Modelling Instruction Workshop, ASU, July 21st 2003

Centre for the Advancement of Thinking KING'SCollegeLONDONFounded 1829

Modelling Instruction Workshop, ASU, July 21st 2003

Cognitive AccelerationGetting at Students’ General Intelligence

Philip Adey, King’s College, London University


Thinking Science activity: Treatments and Effects

CarrotsWith Grocaro

CarrotsWithout Grocaro

Does Grocaro make carrots grow bigger?


Your Task:

• What animal or plant do you have?• What is the treatment given to them?• What effect is it supposed to have?• Do you think the treatment has the supposed

effect?• How did you work it out?


Notions of intelligence:

• Working memory capacity– The number of bits of information one can operate on at

one time.

• Inhelder and Piaget’s idea of ‘Formal operations’– Includes abstract modelling and comparing the possible

with the real.


A simple model of the mind

Long-term memory

Information is stored by association - ‘neural networks’

Sense OrgansConvert external stimuli to neural signals

Information from outside and from L.T. memory is processed

Working memory


Schemata of formal operations

• Control of variables

• Proportionality

• Classification systems

• Equilibrium

• Probability

• Formal models

In the pendulum,You need to keepMass, length, and Width of swing in mind at once

3

54

?Scaling up, you need all 3 numbers in mind at once

Can you use the kinetic theory to Predict behaviour?


What influences cognitive development?

• Genetic make-up– … but environment plays a role from very early after

conception, and anyway there is nothing we can do about it

• Maturation of the central nervous system– The brain matures in line with the rest of the body

• Cognitive stimulation

– This is what we have some control over …

What does ‘Cognitive Stimulation’ look like…?


Stimulation requires ‘Cognitive Conflict’ …

a Somewhat Surprising event

Dialogue withteacher or moreexperienced peer

Assimilation, but also ...

Accommodation of the processing mechanism to the higher level demand

… and ‘Social Construction’


“… learning which is oriented toward developmental levels that have already been reached is ineffective from the viewpoint of a child’s overall development. It does not aim for a new stage of the developmental process, but rather lags behind this process. The only good learning is that which is in advance of development”

Mind in Society, 1930 / 1978, p. 82

Lev Vygotskii says:


Pillars of Cognitive Acceleration

Social Construction

Dialogue with others is essential

Cognitive Conflict

The mind develops in response to stimulation

MetacognitionReflecting on how

we tackled the problem

Schema ofFormal ops.

Control of variablesProportionality

ProbabilityClassification

etc.


Theory into Practice … since 1984“Original Flavour” CASE:• is aimed at Grades 6 and 7;• consists of 30 x 60 minute lessons, taught once every two weeks

instead of regular science (the 3rd Edition of “Thinking Science” was published by Nelson Thornes in 2001);

• has a two-year Professional Development programme.

� CAME - secondary Mathematics & CATE - secondary Technology

� Let’s Think! for Kindergarten - being extended to Grade 1

� Let’s Think through Science! is for Grade 2 - and soon G3

… there is also:


Long term effects: ‘Added value’

1 Find levels of cognitive development of all at school entry (grade 6)

2 Find relationship between non-CASE schools’ entry level and national test grades end of Grade 10

3 See by how much CASE schools’ grades exceed these expectations 20 30 40 50 60 70

Mean Grade 6 School Intake (Percentile)

2.5

3.5

4.5

5.5

6.5

7.5MeanGCSE GradeYear 11

F

E

D

C

B

A

Control Schools

National average

CASE Schools

St. Albans

Chatham Girls

Sharnbrook

George Abbott

DownendDownham Market

St. EdmundsSion Manning

Clapton

South CamdenRokeby

1999 GCSE science


… and the transfer effect

2.5

E

3.5

D

4.5

C

5.5

B

6.5

A

7.5

30 50 70

Mean Grade 6 School Intake (Percentile)

Control Schools

CASE Schools

National Average

604020

St. Albans

Chatham Girls

George Abbott

Sharnbrook

Downend

Downham Market

St. Edmunds

Clapton

Sion Manning

South CamdenRokeby

GCSE Maths 1999

2.5

E

3.5

D

4.5

C

5.5

B

6.5

A

7.5

20 30 40 50 60 70

Mean Grade 6 School Intake (percentile)

St. Albans

Chatham Girls

George Abbott

Sharnbrook

Downend

St. Edmunds

Clapton

Sion Manning

South CamdenRokeby

Downham Market

MeanGrade

MeanGrade

GCSE English 1999


The Professional Development Issue

• Teaching for cognitive acceleration may need a radical re-think of one’s view of the nature of learning and teaching …

• … and so a radical shift in pedagogy

• … thus, it generally requires a long term and supportive programme of Professional Development.


SummaryWe have good evidence that an intervention based on Piagetian ideas of cognitive conflict and Vygotskyan ideas of social construction leads to long-term gains in academic achievement far beyond the (science) context of the intervention itself. BUT …

• It is a slow process• It is dependent on the quality of teaching• There remain questions about the mechanism

The Hedgehog has one big idea…..


ContactProfessor Philip AdeyCentre for the Advancement of ThinkingKing’s College London UniversityFranklin Wilkins BuildingStamford Street, London SE1 9NN [email protected]

Thinking Scienceis published by Nelson Thorneswww.nelsonthornes.com

Documents

Modelling Instruction Workshop, ASU, July 21st 2003