Chapter 12 - Developmental Psychology PDF

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Chapter 12: Middle Childhood: Cognitive Development: I.

Building on Theory: learning is rapid. A. Piaget and School-Age Children: concrete operational thought is middle childhood and it is the ability to reason logically about direct experiences and perceptions. No longer limited by egocentrism. New reasoning skills to concrete situations. 1. Hierarchy of Categories: classification is the logical principle that things can be organized into groups according to some characteristics they have in common. Subclasses are then created and kept divided. Mental operation of moving up and down the hierarchy is beyond preoperational children. 2. Other Logical Concepts: seriation is the concept that things can be arranged in a logical series, number series or the alphabet. 3. The Significance of Piaget’s Finding’s: no sudden shift as he thought between preoperational and concrete operational. Flexible inductively and simultaneously B. Vygotsky and School-Age Children: thought consider the processes not just the outcomes. 1. Role of Instruction: Vygotsky stressed instruction unlike Piaget. School crucial for growth- guided participation, scaffolding, zone of proximal development. Influenced by social context. Some education is better than others. Every experience teaches something. 3 sources of intellectual activity: families preschool, 1st grade curriculum 2. International Context’s: Vygotsky believed that cultures teach (Piaget selfdiscovery). Children learn different things based on their context. Ex: Varansi children use of sense of direction. Culture affects how they learn as well. Ex: Californian indigenous children learning by observation. 3. Information Processing: benefits from technology and detailed analysis. Framework not a single theory. Seek specific units of information, analyze, and express conclusion. Brains gradual growth confirms this theory. Guides teachers who want to know exactly which concepts and skills are crucial foundations for mastery. 4. Memory: various methods of input, storage and retrieval. a. Sensory memory: incoming stimulus is stored for a split second to allow it to be processed. b. Working memory: current conscious mental activity occurs. c. Long-term memory: virtually limitless amount of information can be stored indefinitely. Retrieval is easier for some memories. Memory is imperfect. 5. Knowledge: base is the body of knowledge in a particular area that makes it easier to master new information in that area. Children become better able to understand what is true and what is worth remembering. Based on past experience current opportunity and motivation. New concepts are learned best when connected to personal

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6. Control Processes: mechanisms that combine memory processing speed and knowledge to regulate the analysis and flow of information. Improve with age. Processes develop spontaneously. a. Metacognition: “Thinking about thinking” the ability to evaluate a cognitive task in order to determine how best to accomplish it and then to monitor and adjust ones performance on that task. Language: A. Vocabulary: more flexible and logical 1. Understanding metaphors: metaphors, puns, jokes are understood. New flexibility allows 6-11 year olds to enjoy these things. Context specific. The way children create metaphors reveals emotions. 2. Adjusting vocabulary to context: pragmatic vs formal use of linguistic codes depending on who you are talking to. a. English Language Learners: children in the US whose proficiency in English is low. Many children who speak a non-English language at home are also capable in English are not ELLs. Each aspect of language learning has a distinct developmental path. B. Differences in Language Learning: mistake to assume someone who doesn’t speak English is learning disabled. Family SES and expectations for learning influence learning. 1. Socioeconomic status: low SES correlates to lower vocabulary. Might be things in SES environment that affect ability to learn effectively. Must engage in conversation, read to them and sing, regardless of SES. 2. Expectations: adults low expectations transmit to the child. Influence more than academics. SES does not always correlate with expectation. Teaching and learning: new responsibilities and formal instruction and the human body and brain are ready. A. International Schooling: taught to read, write, math, and be good citizens. 1. Differences by nation: literacy and numeracy are valued everywhere but specifics vary by nation. May even differ between nations close geographically. a. Hidden curriculum: unofficial unstated implicit rules and priorities that influence academic curriculum and every other aspect of learning in school. 2. International testing: tests determine academic achievement. As achievement rises so does economic advances. Japanese vs. US teachers excitement about topic correlates to better learning. Teachers should use problem solving from Piaget, collaborative learning from Vygotsky, and sequencing from information processing. 3. Trends in Math and Science study: international assessment of science and math in 4th and 8th graders. Not always comparable and hard to keep uniform a. Progress in international reading literacy study: planned 5-year cycle of international trend studies in the reading ability of 4th graders b. Problems with international benchmarks: designing tests equally challenging to is virtually impossible.

B. In the US: US children have not changed scores compared to other nations. Income gap may be part of the issue. 1. National Standards: disagreement lead to the creation of the common core adopted by 45 states as of 2013. a. No child left behind act: US law enacted in 2001 intended to increase accountability in education by requiring states to qualify for federal education funding by administering standardized tests to measure school achievement. Schools far below or far above get ignored. People agree with goals but differ on strategies. Many electives lost time. b. National assessment of educational progress: an ongoing and nationally representative measure of US children’s achievement in reading, math and other subjects. 2. Learning a second language: many countries other than the US have more than 1 language that is always taught. Sometimes method succeed they also may fail. Differences in the type of learning people are used to. Can only learn 2nd language if they maintain their first language. a. Immersion: instruction is completely taught in the second language a child is learning b. Bilingual schooling: school subjects are taught in both the first and second language. c. English as a second language: US approach to teaching English that gathers all non-English speakers together to intensely instruct them on English. 3. Who determines educational practice?: curriculum set by central government. Communication with teachers, local officials. C. Choices and complications: mixed evidence for all school types 1. Charter schools: public school with its own set of standards that is funded and licensed by the state or local district in which it is located. Ethnically segregated often 2. Private schools: school funded by tuition chargers endowments and often religious or nonprofit sponsors. a. Vouchers: public subsidy for tuition payment at a nonpublic school. Vary in amount, availability and restrictions as to who gets them and who accepts them. Weaken public schools or strengthen all schools. 3. Homeschooling: education in which children are taught at home usually by their parents. Socialization is a major issue with home school....