One of the best known andinfluential psychologists of the

twentieth century

Presented byMavis Ng Jin JinStudent ID : 1600351

14 May 2011

1915 - Oct 1, born in New York City1937 - Duke University (B.A)1939 - Harvard University (MA)1941 - Harvard University (PhD)

1945-1972 Professor at Harvard University1972-1980 Professor Oxford University1980-1990 “Early Retirement”1991-present Senior Researcher at

New York University of Law

Founding father of constructivisttheory Bruner's Theory on Constructivism

One of the key figures in the'cognitive revolution‘

His influence has been especially feltin the field of education

EDUCATION MODE -ENACTIVE, ICONIC & SYMBOLIC

ECONOMYPOWER

SPIRAL CURRICULUM

BRUNER’S THEORIES - Structure of Knowledge

DISCOVER LEARNING – MACOS

Bruner’s studies helped to introducePiaget’s concept of developmental stagesof cognition into the classroom.It had a direct impact on policy formationin the United States and influenced thethinking and orientation of a wide group ofteachers and scholarsThe much-translated book The Process ofEducation (1960) was a powerful stimulusto the curriculum-reform movement of theperiod.In it he argued that any subject can betaught to any child at any stage ofdevelopment, if it is presented in theproper manner.According to Bruner, all children havenatural curiosity and a desire to becomecompetent at various learning tasks; whena task as presented to them is toodifficult, however, they become bored.A teacher must, therefore, presentschoolwork at a level so as to challenge thechild’s current developmental stage.Bruner also studied perception in children,concluding that children’s individual valuessignificantly affect their perceptions.

An American humanities teaching program basedupon Bruner's theories.

Particularly his concept of the “spiral curriculum”.

Popular in America and Britain in the 1960s and1970s.

The course was much criticized in the UnitedStates because of its emphasis uponquestioning aspects of life, including belief andmorality.

Enactive: During earliest childhood, learning occurs throughmovement or action (babies learn to walk ora child learns to ride a bike). – action based

Iconic: During middle childhood, learning occurs throughimages or icons that represent or summarize objectsor events (children draw pictures of theirfamilies vacation). – image based

Symbolic: During adolescence, learning occurs throughabstract symbols (students are able torepresent mathematical functions using equationsor understand metaphorical language such as “Toomany cooks spoil the broth”). – language based

As children develop, they tend to rely more

dominantly on symbolic learning. But even

during the symbolic stage, all three modes

continue to remain available and can be

highly developed. Professional athletes and

musicians, for example, are highly skilled

enactive learners, while great artists employ

finely tuned iconic skills.

Provide study materials, activities, and toolsExamples of learning modes to help childrenlearn about dinosaurs

Construct a model of a dinosaur (enactive)

Watch a film about dinosaurs (iconic)

Consult reference texts and discuss findings anddetails of dinosaurs (symbolic)

Singapore Primary SchoolMathematics Curriculum

MODEL-DRAWING

adopted from

Concrete to Pictorial to Abstract

Concrete components include manipulatives (forexample, toy cars, pencil, eraser, etc),measuring tools, or other objects.

Pictorial representations include drawings,diagrams, charts, or graphs.

Abstract refers to symbolic representationssuch as numbers or letters that the studentwrites or interprets to demonstrateunderstanding of a task (number equation).

When using the CPA approach, the sequencing of activities is critical.

Activities with concrete materials should come first to impress onstudents that mathematical operations can be used to solve real-worldproblems.

Pictured relationships show visual representations of the concretemanipulatives and help students visualize mathematical.

Finally, formal work with symbols is used to demonstrate how symbolsprovide a shorter and efficient way to represent numerical operations.

Ultimately, students need to reach that final abstract level byusing symbols proficiently with many of the mathematical skills theymaster.

This CPA approach benefits all

students but has been shown to be

particularly effective with students

who have mathematics difficulties,

mainly because it moves gradually

from actual objects through pictures

and then to symbols.

