Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Research Journal Assignment #11c: Thesis Statement Check
I checked Dominique's and Zach's Thesis Statements
Research Journal Assignment #11b: Visual Aids
Possible Visual Aids for Research Paper: Table of Piaget's Stages of Development, Picture of Piaget's idea of conservation, Table of Vygotsky's Stages of Development in Language, Curriculum or Purpose Statements from different Schools
Research Journal Assignment #11a: Introduction
One of the most crucial concerns of the American society should be the education system, and more so now than ever, due to the incredible influx in students, "Total public school enrollment is projected to set new enrollment records each year from 2007 through 2018, reaching an estimated high of 53.9 million students in 2018" (NCES). With this massive increase in students comes an increased responsibility to train and foster these children in the most excellent way capable, not simply to ensure that each child is educated but to ensure that each child receives the best education they can. How can the schools meet the needs of their communities and students? How can schools make certain that their students are obtaining an optimum education? There are many external conditions that affect a school's capability of effectively teaching its students such as available resources, the condition of the neighborhood and family life surrounding the school, and the amount allotted to schools in each state. Most of these external forces cannot be controlled and are out of the hands of the schools. It is for this reason that it is more prudent for schools to turn their focus inward for how to better their approach. This process of refining the schools starts with the very core of the school by analyzing methods of instruction and how effective they are.
The educational process needs to be an exciting and enriching experience for students as Psychologist Jean Piaget so aptly stated, "Education for most people means trying to lead the child to resemble the typical adult of society...But for me, education means making creators...You have to make inventors, innovators, not conformists" (Piaget). In order to mold these creators that Piaget desired each school must find the appropriate teaching methods to cultivate the drive to learn in students. There are thousands of cognitive psychologists that have drawn out endless blueprints for how to best educate children but only a select few are continually referenced and cited as leaders of the field. Two of the most influential cognitive psychologists are, the before mentioned, Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky. Both of these psychologists have set the standards for the field and have made monumental discoveries into the development of learners and how best to reach students. Piaget was often referred to as the father of this field and no other theories of development were even worth mentioning in the same breath as his. Then in 1964 Vygotsky, a Russian psychologist during the Soviet era, was introduced to the western world and all of a sudden an equal to Piaget was found. While education owes much to Jean Piaget for without his initial discoveries the field would be hallow and years behind, Vygotsky offers a theory that cannot be ignored. Lev Vygotsky's theory of developmental education provides a more versatile foundation to be used in schools due to its innovative concepts of the Zone of Proximal Development, Vygotskian play, and societal impacts on development.
The educational process needs to be an exciting and enriching experience for students as Psychologist Jean Piaget so aptly stated, "Education for most people means trying to lead the child to resemble the typical adult of society...But for me, education means making creators...You have to make inventors, innovators, not conformists" (Piaget). In order to mold these creators that Piaget desired each school must find the appropriate teaching methods to cultivate the drive to learn in students. There are thousands of cognitive psychologists that have drawn out endless blueprints for how to best educate children but only a select few are continually referenced and cited as leaders of the field. Two of the most influential cognitive psychologists are, the before mentioned, Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky. Both of these psychologists have set the standards for the field and have made monumental discoveries into the development of learners and how best to reach students. Piaget was often referred to as the father of this field and no other theories of development were even worth mentioning in the same breath as his. Then in 1964 Vygotsky, a Russian psychologist during the Soviet era, was introduced to the western world and all of a sudden an equal to Piaget was found. While education owes much to Jean Piaget for without his initial discoveries the field would be hallow and years behind, Vygotsky offers a theory that cannot be ignored. Lev Vygotsky's theory of developmental education provides a more versatile foundation to be used in schools due to its innovative concepts of the Zone of Proximal Development, Vygotskian play, and societal impacts on development.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Research Journal Assignment #10b: Argument
Thesis Statement: Lev Vygotsky's theory of developmental education provides a more versatile foundation to be used in schools due to its innovative concepts of the Zone of Proximal Development, Vygotskian play throughout development, and societal impacts on development.
