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

DogTheCat

ChaseComprehension,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