  calibrate assistance, beginning with words (as
  tools) to direct attention. But may move to more
  intense scaffolds such as showing (modelling) or
  even physical guidance. But language is still a
  most critical tool, always in use.
• Reduction in scaffolding as child performance
  achieves criterion.

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VYGOTSKY THEORY OF APPRENTICESHIP

• Modelling students see masters at work, observe
  their actions, and listen to words used to
  describe the processes.
• Imitation and coaching Students copy as much as
  they can, with masters' offering advice,
  feedback, additional guidance.
• Scaffolding Master's level of help is keyed to
  student's success and level of independent
  functioning. Masters watch carefully how students
  cope with obstacles. Obstacles are programmed
  into the instruction.
• Articulation It is critical for students to talk
  about the processes, ie they must be able to pass
  "examinations" using both action and words.
• Reflection This means students have to be able
  to evaluate for themselves. Students must know
  when they have been "very good" and be able to
  correct for deficiencies. This means comparing
  oneself to others' standards, past and present.
  (Ie a sense of one's place in history).
• Exploration This is where one's skills are now
  such that higher level creativity and
  craftsmanship are possible. That is, the highest
  expression of human achievement within the skill
  area

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VYGOTSKIAN PSYCHOLOGY IN CLASSROOMS

• Awareness that group instruction can often be
  effective provided additional supports are in
  place to support individual learning.
• An emphasis on tutoring, which means carefully
  adjusting instruction to students' prior skill
  level, allowing time for students to attempt
  solutions, and provision of corrective feedback
  intended to help student make another attempt.
• Seeing student self-control and mastery as the
  natural outcome of scaffolded instructional
  practices. (Ie apprenticeship principles).
• Placing great stress on vocabulary development
  and using language to understand action and
  phenomema.
• Invite students into genuine instructional
  dialogues. More stress on assisting rather than
  challenging.
• Capitolising on collaboration and groupwork with
  genuine shared goals and teamwork (ie group
  products).

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END