National Louis University, EPs 511, Dr. Martha evans

Classroom Analysis Project

Cognitive Development: Application of Information Processing Theory in the Classroom

Stuart J. Walker

11/4/2011

This paper contains an introduction, recorded scripts of the dialogue, actions, and activities in three different math classrooms all taught by the same teacher, a summary of Information Processing (IP) theory, analysis of IP theory applied in the classrooms, and a conclusion.

Introduction

Saints Peter and Paul is a private suburban Catholic school (K-8) located in Cary, IL. The Principal is Sister Katrina Lampkin. She absolutely runs the show there. She has been the primary force in instilling a culture of high expectations and high standards. My kids attend this school, one in 1st grade and the other in 5th grade. Total school population is about 550 students, mostly white boys and girls. There are a few Black and Hispanic students, but their percentage is very small. The school is kept in immaculate condition. A Fair Ability to Pay tuition system has been instituted so that students from poorer families can still attend the school. The more well-off families are encouraged to pay more than the stated tuition rate for the year.

The students wear uniforms. A cooperative community has been forged in the school with older kids helping younger kids, e.g., book, bus, and field trip buddies. A 6th, 7th, or 8th grader is assigned a Kindergarten through 2nd grade student to read with them, to make sure they are getting on the right bus at the beginning of the school year, and to accompany them on field trips to help guide the younger kids’ learning. Also, many parents readily volunteer to help at the school. Last year, I volunteered to help in the computer lab. This helps the school to control costs. The teachers do not get paid much compared to their public school counterparts, yet it is readily apparent that they are there for the love of teaching children in a Catholic environment. I have witnessed this with every teacher my children have had.

The school principal did not allow me to use a recording device in the classroom because she thought that she would first need to get permission from each student’s parent. So my scripts are not word for word, because I could not keep up with every comment, question or statement made. However, I think I captured enough dialogue to be sufficient for the purpose of IP Theory analysis.

The classes that I observed contained all white boys and girls. I observed four instructional periods taught by Mrs. Friend (one 6th grade math and three 8th grade Algebra classes), who is also a 6th grade homeroom teacher. I observed four instructional periods taught by Mrs. Tapley (two 6th grade pre-algebra classes, one 7th grade Algebra class, and one 8th grade Geometry class). She teaches the higher achieving students strictly in math classes, 3rd through 8th grade, with no homeroom duties. In reviewing the scripts I have for all eight instructional sessions, I noticed no significant differences in the dialogues/”give and take” between students and teachers, Mrs. Tapley and Mrs. Friend. The only noticeable difference was in Mrs. Friend’s 8th grade Algebra class, where Adam tended to talk a lot, sometimes inciting other students to talk also; this required the teacher to regularly tell Adam and/or the other students to be quiet. (Adam will be one of two subjects for my Project #2). So, for the sake of avoiding too much repetition and too many variables, I decided to streamline my analysis using IP Theory by focusing on three of Mrs. Tapley’s classes (one 6th grade Pre-Algebra, one 7th grade Algebra, and one 8th grade Geometry), keeping in mind to try to discern any difference between the grades in the context of IP theory.

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Script #1

Where: Mrs. Tapley’s math classroom

Subject: 8th grade Geometry

Students: 17 white boys and girls clustered in groups of three to five.

When: Tuesday, October 25th, 2011: 10:54 – 11:38 a.m.

(T = Teacher, S = Student)

(Students enter room mostly quiet with a few talking to each other. They quiet down once teacher starts talking.)

T: Verbalizes objectives for the class today. We will talk about homework. Then review for Thursday with study guide—don’t have to turn in. She looks in book. “Looks like Algebra--slopes of lines.” She draws on board then calls on Frank. If these are parallel lines, what’s the slope of both lines?

Frank: What question are we on?

T: You need to pay attention. What type of line?

Drew: Horizontal lines means zero slope and undefined.

T: Not quite.

Drew: Just zero slope.

T: Yes. We are going through odd answers from book.

T: Ben, parallel lines?

Ben: Slopes are the same.

T: How about perpendicular lines?

