Cognitivism, behaviourism and constructvism

Education Assignment Within this essay I will discuss how Cognitivism, Behaviourism and Constructivism affect education through a range of case studies. I will use experiences which I have seen as first hand in local Primary and Secondary Schools. I will also show a number of opinions from Educational Theorists as well as provide different graphs and pictures to show how the approaches are implemented in the classroom. To conclude on each approach I will give my own opinion.
Teaching Approach
The Literacy Specialist within the school recommended Brian to be assessed by the Education Board and assessment confirmed that Brian suffers from dyslexia. Once Brian received the diagnosis it was a matter of urgency for the teacher to work in co-operation with the Literacy provider. It was vital in addressing Brian’s Literacy problems that the teacher was advised to have expectations for Brian that were suitable for his learning difficulty. The class teacher was therefore asked to lighten Brian’s workload and give less homework of which caused a lot of frustration for Brian and his mother. Now the teacher and Literacy specialist realised what the problem with Brian was it was important for Barry to feel a connection with Literacy. Whilst in the classroom it was important he did not feel “Stupid” or isolated within the classroom.
Results/Benefits
Below the graph shows the improvement of readers after one week’s assistance when diagnosed with dyslexia.

For Brian who is an eight year old his grade level with in the class will increase by 2.5 levels after one week. The school have decided to give Brian two hours per week with the Literacy specialist to improve Literacy. The fact that Brian’s Dyslexia is being addressed by the school will help Brian’s own confidence grow. Within the classroom the teacher is also helping to use computer games to develop Numeracy Skills. Also during lessons such as History the number of words written on the page is reduced, written in large fonts and often in different colours or post-its. This helps Brian vastly to understand the questions being asked as different colours help Brian to see writing more clearly.
Theoretical Explanation Brian is an example of the Cognitivism approach to learning. Jean Piaget (1952) believed humans developed a mental image of the world around them and they experienced whether the image is accurate by constantly testing against reality. This theory would involve pupils in the classroom learning a new lesson in class and testing it out in theory. Furthermore Jerome Bruner (1966) focused on learning and developed the Spiral Learning Model which should be arranged in a spiral manner which the student should continually build on what they already know. As Brian becomes accustomed to reading day to day he will start processing information into long-term memory. This will then allow the spiral to occur as he develops as a person he can continue to build on the original learnt information. Ausubel (1978) offers the” Subsumption Theory” which connects new skills or ideas to a larger scope of past experiences. He believes learning occurs cognitive models are in a state of continuous transformation. Essentially Cognitive theorists believe that learning comes from the internal mental environment. It must noted however that Cognitivism can be limit the amount of knowledge learned as many are prepared to achieve the minimum standard. Case Study 2
The nature of Michael’s behaviour alerted the Head of his year group. The fact that the Year Head had been in position for over 15 years, meant that she had seen symptoms of various special needs throughout the school. Although her instinct was Michael suffered from a mild form of A.D.H.D (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), a further health assessment confirmed her first fears. The school contacted the parents and it was agreed they form-teacher, Head of Year and parents would meet each month for face to face meetings to track progress on Michael.

Teaching Approach
A new seating plan was created to ensure that Michael was as close to the teacher as possible whilst being far away from distractions such as the door and the windows. These distractions also include Michaels friends who are at the far side of the classroom so they can continue can work without being distracted. The teacher must place greater emphasis on interactive learning within the classroom as Michael is reluctant to focus and engage with the rest of the class.

Results/Benefits
The threat of disciplinary action clearly does not affect Michael, though the Teacher feels Michael craves attention from the teacher more than anything else. With Michael at the front of the classroom the teacher can keep a constant eye on Michael. The teacher also feels not even talking to Michael but a quick glance can keep him motivated for extended periods of time. Also are previously discussed in the case study Michael’s friend’s work well in his absence. Being at opposite ends of the room Michael’s friends are able to complete their own work and not be distracted.

Theoretical Explanation

The seating arrangements should lead to a change in behaviour from Michael. Wheldall and Glynn (1998) suggest that seating arrangements can have a large bearing on behaviour. In my own experience last year on Teaching Practice I moved two Non-English Speaking Students apart and there was a vast improvement not only in behaviour but the amount of work they completed. Pavlov (1897) shows the teacher was trying to reduce the amount of conditioned stimulus, by seating Michael away from the doors and the windows as possible. The main problems with the doors are people coming in and out of the classroom, Michael every opportunity would try and have a chat or play a prank to get a reaction from the class.

The ability of the family who are willing to co-operate together according to Barkley (1990) will result in the A.D.H.D being managed easier and ultimately result in a more focused child. If the child is receiving the same treatment in being dealt the same at home and at school there is more chance of the mild A.D.H.D being controlled whereas if circumstances are totally different the A.D.H.D could escalate. However as Mc Donnell (Sen. Magazine) argued that the Behavioural approach solely concentrates on external stimuli and students individuality, personality and patterns on their behaviour are not considered. I believe this is a weakness of this behaviourism approach that the approach focuses to heavy on external stimuli. Although many of the Approach can clearly have a positive effect on the child the approach can leave a child quite isolated.

Case Study 3

Teaching Approach After a few weeks talking to various teachers in the school the teacher decided one idea to bring the best out of Kate. The Marketing Topic began with a group assignment so the Teacher decided to appoint Kate as group leader to try and challenge her. The Teacher gave each group a set list of questions to cover and the groups were encouraged to expand their work showing different opinions within the group. After four double period classes working as a group they had to present their findings to the class. The Teacher purposely kept Kate’s friends in other groups so Kate could fully focus on the task at hand.

