CS 208: How People Learn: An Introduction to Cognition and Education

 

In recent years interactions between cognitive science and education have grown rapidly. Research in cognitive science is the source of many new and influential ideas about classroom learning, approaches to teaching, testing and assessment, and the potential of educational technologies. In this seminar we will read and discuss a selection of theoretical works from cognitive psychology and examine their practical applications to education. Since there is much distortion of the cognitive psychology literature in the popular education press, we will also learn how to evaluate claims about teaching methods and about learning. Each student will be required to give in-class presentations and to complete a final paper or project on one of the course topics. This course can be used in place of Educational Psychology for students seeking licensure and a pre-practicum can be arranged to accompany the course.

 

 

CS 204  Applied Cognitive Development

Co-taught with Melissa Burch

 

The design of school curriculum and instruction is informed by cognitive development theories. That is, what we teach and how we teach it is affected by our beliefs and current understanding about the nature and development of children’s cognition. But theories differ in their attention to social and other contextual factors. Do these theories lead to different views of what children can do? Do they lead to different decisions about what to teach and when to teach it? In this course, students explore Piagetian and Vygotskian theories of children’s cognitive development through reading primary and secondary sources, they interview teachers about their ideas of children’s cognitive development, observe classrooms, and critically evaluate curriculums in light of current developmental theories and findings. Course evaluation is based on a series of short papers and a final project on one of the main topics of the course.

 

 

CS 129-T – The Psychology of Writing

 

We all learned to write, we are asked to write often, and likely, we notice variations in our writing process – times that we learn by writing and times that we don't; times when our writing flows and times when we are stuck.  There are different purposes to writing and different expectations of our writing in different settings.  In this course we examine the mental process of writing, as well as our behaviors with regards to writing.  We also practice and evaluate strategies that are meant to improve our practice.  Evaluation is based on a series of short papers, a writing portfolio, and completion of a final paper on a topic central to the course.