S: Struggles to describe.

T: Make it simple for me. Product of slopes = -1.

T: In #35, value is 13. Anyone need to see?

Nick: Yes.

T: Writes on board (6, 2) and (x, -1), m= -3/7.

Jim: Explains his procedure to solve.

T: Any other ways?

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Drew: Explains point slope form (-1-2)/(x-6) = -3/7 x-6 = 7 x = 13.

T: Does anyone want to do cross products? Lucas?

Lucas: No, but would like to see #17.

T: Writes on board and explains. What is slope, Lucas?

Lucas: I don’t know.

T: m = -1/2, m = 1/2 so lines are not parallel.

T: Product does not = -1 so not perpendicular.

T: What do you know about these lines? Not parallel, not perpendicular, but intersect.

Nicholas: Can you do cross products on last one?

T: Does on board and explains. Other questions? Then I would like a pile of your homework. She walks around and collects homework while a student hands out study guide #1 on postulates and theorems.

T: Now what is a postulate?

Drew: Explains in lengthy way (I couldn’t hear everything he said). He finally says, “It’s so common that we don’t question it.”

Theresa: It is a statement that is true.

T: Yes, we don’t have to prove them.

S: (Gets up to get a drink from water fountain)

T: You need to know 5 of 7 postulates.

S: Asks question about postulates.

Lucas: Asks question about test.

T: Who can answer?

Nick: Need to know 5 of 7 with concepts and wording.

T: Why concepts and wording?

Jill: Answers correctly. (I couldn’t hear her answer completely).

T: What would be a good bonus question?

Drew: offers.

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Nick: offers.

Jill: offers.

Another S: Create your own postulate!

Arie: Gives close answer.

T: Frank?

Frank: Do proof.

T: Yes! What besides writing proofs? Writes on board graph of two parallel lines intersected by a diagonal line. Using our postulates and theorems, we will need for standardized tests.

T: Jim, what didn’t you want?

Jim: two column proofs.

T: If you can do two column proofs, then you can do paragraph proofs.

T: Questions for Thursday? OK, put pencils down. I want to talk about your Algebra review that is due 11/3.

T: How do I calculate square root of 3 by hand? It would take forever to do this by hand.

Drew: What’s opposite of prime? Oh, composite.

T: But could be prime, composite, or neither.

T: How will you spend next 5 minutes? Homework! What’s homework for tomorrow?

(Nobody answers. Lots of chattering.)

T: p. 164 due tomorrow, mid-chapter review.

T: To Drew, “How do you feel about Thursday?” (Could not understand Drew’s response). She walks around to gauge students’ comfort level with material.

Other Students: collaborating on homework problems.

T: to Nick, “you know concepts, just have to get words right.”

Other students: Group of 3 boys ready to go, not doing homework, start doing a little unobtrusive song and dance at their desks.

(bell rings.)

T: Upstairs to prayer!

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Script #2

Where: Mrs. Tapley’s math classroom

Subject: 7th grade Algebra

Students: 23 white boys and girls clustered in groups of three to five.

When: Tuesday, October 4th, 2011: 9:25 – 10:10 a.m.

(T = Teacher, S = Student)

T: OK, we will work on mixture problems today! But first I will hand back assessments. You hand in homework. Stay silent and focus. No more talking. (She says with an even tone of voice exhibiting no annoyance). A few students keep talking, however.

(I notice sign on wall that says 1) “Expect to be accepted for who you are” and 2) “Impossible only defines the degree of difficulty”)

T: Elliott, please help pick up assignments.

Jack: Asks about assessment question and score.

T: Lost sign so lost ½ point.

S: Please work out #20.

T: What variable are we solving for?

S: “n”

T: Writes on board (2n+6)/5 = 13. When you solve you go backwards. A lot of mistakes on this one. Asks Katie many questions about this problem. ( I didn’t have time to write them down).

S: Please work out #12.

T: What am I solving for? Asks more questions, explains steps, and asks more questions. “Work order of operations backwards.”

Eric: #15 please

T: 15 is a little different: 7n – 11 + 3n = 10n – 1. What’s different?

