Section III

Theoretical Perspectives: Intersections of

Psychology, Cognitive Theory, Reading, and the
Reader




Theory is at the heart of what drives our behaviors and
practices.


What we believe about how students learn best determines
the types of instructional activities we will choose.

This section of the text reviews important
work of psychologist and theorist from
centuries ago. Such as,

Plato
Socrates
Thorndike
Piaget
Vygotsky
Skinner
Bandura

The text also examines some popular reading
programs and the theories from which they
have evolved.

The authors want us as readers/educators to focus on
our beliefs of how children learn and how reading
should be taught.


Additionally they want us to look at the mandates that
require us to use specific curricula and instructional
programs.

Can you articulate a strong defense for the
practices you are implementing?

If not, can you articulate a justification for
changing course in your instructional reading
practices?

Chapter 8
Intersections of Educational Psychology and the
Teaching of Reading: Connections to the
Classroom

Kathie
Good

It takes a village to raise a
child.
In education it takes theorists,
psychologists, researchers, and educators.

Teachers have the responsibility to ensure
that every child is successful in learning to
read.

Optimal learning takes place when there is
an intersection of foundational theory and
everyday practice.
Plato, Socrates, Aristotle
Greek philosophers believed the mind was a
muscle.
Plato and Socrates believed the more the
mind was used the more intellectual one would
become.
Rote memorization was viewed as acceptable
as long as new knowledge was gained.
The theories of how humans learn can be
traced to Plato and Aristotles theories on
associationism.
Associationism instills that learning is never
completed in isolation but is dependent on
previous learning and experiences.

Jean Piaget
Cognitive ability of children evolved in four
distinct and unique stages:
Sensorimotor Stage
Preoperational Stage
Concrete Operational Stage
Formal Operational Stage

When students are unable to have success learning a
new concept, teachers should ask themselves if
students are not understanding because of the skills or
associated knowledge or if the students are not of the
cognitive maturity to understand the concept.

Students must be taught in a social setting to have a
well-rounded learning experience.
Lev Vygotsky
Vygotsky was working on cognitive development around the same
time as Piaget. His work was completed in the 1920s and 1930s but
was not translated until 1960s.

Learning is directly related to the social interactions that occur within
the learning environment.

Most known for his educational philosophy of Zone of Proximal
Development (ZPD).

ZPD is defined as the gap between the childs level of actual
development determined by independent problem solving and her
level of potential development determined by problem solving
supported by an adult or through collaboration with capable peers.

ZPD is used to push children from their comfort level of learning
(comfort zone to their potential level of learning .
Edward L. Thorndike
Commonly referred to as the Father of Educational
Psychology.
Cat in a Box Experiment Law of Effect

Law of Effect states that responses that are closely followed
by satisfying consequences become assosciated with the
situation and are more likely to recur when the situation is
subsequently encountered. This was later reworked and
presented as Skinners operant conditioning.

Connectionism highlights the learning practice of connecting
new ideas, knowledge, or learning to existing memory in the
cognitive storage.

His theory we see today is active learning:
Students drive the learning
Teacher is the facilitator
B.F. Skinner
Operant Conditioning
Believed that there are 5 main obstacles in
learning:
Fear of failure
Lack of directions
Lack of clarity in directions
Positive reinforcement was not used enough or with
enough immediate feedback
Tasks contained too many large steps

Based on Skinners 5 obstacles Siegfried
Englemann developed a series of reading
curriculum units.
The methodology of direct instruction is used in
classrooms today.
Albert Bandura
Banduras social learning theory
extends the idea that learning does
not occur in isolation.
Social learning theory begins the
moment children realize they are not
alone in the universe, but that they are
a part of a community.
Social learning and modeling are
inseparable.

Personal Philosophies
Educators typically develop their
philosophies early in their academic
careers based on their university,
instructors, and experiences.
However, when they are asked, most
educators are unable to identify the
philosopher, theorist, or researcher
who influenced their educational
philosophy.
Can you recall who influenced your
philosophy?