Education 232

Introduction to Learning

Spring Quarter, 2001

Professors: Arnetha Ball, James Greeno, Kenji Hakuta

Teaching Assistant: Melissa Sommerfeld

MW 9:00 - 10:50

Cubberley 334

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course will cover theoretical perspectives and results of research on learning, emphasizing principles that can inform design and study of learning environments, including teaching and curriculum activities and resources. Issues that are considered include a brief history of the development of currently influential conceptualizations of learning, learning by individuals and groups who differ in gender or in cultural and social backgrounds, the generality of learning outcomes, relations between the growth of conceptual understanding and cognitive skill, learning considered as becoming a more effective participant in social practices, and ways of assessing learning.

GRADING POLICY

Attendance is required. It is important that each class member come to every class session on time and prepared to play an active role in the class. If an absence is unavoidable, please contact the course TA or instructor by e-mail or telephone to let them know that you will not be in class. Please prepare for each class lecture, discussion and small group activity by completing all of the assigned readings. This preparation will enable you to participate fully in group discussions and activities. Participation is essential to your own learning and the learning of others. Small group work will sometimes consist of jigsaw discussion groups and presenting your case study findings to the group. Attendance and participation will count up to 20% of the total grade.

Study Groups: One of the best learning practices to help you succeed in graduate school is to interact with colleagues and to use peers as resources for your own learning. In this class, we ask that you become a part of a study group that meets regularly outside of class. The purpose of the study group is to provide a forum for further discussion of the readings and support for the development of your case projects. We ask that you let us know by the second week of class who is in your study group and when you plan to meet. Finally, students will be required to turn in a 5 to 10 page write up paper that responds to the task presented in each of the 3 case studies presented in the course. These papers should be typed and double spaced. Each Case Study write up is worth 30% of your grade. Criteria for grading will be given out when each case study is introduced to the class. Please note that the due dates for the case write-ups are: April 18, May 23, and June 6.

Course Texts:

Date
Topic
Readings
Apr. 4 (W) Introduction and Opening Lecture, "Framework for a Consideration of Cognition and Learning" (JG) Follow-up reading: Greeno, J., Collins, A. & Resnick, L., Cognition and Learning. In D. Berliner & R. Calfee (eds.), Handbook of Educational Psychology.
Apr. 9 (M)

Lecture/Discussion: Mind and Brain (KH)

Click here to download powerpoint presentation from class. (warning: this is a large file).
  1. BB&C: Ch. 5 (pp. 102-115)
  2. Pinker, S. How the mind works. Chapter 1.

Optional and Fun Readings from New York Review of Books
Apr. 11 (W) Introduction to Case #1: Brain-based Education. (KH)
Case #1 Materials
Apr. 16 (M) Draft Presentation and Critique of Case #1  
Apr. 18 (W) Revised Presentation of Case #1.  
Apr. 23 (M) Lecture/Discussion: Language,Cognitive and Domain-specific Conceptual Development.(KH).
  1. BB&C, Ch. 4

JIGSAW READINGS

  1. Bruner, J. S. (1975). The ontogenesis of speech acts. Journal of Child Language, pp. 1-19.
  2. Heath, S. B. (1983). Ways with words. Chapter 3: Learning how to talk in Trackton. Cambridge University Press.
  3. Pinker, S. (1994). The language instinct. Chapter 2: Chatterboxes. William Morrow.
Apr. 25 (W) Lecture/Discussion: Schemata in understanding, memory, and learning. (JG)
  1. BB&C: Chapter 2, "How experts differ from novices."
  2. Kintsch, W. (1998). Comprehension: A paradigm for cognition. Chapter 4, "Modeling comprehension processes: The construction-integration model" (pp. 93-120).
  3. Kintsch, W. (1994). Text comprehension, memory, and learning. American Psychologist, 49, 294-303.
Apr. 30 (M) Lecture/Discussion: Problem solving and learning cognitive skills.(JG)
  1. BB&C: Chapter 3. "Learning and transfer."
  2. Anderson, J. R. (1985). Cognitive psychology and its implications. Chapter 8, "Problem solving" (pp. 198-231), and Chapter 9, "Development of expertise" (pp. 232-260. Required to read pp. 232-250.)
May 2 (W) Lecture/Discussion: Understanding and learning concepts.(JG)
  1. BB&C. Chapter 7, "Effective teaching: Examples in history, mathematics, and science."
  2. Smith, J. P. III, diSessa, A. A. & Roschelle, J. (1993). Misconceptions reconceived: A constructivist analylsis of knowledge in transition. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 3, 115-163. (Required to read pp. 115-131, 145-154.)

