Evaluating Discipline-based Goals and Educational Outcomes in

Developmental PsychologyAnne L. Law

Department of PsychologyRider University

Developmental Psychology

• Sophomore level course• Required for all Education & Special

Education majors• Chosen as a major requirement by most

psychology majors• Class size 35-40

Chronic Dilemmas

• Student performance and morale• Student effort not matched by performance• High level of student disengagement• Amount of material to cover during one semester• Seeming incoherence across topics• Creating coherence between students’ future goals

and course content

Challenge of translating knowledge as acquired by disciplinary practices into knowledge to be used by “consumers”

Experience with Assignment Design Based on Disciplinary Practice

Examples of Earlier Efforts:•Observational exercises or other types of data collection•Reading and analyzing research articles•Reading and critiquing popular articles

Problems with these sorts of assignments:•Frequent substitution of personal experience as evidence•Narrow exposure to developmental phenomena•Difficulty connecting observation (or other data) to existing research

Goals of Course Revision

• Introduce students to discipline-based methods of inquiry relevant to their future

• Introduce students to the range of research conducted by developmental psychologists

• Include specific mechanisms to improve critical thinking

• Include opportunities to “practice” informed decision making

Inquiry-based Pedagogy

• A pedagogical strategy that uses significant, real-world problems as devices for students to encounter and use foundational, disciplinary knowledge

• Typically involves: access to a broad range of resources, collaborative research teams, instruction through facilitation of problem solving

Inquiry-based Activities• Students are randomly assigned to teams of 3-4• Each team is assigned to a problem• Teams use web and print resources to assemble a source

base• Students create answers for their problems using relevant

sources• Problem solutions are organized into a powerpoint

presentation• Each group posts their presentation to Blackboard• All students view all presentations and participate in a

virtual discussion

Students working in project teams

Student Assessment & Course Goals

• Daily Log – each team evaluates their progress and identifies any needs

Helps me monitor progress and act as facilitator • Project Reviews – teams are partnered and conduct an

evaluation of one other projectUse growing understanding of content area to critically

evaluate • Blackboard Dialog – all students review and comment

on every projectCreates exposure to entire area of content

Creation of Problems

• Coherent division of content – several weeks of course coverage

• Identification of significant subtopics within one unit

• Creation of problems that could be solved using relevant content

• Entire set of problems accesses total content to be covered

• Specify meaningful audience for each problem

Cognitive DevelopmentSet of problems would include:• Theories of Cognition • Developmental change• Integration with social and emotional development• Individual Differences• Cultural Practices

Problem #10: By the end of elementary school children have developed distinct meta-memory skills. Their understanding of their own attention, memory, and problem-solving provides the necessary preparation for advancing to more complex and independent learning. You have been hired as a consultant to an after-school program for 5th and 6th graders. What advice would you give the staff to evaluate the meta-memory skills of these children? What activities would you propose that would strengthen both information processing and children’s understanding of their own cognition?

Sample of student presentation Illustrating key features of

assignment

• Problem redefinition• Organization of key concepts• Use of information to solve problem• Types of resources chosen

Metamemory

• Cognitive: The mental process or ability by which knowledge is acquired.

• Metamemory: Understanding of memory as cognitive process– An aspect of metacognition refers to the understanding of memory as a

process.– Ability to asses one’s own memory characteristics and limitations, the

demands made by different memory tasks and strategies likely to benefit memory

– Ability to monitor the contents of one’s own memory and to make decisions about how to designate cognitive resources

• Ex: “have I memorized everything fully“– Begins to emerge and improve during middle school

Processing Approach:• Multistore models: Information processing model that describes a

sequence of mental structures through which information flows. Passing– Ex: Like data passing through a computer

• Sensory Store: Memory store that holds information for very brief of time in a form that closely resembles the initial input

• Working memory: Short-term memory store in which mental operations such as rehearsal and categorization take place

• Long-term memory: Memory that holds information for extended periods of time.

Paying Attention• Attention: First step in cognitive processing and is a critical phase.

Research evidence corroborates that children who have greater attention spans and persistence in tasks have higher IQ scores, and achievement in school.