S: It can be simplified first. She tries to explain procedure. It’s commutative.6

T: Be careful here. Explains and asks questions along the way. Who can tell me more?

S: There is no solution! (excited to get correct answer).

T: Joe?

Joe: Asks about another problem (I didn’t write problem down.)

T: Let’s check this--writes problem on board. Asks question to Joe. What answer are you supposed to get?

Joe: not sure.

T: Explains one method to solve. Asks Joe more questions. He’s confused still.

T: Eric, help us out please.

Eric: Shows Joe further steps. Now Joe understands.

T: Writes steps on board. What property to use now? Ah, bonus question.

(Some students interested and raising hands. Some students are sharing quietly in their clusters about their assessments, showing each other what they got right and wrong. I could not hear what they were saying, but I presume it was about certain assessment problems.)

T: If you understand properties, then transposition makes sense.

Eric: Can we go over #16?

T: Eric comes up with problems with a twist.

S: Doesn’t bother me!

T: How to simplify, Eric?

Eric: distributive property

Another S: Then simplify.

T: We get 3b + 6 = 3b + 6. Does it matter what b is?

S: No, can be anything.

T: I feel like I’m opening my mind to new language. Better to say “any real number” instead of “anything”.

(Chatter amongst students.) T: please stop now.

T: Explains new problem by asking students what are further steps. (Lots of hands raised). Teacher calls on Christina.

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Christina: Says “yes!” 12r-8 = -3r-21+1.

(I am observing from back of room and a boy sitting in the cluster in front of me lays his head on his desk temporarily. But he doesn’t seem interested in the on-going discussion, in general. T does not notice or chooses not to say anything to him.)

T: You got through the hard part. So far, so good.

Christina: Tries to explains further. Now she is a little confused.

T: Explains further patiently. Asks questions.

Eric: I got the correct answer, but you marked it wrong.

T: Acknowledges.

T: OK, put away assessments. Now we were working an investment problem yesterday. She lays out how far they got on board and then makes table. How do I write an equation from the table?

Katie: I’m confused.

T: Keeps explaining. How to get total amount of interest? I love these problems!

Christina: Weirdo! (playfully).

T: Keeps even tone; not offended. She tells Christina how she’ll come to love them too.

Jack: How did you get 2880? And the 3200?

T: Answers. We simplified the interest already.

Katie: Explains what to do to solve equation. She gets a little confused.

T: Getting close to transposition, but use algebraic properties additive inverse.

(Banter from students about the problem).

Eric: Explains his procedure further.

Joe: We need a calculator!

(There is a large note on the side wall that says “Calculator use is discouraged by Mrs. Tapley. If calculations aren’t simple, please practice.”)

T: Shows how to do without calculator.

T: Explains that there are multiple ways to solve this problem.

Christina: What do we do with zeroes?

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T: Explains then says “We’re running out of time, so here’s what we’ll do now.”

Christina: Interrupts.

T: I’m not going to talk while you’re talking. Now I’m looking at page 66. You can do #’s 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9 .

T: OK, now for the mixture problem. What do we do first?

Joe: Make a chart.

T: Reads mixture problem. Writes table on board. (Students diligently copy table).

S: Where are we?

T: On first paragraph p. 66. What other info is given?

Jack: He has ten pounds of mixture.

T: If total = 10, how do we express Spanish peanuts and Pistachios? Use one variable.

Katie: Answers wrong.

Jack: Answers right.

T: Explains to Katie the correct method.

Then end of period bell rings. (Most of class spent on assessment review)

(After class, a boy asks me why I’m here. I tell him and he enthusiastically says “cool!” in a very welcoming tone).

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Script #3

Where: Mrs. Tapley’s math classroom

Subject: 6th grade Pre-Algebra

Students: 20 white boys and girls clustered in groups of three to five.

When: Friday, October 14th, 2011: 10:10 – 10:54 a.m.

(T = Teacher, S = Student)

(Students quietly enter and ready to pay attention. Teacher does not have to tell anyone to be quiet.)

