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 Dog The Cat Chase Comprehension,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