Activity 3.4

After reading through the O’Donnell article this Simpsons’ episode does seem to show some examples of constructivism; students participate in whole class discussions as well as working with pairs of students. According to O’Donnell, the classroom environment aligns most closely with Moshman’s endogenous constructivism. The teacher was more of a “coordinator” and provides the objects (books, laboratory equipment, etc.) in the environment for students to explore and manipulate. One way in which the environment was not an example of constructivism was that not all students were taught at their level or their ZPD.

Activity 3.3

One of the tenets of Vygotsky’s theory is the importance of language in learning. As Dr. Usher made clear in her PPT, Vygotsky thought that “once language develops, cognition is language.” James, too, elucidates the importance of language in learning stating, “In all these later studies, verbal material is the vehicle by which the mind thinks… after adolescence has begun, ‘words, words, words’ must constitute a large part… of what the human being has to learn” (James, 1983, p. 73). A solid example demonstrating this is from a Memory and Thinking course I took in undergrad in which we discussed how memories are much more vivid after individuals have developed language. This is largely hypothesized to be explained by the development of language which becomes one of the main routes individuals think and experience things. So, although language is very important in the process of cognition it does not necessarily mean that one cannot occur without the other.

(Pages 72 and 73 of James’ text clearly had a wealth of application information for me (: )

Activity 3.2

“There is a native tendency to assimilate certain kinds of conception at one age, and other kinds of conception at a later age. During the first seven or eight years of childhood the mind is most interested in the sensible properties of material things “(James, 1983, p. 72)

“It is not till adolescence is reached that the mind grows able to take in the more abstract aspects of experience, the hidden similarities and distinction between things, and especially their casual sequences…Later still, not till adolescence is well advanced, does the mind awaken to a systematic interest in abstract human relations… to sociological ideas and to metaphysical abstractions” (James, 1983, p. 73)

While reading the assigned chapters this week, these two excerpts really leapt out at me as tying into Piaget’s developmental periods of cognitive development. Like Piaget, James lays out important developmental stages that a teacher should try to teach to.  While Piaget points towards teaching at developmental levels based on what a student is capable of understanding, James indicates that having a subject “thrust upon him so prematurely that disgust” would be created (James, 1983, p. 73). I took this to point more towards using a student’s primitive interests and then associating other material with that at appropriate developmental time periods, as James discussed in a previous chapter.

Activity 3.1

According to Piaget's cognitive constructivist theory, learning occurs when individuals experience disequilibrium or a kind of cognitive uncomfortable feeling caused by new or unfamiliar concepts/information. Individuals must then go through the process of equilibration to return to equilibrium or a kind of cognitive harmony. Individuals can actively adapt to this new information by either including it in a current category (schema) or by creating a new category (schema). When an individual includes this information in a current category this is known as assimilation. When an individual must create a new category this is known as accomodation.


Questions: I find it interesting that I've learned about Piaget MANY times and haven't ever heard the terms equilibrium, disequilibrium, or equilibration. I wonder why in the past I've never really learned about it?

Activity 2.5

I took an IAT on race, on sexuality, and one on weight. I have some issues with the way the one on sexuality was created but I really thought the IAT on race was really interesting. For the IAT on race, I was first told a story about an apocalypse and then shown pictures of people who were my friends and allies who were also black. After this, I was given the IAT. I thought perhaps that I'd have to recognize these people later because I've read research that says you are able to recognize individuals of your own race better so I really studied them. Clearly, this was a priming activity and I wondered how strong of an effect it had on my results. While completing the IAT on weight I considered how the effects would be different for plain negative words like “angry” versus words that are frequently associated with being overweight like “lazy.”

I believe, as James states, that “the more of the details of our daily life we can hand over to the effortless custody of automatism, the more of our higher powers of mind will be set free for their own proper work” (James, 1983, p. 34). If we are able to turn over some of our thinking to habit it frees our mind to add on to those bases and continue to learn and think about more difficult and complex things. Gladwell discusses how though this implicit learning can be negative “sometimes we’re better off if our mind makes the decision for us.” Most importantly, these associations that we make throughout our life might dictate our behavior Gladwell, James, and the video with Alan Alda all let us know that just because the learning might be outside of consciousness does not mean it is outside of our control. Therefore, our future behavior is changeable and within our ability to modify.

Activity 2.4

Is There a Place for Reinforcement in Education?

