Cognitive Development Learning Log

What?

In this chapter we learned about the different elements of getting information and how and where it goes. Encoding, retrieval, and storage are all part of the process. We looked at the model of how memory is processed and stored. Information goes through a series of processes in order to be used as short term memory, long term memory, or is lost. You can promote short term memory by using mnemonics, chunking, and massed practice. To gain more long term memory you can try doing more hands on activities and distributed practice.
In the figure above, you can see the process of which information goes into the brain and then is processed. First there has to be some sort of stimuli or input that wants to go into the brain. These stimulus' are entered through our senses (sight, hearing, touch, smell, etc). Then the information goes through a process of sensory registry and it is quickly scanned for importance and precoding. Some information is lost here. After a processes called Attention (which is focusing on a particular stimuli), information goes into the working or short-term memory stage. Here is where maintenance rehearsal takes place along with coding and recoding. Some information is lost again. Then through the process of encoding, information is passed down to the Long term memory stage where it is stored and used in the future.

Memory is very much so connected with emotions and senses. Think about when you were a child. Visualize the sights and smells of a particular place. Now today if you were to smell that same smell, you would be taken back to that place as a child. Remember detail. The one down fall of memory is that it is always changing and reinterpreting. This leaving room for misunderstanding and confusion. Learning is a semi-permanent change in the mental process and it's mostly due to experience. There are many different reasons why people sometimes can't remember information but the most common reasons are because you may not have completely decoded the information, there is interference because something else is in the way of that memory, or because of decay, the idea of use it or lose it.

Encoding is an important process to help retain information for the future. There are several different ways to encode, here are a few:

Rehearsal
Meaningful learning (previous knowledge)
Organization (chunking)
Elaboration
Visual Imagery
Enactment
Mnemonics

So What?

This chapter is important for teachers to understand so we can better utilize different skills in our classroom. Understanding how the brain works and how our students are going to remember or recall the information that we give them in class will help us as teachers know how to help students retain or recall that information. We all know that most of the information that students learn in our class is lost shortly after the class is over; however, I believe that if we help them use different memorization skills and do activities that will help students store that information in different parts of the brain, it is more likely that they will be able to use it in the future. Memory is a process and not something that just happens, so I believe it is important to help steer the information in the direction that I want it to go.

Now What?

Knowing this information now, it is a good idea to start using it. As you plan lesson plans and activities, build ones that are going to help the learning process. One of the biggest ideas is that we remember better if there are a lot of pathways to that information. That requires learning it different ways. I think we need to implement that into the classroom. Give students the chance to learn the same material in different ways. Also I really found it helpful when Professor Cox made up a mnemonic for us for the different stages of moral development. That is something that I would have NEVER done on my own, but was very helpful. I still could remember it today, where my normal habits of just cramming it in better I walked into the testing center would have been gone by now. As teachers I think it is smart to introduce these different styles of memorization to our students, even if we have to do that work for them. Or maybe after you have demonstrated a style for them, on the next assignment you have them make up their own mnemonic for homework. This will help students practice those different strategies and also help them for your unit test. I think it's a win-win situation!!

Moral & Social Development Learning Log

What?

