Educational experience and cognitive development 1 , 2

This paper examines the relationship between general educational experiences and cognitive development during the school years, kindergarten through high school, and also the effects of focused instruction on learning across short time intervals. Children appear to acquire concepts and other outcomes of learning in the cognitive domain gradually, rather than abruptly, although qualitatively different cognitive operations are presumed to emerge which make possible successively higher levels of concept attainment. The quality of “general education” of the kind experienced by American children under compulsory, universal education appears to influence both the rate of cognitive development and also the maximum level of development that is achieved. Focused instruction clearly aids students to attain concepts to successively higher levels during short time intervals and also to use their concepts in understanding principles and in solving problems. From these conclusions and the results of other studies and analyses, the inference is drawn that the quality of educational experience exerts a strong influence on both the rate and the final level of cognitive development.     

The place of structured experience in early cognitive development

This paper examines the role of structured or programmed experience in early cognitive learning, as embodied in prevalent approaches to the acceleration of such learning and to preschool education. Starting from a brief overview of research on the effects of training on the acquisition of conservation, the argument is presented that this concept is normally acquired as a by-product of the child's activities forming part of his normal, unstructured experience. A research project predicated on this view, and designed to reveal the link between changes in spontaneous measuring and ordering activities and the onset of conservation, is described. In the second part of the paper a pyramidal model of cognitive development is suggested, contrasting the effects of programmed learning, emphasizing vertical transfer at the expense of horizontal, to the opposite effects of unstructured experience. Finally, young children's differential response to structured versus unstructured situations is related to the development of creative behavior, leading to a reinterpretation of the basis for their relatively poor performance on standard measures of such behavior.

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Résumé Cette communication examine le rôle de l'expérience structurée ou programmée sur le premier développement cognitif, incarné dans les approches prédominantes à l'accélération de ce dévelopement et à l'éducation pré-scolaire. A partir d'un récit bref des effects de l'instruction sur l'acquisition de la conservation, on affirme que ce concept est acquis normalement comme dérivé des activités de l'enfant et qu'il fait partie de son expérience normale qui n'est pas structurée. On décrit une enquête basée sur ce point de vue, destinée à révéler le lien entre les changements dans les activités spontanées de la mesure et de la sériation, et la commencement de la conservation. Dans la seconde partie de cet article, on suggère un modèle pyramidal du développement cognitif, en faisantl'opposition entre les effects de l'apprentissage programmé, favorisant le transfer vertical aux dépens du transfer horizontal, et les effets de l'expérience nonstructurée. Enfin, on lie la réponse différentielle de l'enfant aux situations structurées par rapport aux situations non-structurées, au développement du comportement créateur, ce qui mène à une réinterprétation de la base de leur performance relativement pauvre sur les mesures classiques de ce type de comportement.

     

Staff development in early reading intervention programs: the facilitator

Current reform initiatives often call for facilitators to work with teachers and administrators in the change process. Although this facilitating position is becoming more common, little is currently understood about this role and the forms it might take. This study examines the work of four facilitators involved in five different successful reform programs focusing on early reading intervention. These facilitators are instrumental in different approaches to reform, ranging from externally adopted to internally developed interventions. Findings examine the different roles of facilitation as viewed by the facilitators themselves in relationship to these different approaches to reform. Common issues and dilemmas are also examined.     

Teacher design teams as a strategy for professional development: the role of the facilitator

ABSTRACT

The goal of the current study was to explore the role and importance of the facilitator in teacher design teams. The study took place in the context of a pre-service teacher education institution in Belgium, where teacher design teams were set up to facilitate the professional development of teacher educators. The findings from focus-group discussions with team members and semi-structured interviews with facilitators confirm that the perceived importance of a facilitator depends on several factors, such as team characteristics and the design phase. Moreover, we found that a facilitator can fulfil three roles in a dynamic way: (a) providing logistic support, (b) scaffolding the design process, and (c) monitoring the design process. The discussion centres on how these results can be used to support facilitators for successful Teacher Design Teams.     

Using video for professional development: the role of the discussion facilitator

Past research into the use of video for professional development has failed to problematise or theorise sufficiently the role of the discussion facilitator. It has been reported consistently that it can be hard or take time to establish norms for discussion of video but little has been said about reasons why, or the role of the discussion facilitator. As a starting point in this area, I suggest fives aspects or decision points in the role of the facilitator. Two aspects are taken from the literature and the others are drawn from empirical data, collected as part of an enactivist study into the use of video in one secondary school. At the school, teachers commented on finding video watching in a group more useful than lesson observation, with no evidence of this taking time to develop. I offer speculations, based on enactivist category theory, as to why the use of video in this school is effective. Having presented key aspects of the role of the facilitator of video use, a further look at the detail of the data from discussions serves to highlight some of the complexities involved in just one of the categories (and, by implication, the others). I conclude that the role of the facilitator cannot be separated from a consideration of the historical context in which discussion takes place.     