When reading these two authors’ philosophies of behavior applied to our everyday lives I saw incongruences and some overlap. Clearly Pryor takes the more traditional behavioral approach of operant and classical conditioning. She takes the view that if positive reinforcement is applied correctly (timely and with an actually reinforcing stimulus) most behaviors can be modified (excluding severe problems in humans and animals). Kohn on the other hand takes the view that reinforcement (praise) is over used and harmful. Motivation should not be something manipulated from a parent/teacher but fostered and encouraged to come from within the child. One overlap I found interesting is Kohn’s point of manipulating children and one of Pryor’s last points that rewarding “someone else in hope of gain to oneself doesn’t work; it backfires on the simplest level” (Pryor, 2002, p. 163). This statement does appear to agree with Kohn.

Though I find my own philosophy aligning more closely with Pryor I have seen children who suffer from some of the effects of praise that Kohn points out. For example, I worked with a student to improve his mathematics skills and in particular his counting. We did many activities together but to take data I always had my student count as far as he could at the end of our sessions. When we first started working on a new concept he would take a very long time to begin and once he started would frequently look up at me with a look of apprehension, hesitant to answer. However, I have also seen the benefits of positive reinforcement for a student who rarely receives it from anyone. Like Pryor with this student, I have learned that “training can provide a lot of illumination-not only to the subject but about the subject” (Pryor, 2002, p. 157). Most importantly, for this student implementing some type of positive reinforcement (in his case a token economy) demonstrated both to the student and his teacher that the student was able to modify his behavior and that behavioral strategies were effective, something that was really good for the teacher to learn.

Ultimately, I believe that positive reinforcement and verbal praise have a place within schools and parenting. However, I also agree that it is largely administered incorrectly. Over and over again we have learned that praise should be specific to the individual. Also, though Kohn feels that Dweck’s research is support for his argument I still personally believe it supports the type of praise we should give students helping to encourage motivation within the student to persevere.

As a side note: Did anybody else wonder what an “Education expert” was? 

Activity 2.3

The main point of Skinner's article was that education is currently dysfunctional. According to Skinner it is neither the teacher nor the student's fault but instead that society is rejecting behaviorism within the schools. Skinner indicates that he feels that American education's problems could be solved by what I took as two main ways (though he listed more) through allowing a student to learn at his/her own pace and therefore fixing the problem of motivation and bad behavior within the schools.

I do believe Skinner would be ashamed of American education today. I know within School Psychology individualized education is something we are really striving for; however, it is not currently the norm within schools. I believe a lot of what Skinner said was dysfunctional about schools continues to be dysfunctional. For example, he brought up the fact that many college professors who teach teachers how to teach are not effective teachers themselves. It continues to be this insidious cycle. I also know that within schools computers are being implemented more for progress monitoring and the like but they are still not sources of instruction.

I think, based on the article, that Skinner would definitely support the School of One approach. "Teaching machines" are being employed, students are taught at their own pace, and everyone seems to be much more motivated.

Finally, I think Skinner makes it quite clear in the video clip that freewill does not exist, that it is a fad of this century, and an imagined internal state. Therefore, it has no base in learning.

This is a gif from Dr. Who that popped into my mind while reading about the type of education Skinner envisioned.

http://imgflip.com/i/20qmy

Activity 2.2

Behaviorism is a scientific analysis of behavior. According to behaviorism behavior is both lawful and determined based on the environment. Further, that all internal states can be determined by observing someone or something's behavior. Behavior occurs based on addition (positive) or subtraction (negative) of a stimulus that either increases (reinforcement) or decreases (punishment) said behavior. It is further modified based on conditioning (classical or operant).

Activity 2.1

I'm not sure it's possible to separate behavior into something so dichotomous as habit or freewill. Thinking about my daily activities a lot of what I do is not simply habit or freewill. Some of it is more a mixture; for example, consider my bathing activities. I shower usually every morning; however, sometimes if I have to wake up early the next day I choose to shower in the evening. When I take a shower, many of the motions I go through to clean myself are based on habit. However, I'm big believer of owning a variety of shampoos so usually I have to choose which shampoo or body wash to use. Also, the way in which I shower was originally a conscious choice that after completing time and time again became habit. Further, when I think of activities such as sleeping it's not fully habit or freewill. I have a habit of going to sleep at certain time every night but mostly it's controlled by a biological need to sleep. Is a biological necessity habit or freewill? I also have a habit of sleeping in certain positions  etc. However, I am also able to control many aspects of my sleep cycle like when I go to sleep, etc. So, factoring out things that are based on biological necessity (aspects of eating and sleeping) here is my habit vs. freewill chart.