Results/Benefits
The Teacher could clearly see how much work Kate had done within the group for example the different fliers used from her father’s shops. Kate’s group achieved the highest score in the class. This allowed the teacher to see when an individual is given a role as leader they can rise to the role and work beyond themselves, to excel within the classroom. The result also filtered through to the rest of the class to show the ability Kate actually had. The Teacher hope this would be the catalyst for a number of students within the class to push themselves a little more to reach their full potential especially with GCSE’s at the end of the term.

Theoretical Explanation John Dewy (1916) was one of the first theorists to develop constructivism where learners had to draw out experiences which had meaning and importance to them. Kate used the experience of working in her Father’s shop in to help develop a group presentation. Furthermore Dewy believed this learning had to take place in a classroom where a community of learners was built and knowledge was formed together within the community through the presentation the entire class learned different aspects of marketing Vygotsky (1978) focused on connections between people where humans use to tools such as speech and writing to communicate needs. Overall Vygotsky (1978) believed the internalization of these tools led to higher thinking skills. This can be related to the case study as students play an active role in learning during the Marketing Assignment. This is what essentially happened in the assignment as the Teacher gave the teacher a few notes to start the assignment, then the teacher and students practically exchanged roles. The teacher obviously kept a close eye to ensure the students where on the right path to completing the work. To conclude I feel that Kate’s learning refers to the synthesis section of Blooms Taxonomy as she was able to form a complete topic into a group presentation which represents a new form of learning. It must be considered that Learning in Linear and not set on one path. It is important when using the constructivism approach that teachers are required to assess student work and adapt the lesson plan to meet the needs of the learner.

Bibliography
Ausubel, D. P., Novak, J. D., & Hanesian, H. 1978. Educational psychology: A cognitive view (2nd ed.). New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston
Barkley, R.A. (1990). Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: A handbook for diagnosis and treatment.New York: Guilford
Bruner, J. S. 1966. Toward a theory of instruction. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press
Dewey J (1916) Democracy and Education New York Mac Millan
Pavlov, I. P. (1897). The Work of the Digestive Glands. London: Griffin
Piaget, J. 1952. The origins of intelligence in children. New York: International Universities.
Wheldall, K. and Glynn, T. (1988) Contingencies in Contexts: a behavioural interactions perspective in education. Educational Psychology, 8 (1/2), pp 5 – 18
Vygotsky, L.S (1978) Mind and Soceity: The development of higher mental processes. Cambrige, MA Harvard University Press
Websites
http://www.dyslexia.com/science/results.htm cited 02/12/2013 http://www.learningrx.com/cognitive-stages-for-child-development.htm cited 06/12/2013 http://www.senmagazine.co.uk/articles/articles/senarticles/understanding-behaviour-putting-theory-into-practice citied 06/12/2013 http://www.sullivan.leon.k12.fl.us/LTT/Constructivism.html 05/12/2013

Appendix
Case Study 1 Brian is a Primary 4 Pupil who is the middle child in a family of three. His parents are divorced but the three siblings live with their Mother and their Father visits every second weekend. Within class Brian is slow at completing work and very quiet. Brian is often given uncompleted class work in addition to Homework. His mother often completes his homework as it tends to take Brian hours to complete the work set. When Brian is set work in class he often asks the teacher “What should I do first?” or “I don’t get this”. Ideally Brian would be requiring one to one help but due to financial constraints the school are unable to provide this. For one hour per week on a Friday Brian attends a Literacy specialist who takes a small number of pupils in his class for additional support. Case Study 2
Michael is a bright and popular Year 10 student who has recently had a lot of success in his favourite sport soccer. He recently got accepted into the Manchester United Sporting Excellence team and often travels long distances after school for trainings and matches. A capable student who gets by with minimal effort however, this year his grades have dropped dramatically. Whilst in History class he often disturbs other students with non-related conversation. He frequently challenges and is defiant towards the teacher; not in a non-aggressive manner but rather as entertainment and for attention. The teacher is frustrated by his disturbance of the class and in particular Michael’s friends who are compliant in his absence. He seems undaunted by the threat of further disciplinary action which the teacher is reluctant to implement for fear of losing a potentially good student to the “dark side”.
Case Study 3
Kate is a 5th Year Business Studies Student who tends to be quiet and rarely speaks within the classroom. Kate is the eldest girl in a family of four and her father owns a number of Convenience Shops of which she has a part time job. Kate is passing all her assessments and exams but the teacher feels Kate could be a top achiever in the class if she pushed herself. A number of Kate’s friend would be of lower ability within the classroom and perhaps Kate does not want to achieve high marks as she may be isolated from her peer group. After discussing the issue with other subject teachers they are attempting various ways to entice Kate to do more work within the classroom. The Teacher is about to begin a new topic module which is Marketing and has divided the class into groups.

Bibliography: Ausubel, D. P., Novak, J. D., & Hanesian, H. 1978. Educational psychology: A cognitive view (2nd ed.). New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston Barkley, R.A Bruner, J. S. 1966. Toward a theory of instruction. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press Dewey J (1916) Democracy and Education New York Mac Millan Pavlov, I. P. (1897). The Work of the Digestive Glands. London: Griffin Piaget, J Wheldall, K. and Glynn, T. (1988) Contingencies in Contexts: a behavioural interactions perspective in education. Educational Psychology, 8 (1/2), pp 5 – 18 Vygotsky, L.S (1978) Mind and Soceity: The development of higher mental processes