Building capacity in social care: an evaluation of a national programme of action learning facilitator development

This account of practice shares the findings of an evaluation into the impact of a facilitator development programme on participants' knowledge, skills and subsequent practice. The Centre for Action Learning Facilitation was established to develop action learning set advisors and has been working with Skills for Care over the last two years to develop an internal capacity in social work departments to use action learning primarily to support newly qualified staff.     

Teacher identity development through action research: a Chinese experience

This study explores how two language teachers constructed and reconstructed their professional identities through their action research (AR) facilitated by university researchers in China. Informed by the theory of ‘community of practice’, the findings of the study show that AR exerted a transformative impact on the teachers’ identity development. Four distinctive routes of identity change were noted, namely their transformation from ‘fisherman’ to ‘fishing coach’, from ‘craftsman’ to ‘teacher researcher’, from ‘lonely fighter’ to ‘collaborator’, and from ‘housekeeper’ to ‘change agent’. Such change can be attributed to their engagement and practice in different communities of practice. However, the participants’ identity development also encountered some contextual obstacles, including the rigid school curriculum, lack of research knowledge, as well as the power dynamics between them and the researchers. Several implications can be drawn for teachers, teacher educators, and school leaders to help teachers construct a solid and robust professional identity in seeking their continuing professional development through AR.     

Problem-based learning as a facilitator of conceptual change

We investigated whether problem-based learning (PBL) can foster conceptual change. Students were randomly assigned to a PBL, lecture-based, or self-study group, all receiving instruction about the topic of Newtonian laws. Conceptual change was measured from pre- to immediate post-test (directly after instruction) and from immediate post-test to delayed post-test after one week. Results showed that the PBL-group outperformed both the lecture and the self-study group on the immediate post-test. This result supported the hypothesis that PBL can increase the likelihood of conceptual change. The PBL group also outperformed both other groups at the delayed post-test after one week; the decline in conceptual change from immediate to delayed post-test was similar for all three groups. Findings are discussed in terms of cognitive engagement.     

Navigational spatial displays: The role of metacognition as cognitive load

One hundred and six undergraduates searched a hypermedia environment under three navigational conditions, wrote an essay measuring their comprehension, and completed a test of metacognition. The map conditions were spatial/semantic, spatial only, and none. Analyses revealed that a navigational map capable of incurring an integrative cognitive model of the meaningful relationships underlying website content incurs significantly more metacognitive load and higher levels of comprehension. When the map was incapable of revealing these relationships, metacognitive skills were of no value and compromised learning performance. The results demonstrate that a navigational map can create significantly more cognitive load; however, the nature of the load—whether germane or extraneous—is based on the degree to which the map permits integrative model construction during processing.     

Empathic design: imagining the cognitive and emotional learner experience

Educational technology research and development - In an effort to create meaningful user experiences, instructional designers participate in continuous projection and reflection during design....     

Taking a step back: learning without the facilitator on solo activities

The purpose of this study is to report on the nature of student learning resulting from an open facilitation approach to solo activities. Three key moments of facilitator intervention were identified at which the facilitator was encouraged to take a step back from directing the experience. They are the pre-activity brief, the mid-activity visit and the post-activity review. Findings suggest that participants' learning focused on their raised self-awareness and social relationships. Raised spiritual awareness was also identified and this was closely linked to a connection with the landscape and eco-system. Evidence was also identified for emergent learning to have occurred that is not normally identified in the solo discourse. The findings suggest that participants on solo activities do not require a facilitator to tell them what they should be learning and that they will identify for themselves outcomes that are personally meaningful and important.     

Mathematical development: the role of broad cognitive processes

This study investigated the role of broad cognitive processes in the development of mathematics skills among children and adolescents. Four hundred and forty-seven students (age mean [M] = 10.23 years, 73% boys and 27% girls) from an elementary school district in the US southwest participated. Structural equation modelling tests indicated that calculation complexity was predicted by long-term retrieval and working memory; calculation fluency was predicted by perceptual processing speed, phonetic coding, and visual processing; problem solving was predicted by fluid reasoning, crystallised knowledge, working memory, and perceptual processing speed. Younger students’ problem solving skills were more strongly associated with fluid reasoning skills, relative to older students. Conversely, older students’ problem solving skills were more strongly associated with crystallised knowledge skills, relative to younger students. Findings are consistent with the theoretical suggestion that broad cognitive processes play specific roles in the development of mathematical skills among children and adolescents. Implications for educational psychologists are discussed.