T: Here are resources to help with integers. She goes to a website that displays on her projector.

-3+1?

Cecilia: -2.

T: 5 + (-5)?

Megan: 0.

T: -1 + (-11)?

Matt: -12.

T: -1 + 11?

Matt: 10.

T: For challenge, try -100 to +100.

T: Goes to another website, “Catch the Fly”. Coordinates for fly?

Ben: 5 and -5.

Jamie: 4 and 0?

T: Website says incorrect.

Matt: Should be (0, 4).

T: “Algebra vs. the cockroach”. Playing game might get you there quicker.

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T: Goes to another website called “Calculation Nation”. Go to “Ker-splash”. If your parents let you register, then you can play against each other. She explains game.

T: I have space for 9 more coins. What other bridges to open?

Rachel: You should open gate, umm…

T: Which gates? Let’s take random gates. She starts game. Have to add like terms. Then I hit “combine”.

S: Raising hand, gives the answer 1y + 2y + 2y = 5y.

T: If I have 2 + 3 – 1?

Ben: +4.

T: Remember, I keep asking you to do math for pleasure!

S: Asks question about how to combine terms.

T: Consider variables. An analogy--remember in 3rd grade, e.g. 5 kittens + 2 kittens = 7 kittens?

T: Cecilia, please turn on the lights. Everyone take out worksheet 409. Take out problems due on Monday and Tuesday.

T: Taking a peek at Zach’s work he’s ready for #1, #2, #3.

T: Rachel, please read question #4. (Rachel does so). What are coordinates for origin?

S: I forgot.

David: (0, 0).

T: Start (0, 0), (8, 5), (8, 7) to create a figure symmetric about the y-axis. What do 0, 8, 8 have in common?

Lizzie: All horizontal.

T: And 0, 5, 7?

S: y-axis.

T: If I move right on the graph?

S: positive x.

T: If I move left?

Matt: negative x.

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T: If my y is (-)? David?

David: Down.

Megan: I have question on page 412. How to get #1 and #2?

T: (missed her response)

T: Ben, help me out. How far did you get?

Ben: (I couldn’t understand what he said.)

S: Where do we put #3?

T: Doesn’t it say plot on second coordinate grid?

Megan: Do I have to label points?

T: Doesn’t say label, so don’t label.

T: Want to have plenty of work time today. Hand in math review notebooks. Make pile. Put p. 412 away. She gives students weekly review questions to work on in class.

A few Students: (Get up to sharpen pencils).

T: Not now ladies.

T: Walks around asking students if they have questions. How do you feel about material? Are you confident? Shelby, how’s coordinate graphing going?

Shelby: OK, I think.

T: Explains to Shelby a little bit more about what to do. Then does same for another student.

Megan: Raises her hand about coordinate graphing.

T: Explains a little more to Megan.

(bell rings).

T: Thanks for watching the time and have a wonderful weekend! (She is always polite to students.)

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NOTES

Curriculum: There are Diocesan Curriculum Guidelines for math. Mrs. Tapley uses these along with the textbook publisher’s pacing guide to inform instruction design and decisions. For Algebra, she also uses a curriculum map from District 155, the local high school district, as well as an outline of essential topics from Marion, the local Catholic high school. For Geometry, she uses the publisher’s pacing guide and the District 155 curriculum map for Honors Geometry. She noted that all this is being looked at in light of Common Core Standards and will be up-dated/revised in the near future.

Learning materials

Textbooks: (Students were given access codes to view their texts on-line).

For Geometry, Mrs. Tapley uses an Illinois textbook, Glencoe Geometry, which is geared toward preparing students for the Explore, PSAE, and ACT tests. Each chapter of this book starts by listing pre-requisites, reading and writing math skills, standardized test practice, and higher order thinking.

For Algebra, she uses Glencoe Algebra I For Pre-Algebra, she uses Glencoe Pre-algebra

Websites: For her 6th grade class, Mrs. Tapley displayed websites with games for learning integers and coordinate graphing including two called Catch the Fly and Algebra vs. cockroach. Another website she displayed was named Calculation Nation with a game called Ker-splash. For this and other classes, some of the other websites she uses include Academic Skill Builders, The Math Lab, Practice Math and Feed the Hungry, Lure of the Labyrinth and geometryonline.com.