Graphing

Activity 1.5

Preface

I took James' preface to be a brief summary of what was to come and sense of who he is or maybe I just gleamed it from the way he writes. The preface lets us know that the information presented in this book will be both applicable and accessible.

When reading this I thought of consulting with teachers within the school. If I presented information full of jargon and abstract concepts would this actually help them improve their practices? Probably not, I would definitely not only help the teacher more with information that is accessible and applicable but the teachers would be more likely to come back to me for other problems as well not hate me!

Chapter 1

This chapter discusses how teachers can use psychology within their practices. James states that psychology is not necessarily something that teachers need to actively use or that teachers need to feel that they need to contribute to it (and that they don't have to feel guilty about this). Further, James makes the point that psychology is a science that does not immediately bring out applicable strategies for an art such as teaching; it requires a go-between such as teacher.

I really latched on to James' statement that "the science of logic never made a man reason rightly, and the science of ethics...never made a man behave rightly. The most such sciences can do is to help us catch ourselves up and check ourselves...A science only lays down the lines within which the rules of the art must fall." When reading this I thought of arguments I had in the past with my brothers about the usefulness of psychology. Unlike James, my brothers did not understand because of the complexity of humans and our ethical boundaries of working with humans the science of psychology is not as direct as "hard science" and instead lays down guidelines that are used in the arts of psychology such as teaching, counseling, or school psychology.

Chapter 2

In this chapter, James explains the stream of consciousness which basically means that humans are constantly undergoing some complex consciousness whether that be a sensation, thought, or feeling.

This concept brings to mind the fact that I frequently am thinking of other things while completing tasks. For example, while re-reading a certain excerpt in Chapter 1 I found myself scheduling my day and considering my past responses to other questions and snickering (internally) to myself about a mud-covered turtle.

Chapter 3

This chapter focuses on the functions of the stream of consciousness. From what James stated in this chapter I took the base function of our consciousness to be that of a practical one, mainly used for adapting to our environment. All other functions of our consciousness are built from this building block of adaptation, even activities that may seem unpractical are connected to this building block.

So far, many of these chapters are reminding me of what I briefly learned about the field of evolutionary psychology. This is a very controversial field as a lot of the conclusions that are being drawn are controversial in themselves and developed by controversial means. For example, I recall reading about an evolutionary psychologist who explained why rape occurs. Like James, he explained this behavior as serving a base practical functioning which many people see as controversial.

Chapter 4

In this chapter, James defines what education means. According to James, education is "the organization of acquired habits of conduct and tendencies to behavior." James further explains how this education affects our behavior even to most base and innate behaviors such as moving our mouths to speak.

One connection I can think of for this chapter is the way that James discusses how education is different in England vs. Germany. It brings to mind the fact that as school psychologist we are constantly reminded to view a student ecologically, taking into account their culture, their education, their family, and their personal characteristics. 

Activity 1.4

What does it mean to be educated?

What being "educated" means is entirely dependent on who you ask. To most people, being educated implies a certain amount of advanced schooling, whether this be through a technical college, undergraduate college, or graduate school. Depending on the population in which you live your educated status can change. If I work in a school I will be considered relatively "educated" based on the degrees I hold. However, if I work in a university I will be considered below average not having attained a PhD. I believe there is a difference between being educated and knowledgeable or skillful and I do not believe any one has more merit than another.

Activity 1.3

What is learning?

Learning is the interaction between innate, intrinsic factors and extrinsic factors constantly in flux to produce some change in a human.

The Five Most Intriguing Principles (Alexander, Schallert, and Reynolds, 2009)

• Principle 2: Learning is Inevitable, Essential, and Ubiquitous 
• I was really drawn to this principle and found it to be incredibly true, especially the fact that learning is not only going to happen but it has to happen to be a successful creature. While reading this section it brought to mind something I learned from a PBS special about crows. Crows are truly interesting learners. There was an experiment done in which an  experimenter wore a mask and performed a behavior to seriously scare the crows (such as shooting off a cap gun). Years later when he came back wearing the mask again the offspring of these original crows that the experimenter had scared began a warning call and swooped threateningly at the experimenter. In essence, they had been taught by the generation who had been scared by the experimenter that this was someone to be fearful of. This behavior could be seen as quite necessary; the offspring have learned to be more successful from their predecessors. 
• Principle 3: Learning Can Be Resisted