Our approach whenteaching Math concepts to

young children is from‘Concrete’ to ‘Pictorial’ to

‘Abstract’.

CPA Approach

Solving a Routine Heuristic Problem

To allow pupils to “see” the word problem in a mathematical wayand help them to solve the sums. Usually used in

Concrete Objects

Drawing of Rectangular Bars

Solve Abstract Word Problem

Sherwin has 4 toy buses. He buys 6 more toybuses. How many toys does he have now?

4 + 6 = 10

Stage 1: Using Concrete Materials

4 + 6 = 104 6

?

Sherwin has 4 toy buses. He buys 6 moretoy buses. How many toy buses does he havenow?

Stage 2: Pictorial Representation

4 + 6 = 104 6

?

Sherwin has 4 toy buses. He buys 6 more toybuses. How many toy buses does he have now?

Stage 3 : Replace Pictures with Boxes

Jia Yi has 6 apples. Ai Wei has 4 apples.How many more apples does Jia Yi have?

Comparison Bar Model

6 - 4 = 24

6

?

To effectively address these modes, educators must makeinstruction both economical and powerful:

Economy: Deals with the number of items that must beheld in mind and processed to achievecomprehension. Fewer items, means fewerprocessing steps, resulting in greater economy.

Power : Deals with the degree to which a learner isstimulated to make connections betweentopics that seem separate. “The onlypossible way in which individual knowledgecan keep proportional pace with the surgeof available knowledge is through a graspof the relatedness of knowledge”

(Bruner, "Toward a Theory of Instruction" 46-7).

The chart presenting thevarious travel routes on alist requires the user toorganize, process, andmemorize seven items.

But coding the citiesalphabetically andlaying them out on adiagram

increaseseconomy byproviding the sameinformation at a glance

"A PICTURE'S WORTH 1,000 WORDS"

Bruner's theories emphasize the significance ofcategorization in learning.

To perceive is to categorize,To conceptualize is to categorize,To learn is to form categoriesTo make decisions is to categorize.

Bruner maintains people interpret the world interms of its similarities and differences

FRUITS VEGETABLES

A teaching approach in which each subject orskill area is revisited at intervals

In this design, students returnto topics throughout theiracademic careers, continuallybuilding upon what they havealready learned as theydevelop and mature.

“Jerome Bruner is not merely one of theforemost educational thinkers of the era;he is also an inspired learner and teacher.

His infectious curiosity inspires all who arenot completely jaded. Individuals of everyage and background are invited to join in…

In his words, ‘Intellectual activity isanywhere and everywhere, whether at thefrontier of knowledge or in a third-gradeclassroom’.”

(Gardner, 2001, pg. 94)

To which mode does this classroom activitybelong:

A child Learning subtractionby physically removing 3 toycars away from 8 toy cars

that were given to him.

Enactive ?Iconic ?

Symbolic ?

In the Enactive mode, students learn

through their own actions.By physically removing the items the

students gain an understanding ofsubtraction and learn that 8 minus 3

equals 5.The

Enactivemode !!!

In the iconic stage, when they progress tomath work without counting, they will see

8-3= and knowthe answer is 5.

Photo courtesy of http://oaks.nvg.org/bruner-sayings.htmlGOOGLE WEB IMAGES

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerome_Bruner

http://tip.psychology.org/bruner.html

http://www.infed.org/thinkers/bruner.htm

http://www.psych.nyu.edu/bruner/

http://www.newfoundations.com/GALLERY/Bruner.html

http://www.lifecircles-inc.com/Learningtheories/constructivism/bruner.html

http://www.animukerji.com/newfaculty201/bruner_bio.htm

http://brunerwiki.wikispaces.com/

http://www.wiserearth.org/resource/view/433c9ceb9d283ea1edb5d26d59240272

Gardner, H. (2001). Fifty modern thinkers on education. from Piaget to

the present, London: Routledge.