The Cognitive Domain

Chapter 11

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Logical Mathematical knowledge

Relations between objects, and phenomena deriving from observation

Developing a logical organization to deal more effectively with incoming knowledge including matching, classifying, patterning, seriating, numbering, using space, topological, inclusion, exclusion and time

Physical Knowledge

Observable attributes of objects and physical phenomena: size, color, shape, weight, texture, tendencies under varying conditions,

Representational Knowledge

Imaginative expression of symbolic thought that represents the child’s mental world

Manipulation of images art, symbols, and language to stand for objects, events and concepts

Competence in restructuring an experience in another way through symbolic representation

Social conventional knowledge

Cultural and social conventions, rules and viewpoints transmitted to children by family, society, school and peers to guide behavior related to other individuals, institution and the use of goods and services,

Metacognition

Proficient strategies for monitoring your thinking processes

Development of skills needed for critical and fair thinking, mental flexibility, organization of their ideas and application of the many essential components of learning.

Emphasis of Cognitive Domain

Skill based planning that helps children develop main cognitive and psychomotor skills, language skills, and process thinking skills.

These skills help children CONSTRUCT their own knowledge!!!!

Counting Principles

One to one principle Stable order principle Cardinal principal Abstraction principle Order irrelevance principle

One to One Principle

Using one and only one number name for each item counted

Stable Order Principle

Using the number names in a stable order, such as “one, two, three..” even though the order may be unconventional such as ‘six, eleven, thirteen”

The cardinal Principle

Using the last number name spoken to describe the number of objects in the set, “one, two, three” three snakes

The Abstraction Principle

Counting part of a mixed set of items, for example counting the red blocks in a building made of multicolored blocks

The Order Irrelevance Principle

Recognizing the a the order in which objects is irrelevant, Six balls are always six no matter which one you count first.

Teaching Strategies

Encourage intellectual autonomy when expanding children’s general cognitive skills.

Develop children’s ability to move out of a comfort zone with respect to

inaccurate concepts

Hypothetical thinking Reversal Application of different symbol systems Analogy Analysis of point of view Completion Use of graphic organizers

Place more emphasis on children's understanding of the concepts than on rote learning

Integrate science and mathematical concepts and

skills throughout all areas of the early childhood curriculum

Extend children’s science and mathematical vocabulary

Use everyday experiences in the classroom to help children

connect science and mathematics to daily living and see it as useful and necessary

Develop positive learning attitudes and practices in the

classroom

Use collections as a way to extend and assess children’s ability to categorize, classify

and display information.

Advantages of the interest based curriculum

Interests the children Learning is generally hands on Learning is generally concrete in

nature

Disadvantages

No accountability No cohesive nature of the

curriculum No connection between units for the

children No direction in what is learned

Disadvantages:

No checks and balances to assess learning

No advance planning No opportunity to expand on what

is being learned

Horizontal Planning is:

Place to begin and gather ideas Provides a time line for the program

year Individual themes provide

consecutive guideposts or milestones through out the year.

 Theme selection needs to

consider:

Relevancy for the individual children in the program

Preferences of the children Preferences of the teachers Preferences of the program Purposes of the program Cultural and family backgrounds of

the children

Horizontal Plan Outline

Clearly shows primary, secondary and sub-themes

Thematic units can easily be changed to match children’s needs and interests. New webbing resulting from children’s interests can easily be incorporated.

Horizontal Plan Outline

No dates or weeks for themes are rigidly set in stone: time frames are flexible

Horizontal Plan Outline

Seeing the entire horizontal plan helps the teacher in advance planning of visitors and field trips, and in gathering particular items that may enrich the thematic unit.

Problem Solving Learning Experiences

Observing Describing Measuring Experimenting Comparing

Counting Evaluating

Elements

Matching Grouping Pairing Ordering Cause and Effect

Management System is Needed

Children do not simply gain mastery of all skills simply by working with appropriate materials and activities each day.

This is especially true for the ADD children, children with fetal alcohol syndrome, and some stressed children.

Reasons for Management System

The preferences of children making choice during free choice time. Where do the children spend most of their time?

Areas they are successful in or areas they need some extra work in

Generally we see children avoid the activities they do not care for or are initially successful in.

Reason #2

Are there enough opportunities for each individual child to work in each area as needed? Very true when there is a low teacher child ratio,

and all of the children are well behaved and there are no behavior problems to deal with.

Is there time in the day to make sure this gets done or are there so many other activities?

Reason #3

Diverse developmental and experiential levels of the children entering the program. Rise in Learning and Behavior Disabilities Rise in children from divorced families Rise of children from unstable families Child Abuse Drug and Alcohol use

Goal of Management System

Ensure that all basic skills are covered Practice has occurred throughout the year

and in a sequence that promotes learning Practice has been meaningful and has

meshed with children’s natural developmental process

Skill Focused Activities

Activities that are planned by the teacher in which children use particular materials to practice particular skills.

When and in what order do I have children practice these skills?

Am I really planning enough practice of each kind of skill activity?

Developmentally Sequenced Activities

Those activities that are planned in order to mesh with the ongoing and changing development of children as they grow and learn.

Where are these activities found?

We are searching for the “in between points” of the developmental milestones instead of focusing on the milestone itself.

This is where the vertical curriculum comes into play.

Natural Sequencing

Gradual sequencing that occurs without intervention from anyone, and the child masters the skill.

Guided Sequencing

This development is provided by the teacher with more complicated materials being present on a regular basis. As the children gain skills in each activity, more is added or a more complicated skill is needed for the next activity.

Planned Sequencing

This occurs when the teacher actually is involved directly with the child to work on an individual skills.

Sequenced Skill Focused Planning

Keep in mind that we must go from concrete and real to help the child eventually move to the more abstract in nature.

Emphasis

The emphasis is on the planning that helps children develop their cognitive and psychomotor skills and helps them in the process of thinking and constructing their own knowledge.

Planned Sequencing:perceptual skills

As teachers we need to provide activities where children will first Match Objects that are the same Find Objects that are the same from objects that

are not the same Label the object within a variety of other

objects, correctly

Beyond Match Find and Label

Problem solving skills based on the initial skill of being able to use the information in a new way. For example once the child sorts all the alike objects then he is problem solving and applying his knowledge.

Problem solving

Memory

Motor

Perceptual

Literacy

Memory

Problem Solving

Elements of Cognitive Curriculum

Conservation Common Relations Visual Discrimination