HCC class lecture 3 comments John Canny 1/26/05

Administrivia Access to swiki OK? Office hours this week: 3-4 pm Tuesday 4-5 pm Wednesday

Operatory thought Piaget’s work shows a long (nearly 10 year) progression from a sensori-motor “system of practical displacement” to “concrete operations.” Children from 2-5 have a set of techniques for moving (themselves) in space that allows improvisation (changing routes). But they cannot explain or replicate their environment with a model or a map.

Operatory thought The progression from “ego-centric” operations to “3 rd person view” operations is characteristic of this phase. Piaget called it de-centering. Note: many child play objects support this progression: dolls (movable actors), houses, toy cars and street maps,…

Concrete understanding Children’s understanding of “things” has several phases over their development: Classifying the thing: recognizing it as “like” certain other things (which helps transfer). Classifying the thing: recognizing it as “like” certain other things (which helps transfer). Knowing what actions can be performed on the thing (its “affordances” in HCI-speak). Knowing what actions can be performed on the thing (its “affordances” in HCI-speak). Knowing how actions on the thing change it, which may break down as: Knowing how actions on the thing change it, which may break down as: –Changes perceived directly (1 st person view) –Changes to attributes of the thing (3 rd person view)

Discussion question 1 Piaget’s account is an ontogenetic account (development over the life of the child). Do you think it works as an account of micro- genesis (development of an individual concept)?

Propositional thought Piaget characterizes the formal stage of thought as the child’s ability to reason with propositions that are not known to be true (or may be false). These propositions are detached from real objects and categories. There is a corresponding “affective” detachment for the child from external influences allowing internal (moral) systems and choices.

Nature vs. Nurture The tricky part about Piaget is the fact that schooling is an influence on children from age 5, i.e. through most of the concrete and all of the formal thought stages. School learning is almost entirely 3 rd person. It is often called “knowledge about books” vs. “knowledge about the world.”

Discussion question 2 What aspects of concrete and formal thought do you think are enhanced or even enabled by school learning? OR: Discuss the variation in concrete and formal thought “preferences” among the general population.

Discussion group reminder An ideal group size is 4-5 people. Remember you have to summarize your group’s discussion at the end. Elect a note-taker.

Discussion topics 1.Do you think Piaget’s ontogenetic account works as an account of micro-genesis (development of an individual concept)? 2. Discuss the variation in concrete vs. abstract thought in (i) schooled and unschooled children or (ii) the general population.

Reading for next time Vygotsky’s theories of learning. Volunteer? Same object of study as Piaget, but the emphasis is on the “social plane” and how knowledge gets internalized by the child.