• Older children are much more likely than younger to children to ignore information irrelevant or distracts from some central activity or problem.

Problem-Solving skills • One of the most important cognitive skills is the ability to solve problems.

There are many reasons why children will need to solve problems whether they are completing an analogy, computing an arithmetic solution, and many more, or just in every day life . There are steps to help peoplesolve them: – 1. Planning the steps to the solution of the problem– 2. Attend to the portions of the problem that are relevant to its solution– 3. Select from a number of strategies to help you achieve your goal – 4. Test the strategy to see if it works if it does, use this new knowledge to apply to

other similar contexts.

Activities To Evaluate Metamemory

• Microgenetic Approach– Examining a child’s

performance while she is engaged in a cognitive task, making note of any changes in behaviors that occur from trial to trial.

• Tests: helps evaluate long term and short term memory– Multiple Choice– True/False– Fill in the blank

• Flashcards: repetition of flashcards helps memory– Definitions for any

subject– Recalling memory

Bibliography• Bukatko, Danuta, Marvin Daehler. Child Development. New

York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2001.• After School and Other “Out-of-School” Programs.

www.aed.org/youth_atterschool.html• K-12 Program of Studies. • www.newalbany.k12.oh.us/curriculum/grade5.htm• Language Development.

www.wiu.edu/users/mfeam/midchild1.htm• Performance and Metamemory: Do Students Know What

They Don’t Know? 2002. EBSCO Publishing. www.library.rider.edu/databases/

Student presentation illustrating:

• Creative problem definition & solution• Breadth of problem areas and potential

solutions• Goal-directed nature of problem solving

You are preparing a briefing for the UN on cognitive development and how nations should respond to children’s needs regarding their cognitive development. The delegates will want to know something about the universal aspects of cognitive development- what could u tell them about this? However specific cultural practices influence cognitive development-tell them about this as well. Choose whether you will emphasize universal aspects of cognitive development of emphasize the influence f specific aspects of culture on cognitive development

Cognitive Development

• Communication• Nutrition• Up-bringing

Korean VS American

LanguageDefinition- Speech of one people as distinguished from that of others; specialized words or phrases of a certain trade

•Mothers use more verb and action sequence when speaking to their child

•Mothers use more nouns and ask questions that require a nominal for an answer

Conclusion- While American children can distinguish different nouns better; Korean children can distinguish the actions that are associated with those nouns

ExpressionDefinition- To make oneself known in words or actions

Chinese VS American

•Able to identify fearful and sad situations

•Are less likely to smile

•And are less likely to cry

•Tend to be more outgoing and sociable

•Eager to interact with the environment

•Frequently smile

Conclusion- Children of different cultures are apt to show varying patterns of emotional reactions to the same situation

Perception Philippines United StatesChildren that live in

a non carpentered world can distinguish the lines as equal in the Muller-Lyer Illusion, but due to less formal education they cannot understand depth cues shown in 3-D photos or artwork

Children that live in a carpentered world cannot distinguish the lines as equal in the Muller-Lyer Illusion, but due to better formal education they understand depth cues shown in 3-D photos or artwork much better

Muller-Lyer Illusion

• Introduce students to discipline-based methods of inquiry relevant to their future

Solutions reflect use of discipline-based discourse and value of empirically-derived conclusions

• Introduce students to the range of research conducted by developmental psychologists

Use of internet resources makes available wide array of resources

Review of Course Goals

•Include specific mechanisms to improve critical thinking

Peer evaluation, comparison of textbook account with problem solution, reduces reliance on personal experience

•Include opportunities to “practice” informed decision making

Specification of audience, applied or practical nature of problem

Outcomes

• Risks inconsistent coverage of content• Introduces new student dissatisfactions Increased

student engagement with course content• Increased student interaction with each other and

with instructor• Illustrates the value of scientific inquiry into

human development• Emphasizes future value of research on human

development

For the Future

• Evaluate critical thinking outcomes• Review and revise problems • Create improved assessment that reflects

learning of all content• Improve balance of group and individual

work