Interactional Theories of Cognitive Development
Bruner’s three modes of representation
Bruner’s three modes of representation are the enactive, iconic and symbolic representations. Enactive representation is characterized by the use of motor skills to describe past experiences. For instance, a child may not give verbal directions to a store, but he or she may be able to get to the store by using the route he or she has used before. Iconic representation involves the use of images and their organization to describe an event. For instance, a child may draw a map representing the route to their school. Symbolic representation involves the storage and representation of information in a given form of code that can be manipulated to describe different situations. An example of symbolic representation is the use of language.
Sequence of representational stages
Driscoll (2005) highlights Bruner’s claim that “any subject can be taught effectively in some intellectually honest form to any child at any stage of development” (p. 229). By this, he meant that age does not determine the information that a child can learn. Bruner reveals that the manifestation of the three representations in a distinct order does not mean that children cannot learn similar things at the respective stage of representation. Cognitive development can be internally influenced at any stage of childhood development, but the representation of the information learned is different at different ages.
Important implications of the distinction in theory between Bruner and Piaget
The first implication of the distinction between the theory of Bruner and the theory of Piaget is that readiness for learning is not age-dependent. According to Piaget’s theory, a child can only learn something when he or she is at a specific age that is associated with such cognitive abilities. Bruner negates this idea by claiming that a child can learn anything at any age provided it is presented in a manner that the child can understand internally. The second implication is that age does not determine the representation stage portrayed by individuals during the learning process. Bruner’s sentiments reveal that even adults who are being presented with a new idea portray the three representation stages in a sequence.
Bruner about Intelligence
In Driscoll (2005), Bruner claims that “Intelligence is to great extent the internalization of tools provided by a given culture” (p. 242). Bruner meant that the concepts learned by different people might be the same, but the contexts of learning determine the application of the concepts. He also meant that the concepts learned by different people have different meanings based on their environmental factors.
The influence of culture on learning and behavior is clearly highlighted by this quote. Bruner negates Piaget’s ideology about the universality of universal egocentrism. A good example is the difference in behavior between urban and rural area dwellers in the African continent. While the urban dwellers have subscribed to the Western civilization and assumed lonely lives, the rural community still survives through communal efforts.
Lev Vygotsky’s theory
Vygotsky used Bruner’s approach to understanding the process of learning in children. Just like Bruner, Vygotsky focused on cognitive development as a function of social and cultural influences. However, he differed with Bruner and Piaget in his idea that cognitive development was actualized in complex stages that were influenced by dynamic environmental factors. Vygotsky was interested in identifying the specific factors that influence changes in psychological development from childhood to death, and he reviewed natural development and social influences.
Summary
The chapter is a review of the different thoughts presented by Bruner and Vygotsky on cognitive development. The chapter also highlights Piaget’s theory extensively as a point of contrast to the ideas provided by Bruner and Piaget. It is apparent that Brunner and Vygotsky shared sentiments on the importance of understanding how cognitive development is attained by children and adults. Bruner and Vygotsky’s were advocates of the idea of cultural environments being of great influence on the learning process of children. However, unlike Bruner and Piaget, Vygotsky focused on the stages of psychological changes that occur in humans from birth to death.
According to Bruner, learning is attained through discovery, learning, and inquiry teaching. Vygotsky, on the other hand, believes that learning occurs in three stages, which include the internalization, zone of proximal development, and the inter-subjectivity stages. These theories have helped me to understand the psychological differences between people. For instance, while reflecting on Bruner’s three modes of representation, I have seen children struggle with giving directions verbally while succeeding on the same by using images (Driscoll, 2005).
Motivation and Self-Regulation in Learning
Self-regulation
The subject was mathematics. I did not find the subject interesting because it was rather complex, and the instructor insisted on perfection in the assignments. There was too much pressure involve with the subject. My self-regulation level was a significant low because the teacher was boring. If I was the teacher, I would have introduced humor and participation in the class to make it more interesting.
The impact of self-efficacy beliefs on motivation in learning
Self-efficacy is a major determinant of the goals that students set on their performance, and it motivates them to work harder to attain them. Self-efficacy yields persistence in learning.
An example of negative cognition is when someone claims that he did something wrong or when he affirms that he cannot handle something. An example of positive cognition is when someone affirms that he can learn something or when he claims that he did the best he could.
Self-efficacy motivated me to be persistent in learning some of the topics in mathematics that were pulling my grades down. I was focused on the goal of passing all the subjects with top grades.
Keller’s ARCS model and the process of motivational design
The scenario of learning is a philosophy class. The audience is comprised of students and they are attentive to learn about the symptoms of dementia. The students are not adequately motivated to learn; hence, a motivational strategy must be implemented. The strategy of choice is to engage them in group discussions. An alternative strategy would be using presentations to keep the class lively.
Summary
This chapter highlights the need for students to possess the right attitude to learning. One of the key concepts in the chapter is self-efficacy, which is vital to the attainment of learning goals on the part of the students. Self-efficacy influences the development of persistence in making right choices that result in success. For instance, it was through the motivation derived from my self-efficacy that I managed to improve my grades in mathematics despite my attitude toward the subject.
This chapter also provides teachers with a strategy to improve the motivation of students in learning (Driscoll, 2005). The strategy entails determining the attention level of the audience, the relevance of the learning information and approach, the confidence of the students, and the satisfaction potential of the learning outcomes. Teachers can develop a motivational strategy through addressing the four factors.
Reference
Driscoll, M. (2005). Psychology of Learning for Instruction, 3rd Edition. New York: Allyn& Bacon. Web.