Assessments: For Geometry, she uses some text book questions and some material from Cary-Grove High

School Geometry courses. She does not like some of the questions in her students’ textbooks. For Algebra, the same procedure applies. For Pre-Algebra, she primarily uses the book for assessment questions.

Other: Study and review guides, homework from textbooks, practice worksheets, overhead projector connected to her computer, white board in front of class, motivational posters and learning tip signs on the classroom walls, group and individual seatwork.

Teaching Strategies: I would consider Mrs. Tapley to be a traditional but very effective teacher. She planned ahead and set goals for students. She had the students focus on multiple ways to solve problems. She coaxed students along with questions. There was a lot of student hand-raising. It seemed like most students were not afraid to give a wrong answer. There was a lot of give and take between students and teacher and between students. If a student was confused, then the teacher

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gave a little more to coax or asked another student to help out. (Some good scaffolding was taking place). She emphasized review of previously learned material. In one of her 6 th grade classes, she had the students play a card game to help them reinforce positive and negative integers. She did not let the teaching momentum in her class falter; her transitions were crisp and most students followed right along. She did tell me that a couple of her students in 6 th grade had Individual Education Plans (IEP) that allowed them more time to complete assessments if they needed it, but that she did not teach them any differently than the other students. By just observing, I was not able to guess the students who had IEP’s. Social-emotional climate: The teacher was upbeat and patient with the students. In all three grades that I observed, the vast majority of students were engaged, interested, upbeat, raised their hands often, did not complain about tests or homework; most of them were organized—each student had a daily and weekly planner. The girls seemed to refer to their planners more than the boys. The 6 th

graders were the more quiet of the three grades. In Mrs. Tapley’s two 6th grade math classes that I observed, I did not hear her once tell a student or group of students to be quiet, nor did I see any students goofing around. The teacher facilitated a cooperative and respectful learning environment. She told me that in her Geometry class, 14 of the 17 students she has had before, some for four years. So she knows her students well. The bottom line was that in each of her classes that I observed, most of the students seemed challenged and satisfied.

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Information Processing Theory Summary

Information processing theory is a theoretical perspective that addresses how human beings mentally acquire, interpret, and remember information and how such cognitive processes change over the course of development.

This theory likens the human mind to a computer: sensory inputs receive raw environmental data that is organized and processed by way of mental operations, which leads to the outputs of thought and behavior.

The mind is composed of a number of components: a sensory register, an attentionalspotlight, working memory, long-term memory, and the central executive.

The sensory register is the first step in the process in which stimuli in the environment are detected and then interpreted as perceptions.

Attention is the action of focusing on information: if a stimulus does not fall within thepurview of one’s attentional spotlight, it will not be detected and in turn fail to be processed.

Working memory is the component of the human memory system in which people hold a limited amount of and actively think about new information.

Information that has been encoded in working memory can then be stored in long-term memory, which allows such information to be retrieved after long durations.

The Central Executive oversees the flow of information throughout the memory and is critical for planning, decision-making, self-regulation, and inhibition of unproductive thoughts and behaviors. This high-level mechanism likely directs the attention spotlight.

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Analysis of Classroom Observations in Terms of Information Processing Theory

Excerpt #1 from page 4, Script #1, 8th grade geometry class:

T: Now what is a postulate?

Drew: Explains in lengthy way (I couldn’t hear everything he said). He finally says, “It’s so common that we don’t question it.”

Based on the teacher’s question and Drew’s answer, we know that Drew has thought about postulates before. But because of his lengthy and convoluted response, I think that the definition of a postulate was not initially properly encoded in his short term memory and, therefore, was not properly stored in his long term memory via correct in-depth processing.

Theresa: It is a statement that is true.

T: Yes, we don’t have to prove them.

