Ch. 2 Cognitive Development Learning Log

WHAT
In class today we talked about the different parts of the brain. Here is a list of the parts I remember; Dendrites- Pull in information, Synapse- Space between the Axon and Dendrites, Soma- Cell center, Axon- Transfers information, and Neurons grow rapidly before birth. Birth-3 yrs. Have twice as many connections as we do. 3-12 are getting rid of synapses they don't need. 12-19 Neurons grow and synapse duplicate. Adulthood is when we specialize our brains. Then we talked about Jean Piaget and his Stages of Development. Piaget is more nature. These are Sensorimotor(0-2) Preoperational (2-7) Concrete Operational (7-11) Formal Operational (12 +). The one bad thing we learned about Piaget stages is that each student learns at a different rate. After learning about Piaget we learned about Lev Vygotsky. Lev is more nurture. He believes in interacting with other people is how we learn. People with different backgrounds will have a different view and understanding of things. Vygotsky believes in a Zone of Proximal Development. This is when a student is able to have learned something and may need a little bit of instruction from a teacher. Homogeneous grouping is grouping kids with the same skills up. Heterogeneous grouping is a mix of kids with different levels grouped up. Vygotsky says to do both Homogeneous and Heterogeneous grouping.

SO WHAT
Learning about the brain is very important because all of the different parts have certain jobs. Children's brains will develop at different levels depending on age and experience so it is important to see why they are developing slower or faster. Piaget's levels of development are good to know because they give us an idea on what our students will be able to accomplish generally. We still need to understand and realize that all students learn at different rates and are at different levels in their learning. Vygotsky helps us realize the importance of learning by social interaction. Group projects would be great for students. Vygotsky helps us understand that each student is going to be on a different level because they have had a different background. This helps us as teachers understand that our students have been raised differently therefore, some will know more/less than others. Having a balance of Homogeneous and Heterogeneous grouping is crucial. Some students will need that time to be with students who are on the same level as them and they also need that time with students who are more/less advanced then them. This helps students to interact with everyone in the class and learn from each other.

NOW WHAT
Learning about Piaget and Vygotsky was great because I saw two different theories that both made sense to me. I agree with Piaget because to a certain point we do all go through each one of those stages at particular times in our lives. As teachers we need to realize this and teach age level appropriate material to our students in our classroom. When I become a teacher that will be interesting to see the different levels each of my students will have and watch them improve and become more advanced throughout the year. I also agree with Vygotsky because I totally believe that different backgrounds play a major role in what kids know. Knowing this now will help me later when I am teaching because I will better understand and be more willing to help children who are struggling in a particular area or subject. I will do group work and individual work in my classroom because I know the importance of both. Grouping the students with their different levels is very beneficial to them because it helps the more advanced explain things and teach the lower leveled students. As they do this the lower level students start to progress and become more advanced. Putting students in homogeneous groups (same level) helps each student build confidence and understand the material being taught. Class unity is a big thing I am going to stress because team work is what will make the difference in grouping and things. I loved this lesson and thought that it was very beneficial to know these things for the future.