Developmental Psychology and its impacts on Pedagogy

Developmental Psychology investigates how humans learn and in turn, helps us to understand what the best ways of teaching. Through a scientific approach to understanding of how learning occurs, educators can develop and reflect on different strategies that aid or impede learning. For more information go to http://www.devpsy.org/developmentalpsychology.html

The three major fields of study in this area are;
-Behaviourism
-Cognitive Psychology
-Humanism

Each of these fields of study provide educators with an insight into how many differing factors contribute to learning and how knowledge and information is processed and constructed by learners.

This blog aims to be a resource page for each of these perspectives and how they can improve teaching performance. Educational Psychology http://www.edpsycinteractive.org/topics/intro/whyedpsy.html investigates how teaching and learning can be enhanced by strategies informed by these areas of study. By having a deeper understanding of the cognitive process that underpin learning, educators can implement strategies for learning and also think critically about their own teaching methods and how these might be improved to further motivate and engage students in today's classrooms.

Behaviourism

Behaviourism http://psychology.about.com/od/behavioralpsychology/f/behaviorism.htm
was one of the first fields in psychology to investigate how humans gain and learn information. This developmental theory starts with an assumption of Tabula Rasa- A Blank Slate. http://science.jrank.org/pages/49267/mental-sciences.html What is meant by this is that each human starts off with a no knowledge of the world or a subject and this blank slate is imprinted on by those with the information(teachers). Behaviourist theory is based on the classical conditioning http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cP5lCleK-PM idea of stimulus and response, or put more simply, behaviour and consequence. http://www.funderstanding.com/content/behaviorism
This theory is supported in the language learning stage of development, http://www.duke.edu/~pk10/language/psych.htm where children are taught language by associating a picture of a tree with the word "tree". (Saussure, Course in general linguistics, 1972)

Behaviourism is an examination of observable behaviour. When a human is provided with a stimulus, what is their response and how can they be conditioned to respond in the correct way. Many famous behaviourists such as Ivan Pavlov and his salivating dogs, http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/medicine/pavlov/readmore.html John Watson and Little Albert, http://psychology.about.com/od/classicpsychologystudies/a/little-albert-experiment.htm and B.F Skinner and his teaching machines have tested this theory. http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/history/skinner.html

Click here for a video of the Little Albert Experiment

These psychologists investigated how behaviour and learning can be manipulated be controlling the environment of the subject and how positive and negative rewards works to elicit learning responses.

However the study of behaviourism does not account for mentalist responses. The thoughts, feelings and individual differences of each learner are not accounted for and thus teaching methods informed by behaviourism become a didactic and focus on teacher centred learning.


What Does this mean for your Classroom??

As education moves into the 21st century, behaviourism becomes less relevant to our classroom environments. There has been move away from a didactic method of teaching, through which students are filled with knowledge by the teacher- the banking method described by Paulo Frier, in his work Pedagogy of the Oppressed, http://www.paulofreireinstitute.org/ where teachers are the providers of information’s to be regurgitated and rewarded or punished accordingly. While there has been a trend away from this style of conditioning, there are still lessons that can be taken from this school of thought.

1. Control your classroom environment- Student will respond to negative consequences and positive reinforcement within the learning environment.

2. Always provide feedback to students- this will indicate to the students how they can change their actions to achieve desired outcomes.

3. Always encourage and motivate students to achieve- a positive classroom environment will always be more encouraging than a negative one.

More links on behaviourism

B.F. Skinner Foundation

The Behaviourist Approach to Teaching in Class

Cognitive psychology

Cognitive psychology is concerned in how learning is a constructive process. Constructivism is the central theory of Cognitive psychology and is based on the idea that students don’t soak up information like a sponge, as is hypothesised in behaviourism, but students construct information depending on what they already know. http://psychology.about.com/od/cognitivepsychology/f/cogpsych.htm

Cognitive perspectives reflect that other factors help to build learning. This leads to differing understandings of knowledge. Cognitive psychology also takes into account mentalist factors such as a students personal motivation, their personal background such as cultural and family values, differing learning styles that respond to different stimulus and forms of presentation, as well as social interactions and opportunities.