Boy S: (Gets up to get a drink from water fountain)

This student may have received an internal stimulus that he perceives as thirst and must satisfy his craving immediately (I’m guessing this is not likely), or he is not actually thirsty and is consciously pursuing another activity (getting a drink) either because he is bored and not interested in the discussion about a postulate, or he decides that he already knows what a postulate is and doesn’t need to focus on the class discussion. In this last case, he has already processed what a postulate is into his long term memory. In either case, his Central Executive likely re-directs his attentional spotlight away from the class discussion and allows him to make the decision to go get a drink. If he is unclear about what a postulate is, then his Central Executive has not inhibited his unproductive behavior of getting up to get a drink.

Secondly, it is possible that the boy’s action of getting up and walking to the water fountain, may have caused a distraction for some students, i.e. redirected their attentional spotlights, however briefly. Their sensory registers receive the visual stimulus of the boy moving, which they perceive as a distraction. This, in turn, causes a failure to process what the teacher and other students are saying about postulates, i.e., a failure of their working memories. (The Central Executive may be closely connected to working memory, but IP theorists haven’t yet pinned down its exact nature. See “ Child Development and Education”, 4th edition, Chapter 7). For other students, the boy’s action may have been detected, but their Central Executives do not redirect their attentional spotlights. They are more self-regulated and decide to pay

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attention to the discussion despite the boy’s movement. Their Central Executive has inhibited unproductive thoughts to possibly allow their working memories to process the information.

T: You need to know 5 of 7 postulates.

S: Asks question about postulates.

Excerpt #2 from page 6, Script #2, 7th grade algebra class:

T: OK, we will work on mixture problems today! But first I will hand back assessments. You hand in homework. Stay silent and focus. No more talking. (She says this with an even tone of voice exhibiting no annoyance). A few students keep talking, however.

The teacher states the objectives for today’s class in a firm, even tone. This is auditory stimulus that is received by the students’ sensory registers and then perceived (by most) as important instructions that require their Central Executives to direct their attentional spotlights to the teacher and to inhibit unproductive thoughts and behaviors, that is, to stop talking. Furthermore, the teacher’s statement of the day’s objectives facilitates the students’ Central Executives in planning (first, stop talking and focus; second, hand in homework; third, receive and review assessment; fourth, think about/do mixture problems) and decision making (e.g., Do I know how to do mixture problems? If not, what should I ask about?) Regarding the kids who keep talking after being instructed to stay silent and focus, I suspect that their sensory registers receive the teacher’s instructions as auditory stimuli and that they probably perceive that she is saying something important that requires their attention. (I have done this in your class, Martha!). However, by action of their Central Executives, they decide that what they are talking about is more important than listening to the teacher (They may make this decision subconsciously because they are so engaged in their current topic of conversation.) and, subsequently, they will not encode the instructions from the teacher in working memory.

Excerpt #3 from pages 6-7, Script #2, 7th grade algebra class:

Eric: #15 please

T: 15 is a little different: 7n – 11 + 3n = 10n – 1. What’s different?

S: It can be simplified first. She tries to explain procedure. It’s commutative.

T: Be careful here. Explains and asks questions along the way. Who can tell me more?17

S: There is no solution! (excited to get correct answer).

By putting this problem on the assessment and asking the question, “What’s different?”, I think the teacher wants to draw on students’ long term memory of how to solve and interpret algebra problems to assist their working memory in actively processing and interpreting the new information presented in this problem, i.e. that there is no solution. Here, the students would probably use a learning strategy called “elaboration”, which is defined as using existing knowledge (e.g., how to solve and interpret answers to algebra problems) to help expand on and remember new information (e.g., how to solve and interpret an algebraic equation with no solution).

Excerpt #4 from page 8, Script #2, 7th grade algebra class:

Joe: We need a calculator!

(There is a large note on the side wall that says “Calculator use is discouraged by Mrs. Tapley. If calculations aren’t simple, please practice.”)

T: Shows how to do without calculator.