In this chapter we discovered the roles of relationships and the emotional needs of students within the educational field. The primary point that we discussed were Erikson's Psychosocial Stages of Development. Erikson’s model of psychosocial development: Erik presented 8 different stages of psychosocial development in the span of a lifetime. The first stage is Trust versus Mistrust (infancy) which is an infant learns whether or not they can trust their caregiver for food, comfort, and affection. (Like when some babies don’t like strangers holding them?) The 2^nd stage is Autonomy versus Shame and Doubt (toddler years) which children can either develop a sense of accomplishment when they can finally feed themselves and go to the bathroom alone, but if parents are too demanding of their children doing things alone, the kid may feel doubt. The 3^rd stage is Initiative versus Guilt (preschool years) which is children begin to try to make plans for themselves and gain that independence, but if parents allow students to over do it and plan things that disrupt or are unattainable, the child may feel guilty. The 4^th stage is Industry versus Inferiority (elementary school years) is when students develop self confidence. Parents and teachers can make or break a child’s confidence. The 5^th stage is Identity versus Role Confusion (adolescence) is when they try to find their identity and place in the world. The 6^th stage is Intimacy versus Isolation (young adulthood) is after people have their identity but are looking for long term commitments or marriage. The 7^th stage is Generativity versus Stagnation (middle age) is having a sense of contribution to a family or society. The 8^th stage is Integrity versus Despair (retirement years) is the final developmental task. Seniors look back on their life with happiness that they did a lot and were successful, or they look back sad and wish they had done more. The other theorist that we talked about was Kohlberg's stages of Moral Development. His ideas included 3 moral levels and 6 stages within those morals. The stages are as follows, Stage 1: Punishment-avoidance and obedience, Stage 2: Exchange of Favors, Stage 3: Good Boy/Girl, Stage 4: Law and Order, Stage 5: Social Contract, and Stage 6: Universal Ethical Principle. Overall, in chapter 3 we learned why students get their insecurities and why they behave as they do during different stages of development.

So What?

This information is important for teachers to know so that we can be prepared. Understanding that Erikson's stages are not set in stone in regards to the age of which we experiences these stages, but to know that these stages to exist and that we need to be aware of them and looking for them in our students. As students begin to search for their true identity by figuring out their sense of self, we need to be a helping hand and give them a sense of direction when needed. As a future teacher, understanding that cliques and gangs are in my classroom, I can do the things necessary to create a community in my classroom.

Now What?

As a future teacher, this information will come in handy to better understand my students. Like I mentioned before, I want to create a community in my classroom and but doing that I need to be able to split up the cliques and gang members so that everyone can work together and maybe someday be able to understand one another. I can do this by creating a lot of group work in my class and separate the three girls in the back of the class who are always together and the 2 football players that hang out all afternoon. Doing this may create larger friendships and maybe allow students to learn about one another. As a grow as a teacher, I will be able to learn from fellow co-workers and possibly workshops that will help me learn more about reaching all different types of students and learners.

Cognitive Development Learning Log

What?

Throughout this chapter we have discussed the impact of neruonetworks and how it relates to learning. I have learned that the more you 'strengthen' or use your brain, the more it will be useful for the future and be able to make more connections later. Cognitive Development, or the ability to think and make connections, is associated with the kinds of life experiences we have and our brain plasticity (whether we have a fixed or growth mindset). In this chapter we went over two different theories. Piaget's theory consist of four different stages of child cognitive development. These stages included Sensorimotor- ages 0-2, Preoperational-ages 2-7, Concrete Operational-ages 7-11, and Formal Operation-ages 12+. Piaget believes that cognitive development involves Biological maturation (or that of Nature), active exploration of the physical environment (nurture), social experiences, and equilibration (self-regulation). Equilibration is the process of which when you are presented with new information or a troubling situation, you are in disequilibrium and your brain uses assimilation or accommodation to find that equilibrium again! Assimilation is relating that information to what you already know, and accommodation is finding a bran new folder for it in your brain. This is also related to the idea of schema! Vygotsky is the other theorist who centralized on the development of the adult learner. The main differences of these theorist is that Piaget involves individual constructivism, the role of the environment, and the interactions with peers. Vygosky, however, focuses on social constructivism, the role of culture, and interaction with adults. Both theorist, however, do derive their ideas from observation.

So What?

This chapter is beneficial for future teachers to learn about because it helps us understand the different levels of comprehension and cognitive development of our students. With Piaget's four stages of development, you would think that our students in the junior high and high school level will all be in the fourth stage or even higher, however, unfortunately, there will be students, even in the high school level, who are in the 2nd and 3rd stages. It is nice to know the different levels of development so that we know what to look for as we're assessing students and know where the students need special attention. I found that the fixed and growth mindsets are very important to know as a teacher and we need to find ways to motivate students and let it be known to them that the sky is the limit. That there is no 'I can't' or 'I won't' attitudes. These are devastating words to hear from students and it's our job as teachers to give the students the confidence they need to believe in themselves. If a student has a 'fixed' mindset, we need to help change that!