• Immediately upon reading this passage I began to think of racism in our current society. Many people do not want to learn that racism is still prevalent both implicitly and explicitly in our society for many reasons. Perhaps it is uncomfortable for them or perhaps if they accepted that they were being benefited by someone else's disadvantage they would realize how wrong and unacceptable that is.
• Principle 4: Learning May Be Disadvantageous

• This principle brought to mind something I learned in an Abnormal Psychology class in undergrad. Apparently, the actual addictive chemicals in cigarettes leave the human system rather quickly. What continues to fuel the addiction to smoking is our associations with smoking. Perhaps you smoke when you first wake up, when you drive, after you eat lunch etc. The behavior of smoking so many times and associating with these other behaviors is what makes it truly hard to stop because the moment you sit in the car your hand goes immediately to your pack of cigarettes just out of "habit."
• Principle 5: Learning Can Be Tacit and Incidental as Well as Conscious and Intentional 

•  I think this principle really goes hand-in-hand with the last principle (of course not always). Often the things that we learn that can be disadvantageous seem to be learned incidentally. An example I can think of is forming relationships. Typically, this is not something we go about explicitly learning, perhaps we watch our parents and our siblings and emulate the relationships we have seen in our past. On the flip side; however, I know from working with students that sometimes they never learned these skills incidentally for whatever reason and benefit from being explicitly taught how to form relationships appropriately through Social Skills training.
• Principle 6: Learning is Framed by Our Humanness
• This was another principle I found really interesting not only because of how different humans perceive things but how we perceive how other animals learn or what is considered intelligent. For example, my brother and I both have dogs and are interested in dogs as well. From a dog-related argument with my brother I learned that some researcher or another created a ranking of dog breeds based on intelligence. What I find so interesting about this is that it is framed by our own perception of what we think intelligence is in a dog. 

Activity 1.2

After some thought, I have decided that learning being like fishing is the most appropriate metaphor for me. Learning can be likened to fishing for several reasons. Like learning there are many different types of fishing: you can fly fish, ice fish, take a worm and bobber approach, or if you’re extra zealous grab them out of the water with your hands. Not only do we choose these certain styles of fishing because we enjoy them we choose them because we know what works best for us. Similar to learning, fishing can have many different motivators. You can fish to feed yourself/family or just for the pure pleasure and excitement. Again, like learning fishing brings in a variety of things; sometimes most unexpectedly. I recall a particularly exciting fishing trip in which my husband was bringing in what we thought would be a whopper of a fish but turned out to be terrifying and mud-covered, angry turtle! Depending on the motivation behind what you reel in and what’s on the end of that line you will also choose to do different things with it. Perhaps you determine the fish isn’t something you need so you let it go. Motivation is an essential component to my learning. Without proper motivation most of what I reel in is returned to the water after all I only have so much space in my live well and I’ll only keep what I know I’ll use.

Activity 1.1: An Introduction

Hello summer-class goers!

My name is Rachel Wagner. Typically, people just call me Rachel and I have never really had a nickname catch on. So, Rachel will do just fine!

I am from Sobieski, Wisconsin which is about a 30 minute drive north of Green Bay, where the Green Bay Packers play. I went to undergraduate college in River Falls, WI, which is an hour drive east of the Twin Cities (Saint Paul and Minneapolis). There I majored in Psychology with a minor in Biology. With this class I am finishing 3 of my 9 final needed credits to receive my Educational Specialist degree in School Psychology. With an Ed.S. in School Psychology I am hoping to work in a school district as a school psychologist.

On a personal level I enjoy the outdoors: fishing, hiking, biking, camping, canoeing. etc. I also adore crafting! A day is well spent crocheting, making jewelry, drawing/painting, or looking for new crafts to try. I also enjoy spending time with my dog or my two cats. Finally, when I have the time I love to read fantasy books!

This summer, I hope to be able to go hiking in the Smoky Mountains and go camping in North Carolina as I've never been east much. I am also looking forward to returning to Wisconsin and spending some time on the my family's lake fishing and swimming.

I look forward to figuring out this whole blogging deal and seeing what new interesting things I learn from this adventure!

Rachel


This is a picture of me and my dog, Kinnie. Her full name is Kinnickinnic, which is a beautiful river in River Falls, WI.