This page will lead you to readings for the course which are available on the World Wide Web. I have divided them into rough concept groupings, but you may find overlap. For instance, a source which I have placed under Development may have quite a bit to say about Motivation.
You will not be expected to read all of these sources. Watch the Homeroom view in our WebKF database for notification of which papers are required reading. This list will likely grow during the course. You may want to come back to gain additional or alternative insights concerning some of the concepts we will be discussing. I hope that in our on-line discussion you will propose additional sources worth examining.
Development
Homage to Jean Piaget (1896-1980) by Ernst von Glasersfeld
This is an extensive introduction to Piaget's thought. It gets
behind what Piaget did to examine why
he conducted his studies. That is much more important than a mere
listing of theories or experimental procedures.
Genetic Epistemology by Greg
Kearsley
A brief look at aspects of Piaget's thought. This is part of a
series of glimpses at psychological theories under the general
heading of Theory into practice. You can follow links back to
other pages giving access to synopses of other theories. The
material on Piaget provides links to summaries of other theorists
who contribute similar or contrasting views.
Genetic Epistemology by Jean
Piaget (1968)
OK, the above gave you a condensed version. Here is some of what
Piaget has to say about it.
The Construction of Reality in the Child by Jean Piaget (1955)
A lengthy excerpt which appears to come from one of Piaget's
foundational books. Even if you don't have time to read it all,
it is worth a look to whet the appetite for future reading.
PIAGET'S
STAGES OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
Here you will find one of the ugliest web pages in existence.
However, it does give a quick run-down of Piaget's stages of
development. When you have a look at this page you should
understand why the link to it has all upper-case letters.
Invention
by Children - Piaget's Stages
This one starts with a little more extensive presentation of the
stages of development. As I post this, I confess that I have not
read all of the material on this site. It is several pages long.
I hope to get time to examine it more carefully, or perhaps one
of you will. Initially, at least, it looks interesting.
Going
beyond Piaget by Russell Smith
Smith gives a brief critique of Piaget's work.
Beyond the Individual-Social Antimony in Discussions of
Piaget and Vygotsky by Michael Cole and
James V. Wertsch
A scholarly introduction to Vygotsky.
An introduction to some of the basic concepts of
Vygotskyean theory by Trish Nicholl
Another worthwhile look at Vygotsky's fundamental ideas.
Vygotsky by Cristina Guerra
A brief introduction to Vygotsky's central ideas.
Thinking and Speaking by Lev
Vygotsky (1934)
A chapter from a book by Vygotsky with links to other sources.
The Historical Meaning of The Crisis in Psychology: A
Methodological Investigation by Lev
Vygotsky (1927)
Another paper by Vygotsky with more links.
Culural-Historical
Psychology
A good collection of scholarly articles about Vygotsky and
related topics from the University of Waterloo.
Wild Boy of Averyon
A brief introduction to an interesting case which sheds some
light on aspects of development that can and cannot take place
without social or cultural stimulation.
Chapter 11 Adolescence
This is a chapter of an on-line text book. Since IS students are
interested more in adolscents than children, you may find some
useful information here. By following links, you can gain access
to all of the book which is on line. Be warned that the material
is of varying levels of accuracy and worth.
Kohlberg's
Theory of Moral Development
Kohlberg was one of the pioneers in the area of constructing
theories of moral development. Here is a brief introduction to
his approach.
Probing Kohlberg's theory
This paper also gives a brief overview of Kohlberg's stages of
moral development. In addition, it offers links looking at the
use of the theory and some of its possible limitations.
Erik Erikson's 8 Stages of Psychosocial Development
This looks like a very rich source of information on Erikson's
theory. There are many links providing additional information and
alternative views.
Learning Theory
Engines for Educations
This is an on-line book giving some ways of looking at bringing
cognitive theoretical ideas to bear on teaching. Much of the book
is taken up with the author's views on computers in education.
Since 3506 is a psychology course, not a computer course, we will
give little attention to the proposed computer-based solutions
that the author offers for the ills of schools. Instead, we will
concentrate on the view of learning that is presented.
Educational Outrage: a column
by Roger Schank
This is a sort of companion for the on-line book. HIGHLY
RECOMMENDED.
Behaviorism As A Learning Theory - University of Houston
A quick introduction to behavioural theory and its place in the
development of psychological thought. A good first look at some
of Skinner's ideas. The link to Beyond Freedom and Dignity
is worth a look.
The Origins of Cognitive Thought by B F Skinner (1989)
This is a neat one. I have no idea who put Skinner's paper on the
Web, but here is the behavioural master taking a swipe at
cognitive concepts.
Cognitive
Psychology and its Application to Education - Univeristy of
Houston
An introduction to cognitive theory and its history. There is a
link to a good synopsis of Piaget's thought.
Schools as Knowledge Building Organizations by Marlene Scardamalia and Carl Bereiter
An excellent introduction to the ideas underlying WebKF.
Constructivist ideas brought to bear on schooling.
On Constructivism by Susan
Hanley
A consideration of what constructivist ideas might mean for the
classroom.
What Is the Collaborative Classroom? by M.B. Tinzmann, B.F. Jones, T.F. Fennimore, J.
Bakker, C. Fine, and J. Pierce
A description of an approach to education that makes use of
theoretical ideas, particularly those of Vygotsky.
How People Learn - Honolulu
C.C.
A lot of material, of varying quality, on many aspects of
schooling and learning.
Misha, the Wonder Cat
Got a few minutes to kill. Here is a bit of applied behaviourism
-- toilet training a cat!
The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two by George A. Miller
A seminal paper from the development of moden theory of memory.
Intelligence
Gardner's Seven Types of Intelligence
Here is a simple listing of Gardner's types of multiple
intelligences.
Who Owns Intelligence
This is an Atlantic Monthly paper by Gardner. In
addition to providing good links to further information about his
theory of multiple intelligences, he gives a history of
intelligence a field of study in psychology. There are also links
to other papers on intelligence which have been published in the Atlantic
Monthly. Excellent.
Howard
Gardner's Multiple Intelligences
This is one of the links from Gardner's Atlantic article. It
gives a quick contrast of multiple intelligence theory and IQ.
Hoever, the real value is in the dozen or more links at the
bottom of the page to questions about multiple intelligence
theory and its use in different contexts.
Motivation
Attribution
Theory
Here is a take on attribution theory that is a little different
from that given in the course notes on cognitive theory.
Maslow's
Theory
The work of Abraham Maslow is regarded by many as a basis for
understanding motivation. This page gives an introduction to some
of Maslow's ideas and his "hierarchy of needs."
Maslow's
Hierarchy of Needs
This page gives a more extensive look at Maslow's theory with
links to material related to many of the concepts involved. In
particular, there is a link to a standard consideration of
motivation in general.
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