Thoughts in preparing for the class:

  1. Formulate an educational aim (a "standard") involving conceptual understanding.
  2. How would we know ("assess") whether that aim was achieved? i.e., what might be an "understanding performance"?
  3. What are some intuitions that (you conjecture) students have that could be recruited to gain this understanding?

For discussion: How does understanding relate to comprehension? to skill? to participating in a discussion? a community?
May 7 (M) Lecture/Discussion: Teacher Learning and Professional Development(AB)
  1. BB&C: Chapter 8: "Teacher Learning.".

JIGSAW READINGS

  1. Michigan State University and The Center for Teaching Policy. (2000). Teacher preparation research: Recommendations and priorities for the future.
  2. Brown, A. L. and Greeno, J. G. (1999). Teachers' professional development. In Recommendations regarding research priorities: An advisory report to the National Education Research Policy and Priorities Board. NY: National Academy of Education. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education and the Office of Educational Research and Improvement.
Case #2 Materials
May 9 (W) Lecture/Discussion: Internalization & Higher Order Teaching Skills (AB)
  1. Tharp, R. G., & Gallimore, R. (1988). The internalization of higher order teaching skills. In Rousing minds to life: Teaching, learning, and schooling in social context. New York: Cambridge University Press.
  2. Wertsch, J. V., & Stone, C. A. (1985). The concept of internalization in Vygotsky's account of the genesis of higher mental functions. In J. V. Wertsch (Ed.), Culture, communication, and cognition: Vygotskian Perspectives (pp. 162-182). Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press.
May 14 (M) Lecture/Discussion: Activity Theory & Teacher Learning (AB)
  1. Leont'ev, A. N. (1981). The problem of activity in psychology. In J. Wertsch (Ed.), The concept of activity in Soviet psychology (pp. 37-71) (actually from Voprosy filosofi, 1972, No. 9, pp. 95-108). Armonk, NY: Sharpe.
  2. Ball, A.F. (2000). Preparing teachers for diversity: Lessons learned from the U.S. and South Africa. Teaching and Teacher Education,16, 491- 509. Special Issue on Preparing Teachers for Diversity.
May 16 (W) Introduction to Case #2: Teacher Learning & Professional Development (AB)
  1. Ball, A.F. (2000). Preservice teachers' perspectives on literacy and its use in urban schools: A Vygotskian perspective on internal activity and teacher change. In C. Lee & P. Smagorinsky (Eds.), Worlds of meaning: Vygotskian perspectives on literacy research, pp. 314-359. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge Press.

JIGSAW READINGS

  1. Wiest, L. R. (1998). Using immersion experiences to shake up preservice teachers' views about cultural differences. Journal of Teacher Education 49(5), 358-366.
  2. Roberts, S. K. (1998). Using literature study groups to construct meaning in an undergraduate reading course. Journal of Teacher Education 49(5), 366-372.
  3. Keatting, J., et al., (1998). A collaborative action research model for teacher preparation programs. Journal of Teacher Education 49(5), 381-390.
  4. Herman, W. E. (1998). Promoting pedagogical reasoning as preservice teachers analyze case vignettes. Journal of Teacher Education 49(5), 391-399.
Case #2 Materials
May 21 (M) Work on Case #2.  
May 23 (W) Presentation of Case #2.  
May 28 (M) Holiday  
May 30 (W) Introduction to Case #3: Assessment (JG)
Case #3 Materials
Jun. 4 (M) Work on Case #3.

See the brilliant, dynamic class working hard on Case 3! Click here for the breathtaking photos!
Jun. 6 (W) Presentation of Case #3.
Greeno Team Case #3 Solution

 

 

 

(This leaves out BB&C's chapter 4, called "How children learn," which is actually about early cognitive development. It seems to me that Ch. 7, although it focuses on teaching, is better for us, as it focuses on concepts in the curriculum. Or maybe Kenji is planning to have them read Ch. 4 for one of his classes.)