learning log: chapter 2

What
We learned about the brain and theories about Piaget, Vygotski, and Language Development.
We learned that the brain has neurons which are made of: dendrites (input) , soma, axon (out put), myelin sheath etc. and is connected to another neuron by a synapse. The Dendrites receive information for the neuron and in drawings looks like the branch-like parts of the neuron "tree." The Soma is the body of the tree. This will send out impulse to other neurons through the axon. The axon and other neurons don't actually connect, there is a gap between them called the synapse which electricity "jumps"across. The myelin sheath is a fatty substance around the axon it helps lubricate the axon to help information travel fast and well.

Piaget: - Sensorimotor stage: child is focused on now - Preoperational stage: objects beyond child's immeadiate view, not logical yet - Concrete Operations Stage: adult like logic about concrete things - Formal operations stage: logical reasoning about abstract ideas

Vygotsky: -through both informal conversations and formal schooling, adults concey to children the ways in which their culture interprets and responds to the world-every culture passes along physical and cognitive tools that make daily living more productive and efficient. -thought and language become increasingly interdependent in the first few years of life - children can perform more chllenging tasks whenthey have the assistanve of someone more advanced and competent than they are. Zone of proximal development (zpd): range of taks person can persofmr wth others but not alone. - challenging tasks promote maximum congitive growth -play allows children to strech themselves cognitively.

Linguisgtic Development

SO what
brain anatomy: So there are physical "things" inside your brain that can cause you to act, be, do things, a particular way. For example people with particular diseases may be a lot more prone to them because of the workings of the neurons and their neurotransmitters. This is also important because when we are young we have more neuron connections then when we are older. When we are young our body goes through a "pruning process" where some connections are cut back if they are not needed as much.

Piaget: although the time periods which Piaget labeled with his differnt stages are not always true, it is true that I will be dealing with children that have various levels of cognitive development.

Vygotsky's theoreies are not attached with an age so it's not as if one or more of his ideas will specifically apply to the age group I will teach. Vygotsky does focus on culture. Different cultures are going to have their learners pay attention to different stiumli.


now what:
brain anatomy: because the children I will be working with will be going through a brain pruning stage in their life, I need to make sure I get as many neuron connections being used as I can so that fewer connections will be pruned back.
Piaget: I need to make sure that when I teach things, I can reach students on all cognitive levels and not expect reasoning beyond their abillity, but challenge their cognitive abaility to help them grow.
Vygotsky: Vygotsky focuses a lot on how the older generations help the new learners. After learning about Vygotsky's theories apprenticeships and guided paticipation become more important to me.

questions/having trouble with
schemes- how piaget uses them pg 29, 31 piaget