By displaying this note in large letters on the side wall, the teacher wants to grab the attention of the students. In order to do manual calculations that aren’t simple, the students have to tap into their long term memory. The students’ Central Executives would then employ the learning strategies of persistence and repetition to reinforce proper encoding of how to do these calculations in long term memory. When actually working the calculations manually, for example, a complicated long division problem, it must be solved step by step because working memory can only hold a limited amount of information and actively think about new information. If one attempted to solve the complicated long division problem all at once, there would not be enough “space” in working memory to hold all the numbers while at the same time trying to solve the problem.

Excerpt #5 from page 10, Script #3, 6th grade pre- algebra class:

(Students quietly enter and ready to pay attention. Teacher does not have to tell anyone to be quiet.)

Without any external stimuli, their attentional spotlights are ready to be focused on the teacher. They demonstrate self-regulation at the beginning of class better, I think, than the 7th and 8th graders, and they also maintain their attention for the whole class period without having the teacher tell someone to be quiet, to focus, or to listen. This seems to contradict the statement made in Chapter 7 of the book that sustained attention increases with age. I thought that the 6th graders generally sustained their attention better than the 7th and 8th

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graders. However, I reach this conclusion based on a very limited number of classroom observations. It also may be the case over the long term that there is not enough age difference between 6th and 8th graders to notice a distinct difference in attention spans. If I were to observe again in the same manner, I may conclude that the 8th graders attention span was better than the 6th and 7th graders.

Excerpt #6 from page 12, Script #3, 6th grade pre- algebra class:

S: Where do we put #3?

T: Doesn’t it say plot on second coordinate grid?

Megan: Do I have to label points?

T: Doesn’t say label, so don’t label.

Here, these two students show a lack of confidence in themselves by the nature of their questions. Their Central Executives seem to not want to self-regulate and so they decide to ask procedural questions, even though they could probably decide for themselves what to do using their short term memory to read and comprehend the instructions. I did not notice this type of behavior in the 7th and 8th graders. Maybe this has something to do with the ability to automate and working memory processing speed increasing with age. Again, if I were to observe in the same manner, I may not have seen this at all in the 6th grade class.

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Conclusion

I used Information Processing (IP) Theory in focusing on three of Mrs. Tapley’s classes at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic School (one 6th grade Pre-Algebra, one 7th grade Algebra, and one 8th grade Geometry), keeping in mind to try to discern any differences between the grades in the context of IP theory. In all classes, I observed all aspects of IP theory at work as detailed in my “Analysis of Classroom Observations”; that is, I noticed the sensory register, perceptions, attention, working memory, long term memory and the Central Executive all come into play during classroom interactions. So as not to be too repetitive in my analysis though, for the 6th grade class, I only shared analysis of observations that demonstrated differences between them and the 7th and 8th graders. I did not observe any differences with respect to IP theory between the 7th and 8th graders.

Here are my observations and conjectures for the 6th graders:

As stated in excerpt #5, at the beginning of class, without any external stimuli, their attention spotlights were ready to be focused on the teacher. They demonstrated self-regulation at the beginning of class better, I think, than the 7th and 8th graders, and they also maintained their attention for the whole class period without having the teacher tell someone to be quiet, to focus, or to listen. This seems to contradict the statement made in Chapter 7 of the book that sustained attention increases with age. I thought that the 6th graders generally sustained their attention better than the 7th and 8th graders. However, I reached this conclusion based on a very limited number of classroom observations. It also may be the case over the long term that there is not enough age difference between 6th and 8th graders to notice a distinct difference in attention spans. If I were to observe again in the same manner, I may conclude that the 8th graders attention span was better than the 6th and 7th graders.

Also for the 6th graders, as stated in excerpt #6, there were two students who displayed a lack of confidence in themselves by the nature of their questions. Their Central Executives seemed to not want to self-regulate and so they decided to ask procedural questions, even though they could probably have decided for themselves what to do using their short term memory to read and comprehend the instructions. I did not notice this type of behavior in the 7th and 8th graders. Maybe this has something to do with the ability to automate better with working memory processing speed increasing with age, i.e. the older kids can read the instructions themselves without prompting. Again, if I were to observe in the same manner, I may not have seen this at all in the 6th grade class.

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