The Psych Files Podcast » Teaching Tools

Episode 84: How To Make Learning Fun Again Part 1 – Piaget

Michael — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 19:51:51 +0000

: Image via Wikipedia

Can we make learning as fun as it was when you were a child? We can. Listen to Dr. Eugene Geist as he explains the cognitive development theories of Jean Piaget and you'll understand why we are all geared to learn. We actively seek out learning experiences. How can we keep that excitement alive? Find out in this episode and in the episodes to follow as we examine ideas such as constructivism, problem-based learning, inquiry-based learning and democratic schools. This episode will also be helpful if you need to learn the different stages of Piaget’s theory of cognitive development.

The principle goal of education is to create men who are capable of doing new things, not simply of repeating what other generations have done. — Jean Piaget (1896-1980) Swiss cognitive psychologist.

Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development

Sensorimotor

Approximate ages: 0-2
An understanding of object permanence is achieved at the conclusion of this stage
When a child’s expectations of what is supposed to happen are not met, confusion disequalibrium results.
Confusion disequalibrtum can be resolved through assimilation in which you try to fit the new information into with what you already know
Confusion disequalibrium can also be resolved through accommodation in which you create a new “folder”", a new category in your brain’s understanding of the world.
Learning is an active process. Our understanding of the world becomes more complex – a :building process: (thus the term constructivism).

Pre-operational

Approximate ages: 2-6
Pre-logical thinking – children think intuitively
Children can use symbols
Ego-centrism lessons at the end of this phase
Still believe in Santa Claus
conservation tasks are difficult to solve

Concrete Operations

Approximate ages: 7-12
Children like to have more logical explanations at this age
Manipulatives are helpful in the learning process
Can think logically and a little bit abstractly, but not well with hypothetical situations

Formal Operations

Approximate ages: 7-12
Characterized by a more free flowing logic
Can deal with hypothetical situations

Key point of Piaget: children are not empty vessels as the behaviorists might say. Instead, they interact with their world because they want to learn.

And, because I couldn’t help it:

Episode 76: Lost at School – An Interview with Dr. Ross Green Part 1

Michael — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 10:58:51 +0000

Image via WikipediaLooking for alternatives to timeout in the classroom? Dr. Ross Green, author of The Explosive Child, has just published his second book, “Lost at School” in which he shows how the principles of Collaborative Problem Solving can be used by teachers and other caregivers in school settings. If timeout hasn’t worked for you as a parent or teacher, and especially if you’re a teacher dealing with “problem kids”, then you should look into Collaborative Problem Solving. Join me for another fascinating interview with Dr. Ross Green.

Resources for this Episode

Zero Tolerance Policies: in this interview, Dr. Green and I briefly discuss our doubts about the effectiveness of zero tolerance policies in schools. A recent publication in the journal American Psychologist confirms these doubts. From the abstract of “Are zero tolerance policies effective in the schools?: An evidentiary review and recommendations” by the American Psychological Association Zero Tolerance Task Force (December 2008, Volume 63):

…zero tolerance policies may negatively affect the relationship of education with juvenile justice and appear to conflict to some degree with current best knowledge concerning adolescent development. To address the needs of schools for discipline that can maintain school safety while maximizing student opportunity to learn, the report offers recommendations for both reforming zero tolerance where its implementation is necessary and for alternative practice to replace zero tolerance where a more appropriate approach is indicated.

Psychology Research Methods: Check Out “The Mappr”!

Michael — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 19:08:49 +0000

Taking a psychology class? Confused about Research Methods? Let me know what you think of a new tool I built which I call the "MAPPR". That stands for "Make A Personal Psych Review" (best name I could come up with). Here’s what it does: I’ve selected a typical topic from an Intro Psych course: the scientific method (might be referred to as Research Methods in your textbook) and I chose what I think are the bold terms that most students of psychology would have to learn from the chapter on this topic. I put these terms into a concept map and then recorded my own explanations for what these terms mean. Then (not done yet) I put the concept map and the audio files into a small online application which allows you to choose only those terms you find difficult or which you want to review. So: on the map you click the terms you want to review and then click the "Play" button and hear my explanation of those terms. It’s probably best to check it out yourself.

Let me know what you think!

Click here to go to the MAPPR

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In case you want to download the map itself, click on the image below and then print out or download the jpg image on the next screen.

Video Walkthrough: Setting up a Blog, uploading audio, and using RSS

Michael — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 11:12:45 +0000

If you’re interested in how to set up a blog, how to post audio files to the web, and how to use RSS and iTunes to let students know about new audio, I created a video walkthrough which shows how all this is done. Maybe you’ll find this helpful.

Some of this information on how and why to create educational blogs and podcasts can be found in this article I wrote for the PsychTeacher discussion list. A PowerPoint presentation of some of these ideas can also be found on that page.

Episode 22: The Brains Behind Erikson Part 1 – Timeliner

Michael — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 18:55:33 +0000

I decided that it was time to look at the biology behind the changes that occur in our lives as we grow. As I put my ideas together to do this, I employed a very neat program called Timeliner. It is so cool in fact that I decided to do an episode solely on how to use Timeliner, especially the tool called “merge”. If you are an educator I think you’ll find this episode interesting. It shows how to use Timeliner to compare timelines that focus on different aspects of life – in this case I merge Erikson’s stages with significant events in my life and then with some of the significant the physical changes that occur in everyone’s life as we age. In part 2 I’ll talk more about these changes, but in this episode I just wanted to share how great a program Timeliner is. This is an uncompensated endorsement of this great program. I wanted to share how this program could be an example of what Jonnassen calls a “mindtool”. Hope you find this interesting.

Resources for this podcast

Go to the Tom Snyder Productions website where you can purchase Timeliner and explore development across the lifespan.
I mention Jonassen in the podcast. Here is a link to his text on mindtools.

Related Episodes

Other information on Erikson can be found in these podcasts:

Interviews with individuals in the different stages of Erikson’s model can be found in episode 21.
Part 2 of this series on Erikson’s stages can be found in episode 24.
Part 3 of this series on Erikson’s stages can be found in episode 25.