Reason 1: Zone of Proximal Development
Warrant: Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development provides more reason for his theory to be applied over Piaget's because the ZPD allows both for Piaget's idea of intrinsically motivated students and those that need a little aid. With the ZPD students are aided by more competent individuals, not strictly the teacher. The ZPD states that students need to be stretched outside of what their current capabilities are in order to learn the next step. The ZPD stresses continuous growth from point to point.
Reason 2: Vygotskian Paly
Warrant: Through great deals of research it has been discovered that play enhances the learning in children. As stated by Cognitive Development Psychologist Robert Mead, play teaches children how to take on the role of the "generalized other" and aids in socialization and the development of social skills in children. Vygotsky emphasizes that students learn through play for life and not only in the stages that Piaget outlines that play occurs in.
Reason 3: Societal Impacts on Development
Warrant: Education is an essential agent in the socialization of children. Vygotsky emphasized the nurture side of development in children whereas Piaget emphasized a more nature development approach. Piaget posed that development happens in distinct, age appropriate stages that occur in biologically analogous times for every child. Vygotsky however disagreed with Piaget here, Vygotsky believed that children develop in culturally different ways that change from society to society and are not confined by age or stage.
Possible Objections:
1. Piaget's idea of intrinsic motivation can be proved in school like Montesori
Refutation: Although this can be true for some students, it is not uniform and can be idealistic too often.
2. Piaget's emphasizes play just as much as Vygotsky
Refutation: Vygotsky emphasizes play to a much greater extent than Piaget and it is part of the foundation of Vygotsky's theories of development
3. Piaget's stages of development are proven
Refutation: Although Piaget's stages can be proven and tend to work for most children, they are again not uniform in their development and children develop on their own pace. Piaget did not take into account socialization as Vygotsky did, making his theory more relevant.
Research Journal Assignment #10a: Thesis Statement
Research Question: Should either Jean Piaget's or Lev Vygotsky's theory of developmental education be installed more fundamentally in schools?
Claim: The theory proposed by Lev Vygotsky is more relevant and viable in its application to school systems.
Reasons: (1) Vygotsky's idea of the Zone of Proximal Development accounts for how students are guided in their learning and compliments Piaget's idea of intrinsic motivation where it can be somewhat idealistic (2) Vygotskian Play is stressed throughout the development of learning whereas Piaget stressed it primarily in the senrsorimotor stage (3) Vygotsky's emphasis on nurture's influence on development over nature in developmental through his huge sociological focus offers a flexible and more individualized reasoning for how students develop as opposed to a set structure as Piaget proposed.
Thesis Statement: Lev Vygotsky's theory of developmental education provides a more versatile foundation to be used in schools due to its innovative concepts of the Zone of Proximal Development, Vygotskian play throughout development, and societal impacts on development.
Claim: The theory proposed by Lev Vygotsky is more relevant and viable in its application to school systems.
Reasons: (1) Vygotsky's idea of the Zone of Proximal Development accounts for how students are guided in their learning and compliments Piaget's idea of intrinsic motivation where it can be somewhat idealistic (2) Vygotskian Play is stressed throughout the development of learning whereas Piaget stressed it primarily in the senrsorimotor stage (3) Vygotsky's emphasis on nurture's influence on development over nature in developmental through his huge sociological focus offers a flexible and more individualized reasoning for how students develop as opposed to a set structure as Piaget proposed.
Thesis Statement: Lev Vygotsky's theory of developmental education provides a more versatile foundation to be used in schools due to its innovative concepts of the Zone of Proximal Development, Vygotskian play throughout development, and societal impacts on development.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Research Journal Assingment #9: Evaluation of Sources
Resource Evaluated: The Guardian (Newspaper based in the UK)
Writer Evaluated: Diane Hofkins
Conclusions: The Guardian does seem to be a legitimate and trustworthy source as a periodical. It is a nationally published newspaper which has existed since 1821. It now publishes the Guardian weekly, which is a compilation of four newspapers. It historically has a slight liberal lean to it.