Jean Piaget http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/genpsypiaget.html is one of the most famous Cognitive psychologists and his Stages of development theory http://ehlt.flinders.edu.au/education/DLiT/2000/Piaget/stages.htm are at the core of the Constructivism. http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/constructivism/index.html Piaget’s Four stages of development outlines how a child acquires knowledge from birth to the age of 12 and onwards. His theory reflects an individual construction of knowledge in a child mind through experience with the world. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yhXjJVFA14&feature=related

Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky also formulated a theory of constructivism, however Vygotsky’s theory places it focus on social and cultural influences. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hx84h-i3w8U
Vygotsky concentrated his work on how our surroundings influence and shape our understanding of the world and how we process knowledge. In short “You are only s smart as your surroundings” (Kalantzis, M, Cope, B, 2008, p153)


For more information see:

• Piaget vs. Vygotsky: The Cognitive Development Theory

What does this mean for your classroom?

Cognitive Psychology reflects the diverse learning environment we face in our classrooms today. As teachers we must take into account that students in today’s classrooms reflect many different learning styles, different background and different values. Their learning is affected by their personal feelings of motivation, self-esteem and cultural perspectives.

This diversity of students requires teachers to create an authentic learning environment. In order to provide this, teachers must have an understanding of these cognitive stages and design their classrooms and lessons to provide opportunities for students to engage in meaningful learning of their own creation.

Ways to create a authentic learning dialogue:

1. Provide opportunities for collaborative learning

2. Provide a supportive learning model that guides students to their own understandings of a topic

3. Challenge students to exceed their current knowledge base

4. Account for the individual difference in your classroom. Vary teaching and learning methods.

5. Provide motivation- the only way to get someone to do something they don’t want to do, is to help the to want to do it.

Humanist

The humanist (http://www.abraham-maslow.com/m_motivation/Humanistic-Psychology.asp) approach to pedagogy and development focuses on the individual development of knowledge. Like Constructivism and cognitive psychology, the humanist approach takes into account the personal and environmental factors that contribute to our ability to learn. There is also a level of personal responsibility of learning that is central to humanism. In order to achieve, the learner must be self-reflective of his or her own learning.

Humanism places value in every individual to achieve their own potential within their given context. Abraham Maslow (http://www.businessballs.com/maslow.htm) and Carl Rogers (http://www.carlrogers.info/) are famous humanist that developed theories that supported the belief that learners have basic human needs that must be fulfilled in order achieve.

Maslow’s Pyramid of Needs reflects all the levels humans require for effective learning, such as basic food and health needs, friendship, love, self-esteem and belief in achievement. Humanists believe that all these things are required to become a “fully functioning” (Rogers, C) human and achieve higher-level learning such as creation and analysis. (Blooms taxonomy) http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/bloomtax.htm

What does this means for your classroom?

In today’s classrooms, teachers need to be more than just teachers. They are caterers, mothers, motivators, councillors, nutritionists and security guards.
By being aware of each student’s individual capabilities and home environment, as well as remaining abreast of all school social justice issues, such as bullying seems impossible for teachers, however there are whole school strategies that can be implemented to help provide a supportive learning environment.

1. Running before and afterschool care, as well as breakfast and lunch schemes within schools will help provide students with basic nutrients. Red Cross Good Start Breakfast Club. http://www.redcross.org.au/ourservices_acrossaustralia_goodstartbreakfastclub.htm

2. Running social justice schemes such as peer support and bullying workshops will help reduce social discrimination and provide a safe and friendly environment for learning. Bullying NO WAY. http://www.bullyingnoway.com.au/

3. Offer achievement incentives such as merit aware systems for student to encourage achievement of personal bests. Reward Systems http://www.teachingideas.co.uk/more/management/contents02rewards.htm

How does this impact learning and teaching in 21st century classrooms??

Educational Psychology has provided teachers with different insights into how humans learn. A teachers role in the classroom has been redefine be these theories, from the provider of knowledge to the facilitator of learning. However as the role of the teacher changes, a psychological approach to teaching and learning can still provide much needed insight into each individual classroom.
Taking an action research approach in a classroom can be a valuable tool in diagnosing classroom issues and learning new ways to approach problems.

The 21st Century Classroom- a diagnostic approach
1. Observe - What the problem is you want to address??
2. Reflect – Think about how the problem is impacting on the learning environment. Research what others have said about the issue in the academic world.
3. Review- Search for ways that might solve the problem. More research might be needed.
4. Implement – Form a hypothesis about how to solve the problem and implement it as a response.
5. Record – How did your plan work? If it didn’t work, think about the next solution. These events will help you to solve problems in the future.

This systematic analysis of teaching practice can help teachers to be reflective and innovative professionals. Today’s classrooms need teachers that are active in their analysis of their students. Through looking at how students learn, teachers can discover how to provide the best environment to facilitate this and create a classroom that accounts for the individual needs of all students and the ways in which they learn. For more information go to http://www.infed.org/biblio/b-curric.htm