Now What?

I think I've already covered part of this question when I talked about fixed mindset. I will take that information and be aware of it in my classroom. No one likes to see students struggling or failing, and many times that is because they don't believe in themselves. I know from experience that happens with reading and writing. It wasn't until last year (junior year in college) that I finally became confident in writing a report or research paper. I always thought my writing was elementary and no good. Same with my reading, however, I still feel that way with reading sometimes. I HATE reading aloud. This is a fear that I've grown up with all through school and still haven't overcome unless I have prep time to go over it. Sometimes I get embarrassed for being so insecure about that, however, in the past semester I have realized that I'm not alone and that there are others that feel the same. Once I get in the classroom I will definitely understand those students who feel as I did growing up, however, I will do something to help them. In school, if I didn't volunteer to read aloud, I never would get asked to and so I never had to face my fear and get over that. As a teacher, if I see a student in this position, I will allow them the "opportunity" to get over that insecurity. Giving students a heads up about when I want them to read until they get more comfortable with it will help them past that log in the road so they can progress sooner than a junior in college. ;)

Assessment Learning Log

WHAT?

Throughout the last week, we've studied the importance, usage, and structures of assessments in the classroom. Assessments have many purposes in the classroom. It is considered a processes where we as teachers observe a sample of student's behavior and draw inferences about the student's knowledge and abilities. Assessments are not a means of grading, more importantly they are a way to help teachers make judgments of students. There are various forms of assessments including formal, informal, paper-pencil, and performance. All of these models have their time and place within the classroom. Formal assessments are preplanned to determine what the student's have learned. These can include homework assignments, quizzes, tests, etc. Informal assessments are the evaluations that the teacher does throughout the day without the students even aware of it. These observations help teachers gauge how the students are doing in the class and help evaluate the teachers' instruction. Paper-pencil assessments are written responses to written items, for example, when a teacher provides a topic or problem to solve, and the students have to respond in a written format. Performance assessments are something that you actually do with the students. They are asked to 'DO' the subject in a real world setting. These assessments allow students to be creative and can perform what they have learned in class. When creating or using an assessment, it is important to evaluate the four aspects of an assessment. These include, R.S.V.P. or Reliability, Standardization, Validity, and Practicality. Reliability refers to the assessment having consistent questions and grading. i.e. no bias or tricks. Standardization refers to consistent implemention of the information, meaning that the assessments are given and scored similarly for everyone. Validity refers to the alignment. Validity means that your assessment actually measures what it is intended to measure. And finally practicality refers to how easily you can correct the assessment and receive feedback. This also infers that the assessment is cheap and easy to use and takes only a small amount of time to score. These four aspects of assessments help teachers determine if the assessment should be used. There is not a 'perfect' assessment because no matter the assessment you use, it will have positive and negative effects on the four aspects of assessments.

SO WHAT?

Learning about assessments is a crucial aspect of teaching. We need to know best possible ways to assess our students and what works best. It is a waste of time to give students paper-pencil test over and over again because you lose out on some of the other things they are learning. Student's need to be given the opportunity to show what they have learned in different ways. Learning about the R.S.V.P. has been very helpful because it will help me realize what is a good assessment and what needs some adjustment. When I was doing my work-sample in Professor Cooks class last semester, my assessment was the worst part of my experience in the classroom. My assessment was too easy for the students and didn't really test what i had taught them. This information will come in handy as I become better familiar with the designing of assessments in my classroom.

NOW WHAT?

As I learn more about assessments, I will be able to understand how to effectively administer tests to my students. Becoming familiar with assessments may take some trial and error, however, it will be smart to show your assessments to co-workers and other students to ask their opinion and suggestions. It will be beneficial to go to seminars and workshops to learn more about building strong, effective, fun, assessments that engage students and truly evaluate their knowledge and abilities in my classroom. When I begin making my own assessments for student teaching, I will keep the R.S.V.P. in mind so that I can hold myself accountable for the assessments that I create and the ability to make judgments about my students progress.