Diane Hofkins is the chief editor of the Times Educational Supplement, which is a weekly publication covering education in the UK. She is a professional journalist and writes primarily in the field of education. She seems like a qualified source and on her own page provides real contact information which adds to her credibility. I could not find anything about her educational experiences but I would still mark her as a credible author in her field.
Resource Evaluated: Piaget's Theories Applied to an Early Elementary Curriculum (book)
Author Evaluated: Celia Lavatelli
Conclusions: The book written by Lavatelli was published by an Education publisher called Delta Education. Delta Education is a company dedicated to providing hands on learning experiences in the classroom to schools and it was founded by former teachers with PhD's. The website also provides an actual physical address in New Hampshire for Delta. With all this information provided by Delta Education I would assume that the book published by Lavatelli is a legitimate source.
After researching Lavatelli herself I only found more evidence to back up my support of this source. Lavatelli was a professor of elementary and early childhood education. She was also a consultant to educators and schools. She worked personally with Jean Piaget himself and is a member of the APA and many prestigious educational associations. Lavatelli is definitely a trustworthy source.
Resource Evaluated: Simply Psychology (website)
Writer Evaluated: No Specific Author to the page, probably a collaboration on the information that Simply Psychology has collected as a whole.
Conclusions: The information given on this website is extremely helpful and well presented. I read about the website and discovered that it is a site set up to help college students understand all the different kinds of psychology and the psychologists that have helped shape each field. It also provides information into research methods, social psychology, and psychoanalysis. My overall opinion is that the site is a legitimate academic source but I would like to see more information about its authors and who posts information on it.
Resource Evaluated:Adults Learning
Writer Evaluated: Teresa Cairns
Conclusions: After looking up Adults Learning I was redirected to the American Association for Adult and Continued Learning, which is an association dedicated to the continued and sustained learning of adults. The website for the association had a good deal of information on the purpose of the association and its founders, who are all very legitimate and each have masters degrees or PhD's and contact information. The Association actually has a physical address, which is also key in proving legitimacy. Although its website may not have been all too informative or interactive, I would categorize the American Association for Adult and Continued Learning as an expert source in the educational development exhibited into adulthood.
After looking into the writer herself, Teresa Cairns, I have confirmed that she is a reliable source. She is most certainly a reliable source in the field of adult education at the least. Cairns is the covenor of learning at the Sussex University in the UK and coordinates staff in the Center for Continuing Education. Her personal information page provided background information and credible contact information to reveal the validity of her page. Although I am looking more into the educational development of children, looking at the continued education of adults might be useful and Cairns would be a credible source for which to refer to if I decided to pull anything from this area.
Resource Evaluated: Parallel Paths to Constructivism: Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky
Author Evaluated: Susan Pass
Conclusions: After looking into the book and its publisher I found that it was published by Information Age Publishing. IAP is a social science publisher of academic and scholarly book series and journals. IAP is striving to define and add body to many ideas that have previously lacked deeper research. There was also a physical address involved and contact information. This means that the book published was published by a legitimate academic source.
After I looked after information on Susan Pass I found valuable information about her academic standing. I did not find a ton of information on Pass herself but I did find her name referenced in quite a few sources, with one very viable source in particular ERIC, the Education Resource Information Center. Although I did not find too much on Susan Pass seeing her name referenced and reviewed often led me to believe that she is a legitimate source but I would have to read her actual work first in order to truly get a feel for whether I would cite her works or not.
Resource Evaluated:The Teaching of Young Children: Some Application of Piaget's Learning Theory
Author Evaluated: R. Bott
Conclusions: I found that the book was published by Schocken Books which is a publishing company that has been around since 1931 in Berlin. The book was also referenced in ERIC, which once again adds more credibility to the source.
After looking into the author of the book, I found that John R. Bott wrote for the New York Times for 37 years and was its editor for 17 of those years. He was a well published journalist and author and is most likely viable and trustworthy in his works.
Writer Evaluated: Diane Hofkins
Conclusions: The Guardian does seem to be a legitimate and trustworthy source as a periodical. It is a nationally published newspaper which has existed since 1821. It now publishes the Guardian weekly, which is a compilation of four newspapers. It historically has a slight liberal lean to it.
Diane Hofkins is the chief editor of the Times Educational Supplement, which is a weekly publication covering education in the UK. She is a professional journalist and writes primarily in the field of education. She seems like a qualified source and on her own page provides real contact information which adds to her credibility. I could not find anything about her educational experiences but I would still mark her as a credible author in her field.
Resource Evaluated: Piaget's Theories Applied to an Early Elementary Curriculum (book)
Author Evaluated: Celia Lavatelli
Conclusions: The book written by Lavatelli was published by an Education publisher called Delta Education. Delta Education is a company dedicated to providing hands on learning experiences in the classroom to schools and it was founded by former teachers with PhD's. The website also provides an actual physical address in New Hampshire for Delta. With all this information provided by Delta Education I would assume that the book published by Lavatelli is a legitimate source.
After researching Lavatelli herself I only found more evidence to back up my support of this source. Lavatelli was a professor of elementary and early childhood education. She was also a consultant to educators and schools. She worked personally with Jean Piaget himself and is a member of the APA and many prestigious educational associations. Lavatelli is definitely a trustworthy source.
Resource Evaluated: Simply Psychology (website)
Writer Evaluated: No Specific Author to the page, probably a collaboration on the information that Simply Psychology has collected as a whole.
Conclusions: The information given on this website is extremely helpful and well presented. I read about the website and discovered that it is a site set up to help college students understand all the different kinds of psychology and the psychologists that have helped shape each field. It also provides information into research methods, social psychology, and psychoanalysis. My overall opinion is that the site is a legitimate academic source but I would like to see more information about its authors and who posts information on it.
Resource Evaluated:Adults Learning
Writer Evaluated: Teresa Cairns
Conclusions: After looking up Adults Learning I was redirected to the American Association for Adult and Continued Learning, which is an association dedicated to the continued and sustained learning of adults. The website for the association had a good deal of information on the purpose of the association and its founders, who are all very legitimate and each have masters degrees or PhD's and contact information. The Association actually has a physical address, which is also key in proving legitimacy. Although its website may not have been all too informative or interactive, I would categorize the American Association for Adult and Continued Learning as an expert source in the educational development exhibited into adulthood.
After looking into the writer herself, Teresa Cairns, I have confirmed that she is a reliable source. She is most certainly a reliable source in the field of adult education at the least. Cairns is the covenor of learning at the Sussex University in the UK and coordinates staff in the Center for Continuing Education. Her personal information page provided background information and credible contact information to reveal the validity of her page. Although I am looking more into the educational development of children, looking at the continued education of adults might be useful and Cairns would be a credible source for which to refer to if I decided to pull anything from this area.
Resource Evaluated: Parallel Paths to Constructivism: Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky
Author Evaluated: Susan Pass
Conclusions: After looking into the book and its publisher I found that it was published by Information Age Publishing. IAP is a social science publisher of academic and scholarly book series and journals. IAP is striving to define and add body to many ideas that have previously lacked deeper research. There was also a physical address involved and contact information. This means that the book published was published by a legitimate academic source.
After I looked after information on Susan Pass I found valuable information about her academic standing. I did not find a ton of information on Pass herself but I did find her name referenced in quite a few sources, with one very viable source in particular ERIC, the Education Resource Information Center. Although I did not find too much on Susan Pass seeing her name referenced and reviewed often led me to believe that she is a legitimate source but I would have to read her actual work first in order to truly get a feel for whether I would cite her works or not.
Resource Evaluated:The Teaching of Young Children: Some Application of Piaget's Learning Theory
Author Evaluated: R. Bott
Conclusions: I found that the book was published by Schocken Books which is a publishing company that has been around since 1931 in Berlin. The book was also referenced in ERIC, which once again adds more credibility to the source.
After looking into the author of the book, I found that John R. Bott wrote for the New York Times for 37 years and was its editor for 17 of those years. He was a well published journalist and author and is most likely viable and trustworthy in his works.
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