chapter 9

1.) How does the new info fit with what we have already learned? Chapter 9 focuses on language and comprehension. It discusses both reading and writing regarding how we learn and recognize words. Several of the recurrent themes about cognitive processes appear in this chapter, such as negative sentences require more processing than similar positive sentences. Cognitive processes are remarkably efficient and accurate when we need to make sense of ambiguous sentences. We learn to refer to context in these situations, along with previous understandings. Cognitive processes are interrelated and do not operate in isolation of one another as the dual-route approach suggests. The cognitive functional approach emphasizes the function of language is to communicate and this requires attention and memory. We utilize both our working memory and long term memory when reading.
2.) What am I not clear on? The book quickly talks about the illiteracy rate in the world. I understand that in some countries girls are not educated and that they make up a large part of the illiterate population. However, illiteracy should not be as prevalent as it is in America. We have public schools in which to teach children to read. Why is it so many cannot read? If people cannot read the rest of their life is severely limited as far as autonomy is concerned. It impacts everything form being able to read an ad for a job vacancy, to driving, to filling out job applications, to going to the store and reading the labels on the shelves and everything in between that requires the ability to read the written word. How is it that kids pass through school and graduate without being able to read?
3.) How would I apply this info? I talked in our group discussion about the use of language in health class relating to other subjects kids study, like biology and chemistry. Many of the same terms show up in health and this reinforces what they already know, building on that knowledge. For others, who may not have had experience with the terminology, we build in class too. The example I gave in our group was talking about the lungs in anatomy. The function, tissue, and cells of the lungs and what they do for the body. We revisit the lungs when we talk about tobacco education and how they can become diseased and change on a cellular level as the cancer grows and spreads.

chapter 12

1.) How does this new information fit with what I already know? Chapter 12 follows what we were learned last week regarding problem solving. This week is kind of the "how" of problem solving...how we go about decision making and deductive reasoning. The first part of the chapter focuses on deductive reasoning and our preference for positive information or confirmation bias, which follows along with Theme 3 of the text. The rest of the chapter provides insight on several heuristics for decision making: the representative heuristic, the availability heuristic and the anchoring or adjusting heuristic.

2.) What is still unclear? I think I am reasonably clear on the information in Chapter 12. I have had classes in both logic and philosophy in the past - so my preexisting knowledge was very helpful in reading this chapter. I thought the default heuristic was interesting. The example of the French system of organ donation vs. the American system. In America you have to sign up or give consent, whereas in France they will consider you a donor unless you opt out. I would be interested to see actual numbers of lives saved (prospect theory) due to organ donation. There are long waiting lists in this country for donated organs and sometimes people die while waiting. I wounder if this is the case in France? They also have a national health care system and we do not...yet.

3.) How would I use this information? I have incorporated a lesson on decision making in health class. I put it in my tobacco unit I did with a group of 7th graders. We discussed influences, both external and internal. We covered six steps to decision making: 1.)identify the problem 2.)consider your values 3.)list the options 4.)weigh the consequences 5.)decide to act 6.)evaluate your choice.

chapter 11

1.) How does this fit what I have learned so far? The problem solving strategies discussed in chapter 11; Analogy, Means-Ends, and hill climbing heuristic offer further insight to how we process incoming stimuli - problems or tasks in this case - and then utilize our schemas to address those problems. Whether is is through analogy, when we employ a solution from past experiences, or means-ends, when we chunk problems or tasks into smaller pieces to solve that eventually lead to our goal. or hill climbing, when selecting an approach that appears to lead to our end goal.

Also relating to previous chapters was the information discussing bottom up and top down processing and the roles they play in problem solving. Matlin presents mental set (trying the same solution from previous problems, when another approach may be more efficient) and functional fixedness (giving up on trying to find new ways to improve your abilities to respond) as having an over active top down processing and closing ones self of to alternative solutions.

2.) What is unclear? I don't feel there is anything I am unclear about. The book provided clear understandings and examples. The Savery and Duffy article helped put the strategies from the text into a linear model for designing curricula.

3.) When would I use this? I would use this information when developing lesson plans. Specifically the information in the Savery and Duffy article. Regarding the Matlin text, I think educating students on different problem solving strategies is very useful. helping them identify different approaches is a life skill they can apply in and out of the classroom.

chapter 8

1.) Summarize? Chapter 8 focuses on semantic memory and schemas. It identifies four categories of semantic memory: feature comparison (list of necessary features or characteristic), prototype approach (identify most typical representation of a category and reference that to others), exemplar approach (identifies specific examples and classifies new stimulus accordingly) and network models (focuses on interconnections among related items).

The chapter distinguishes between schemas and scripts in that schemas are our knowledge about the world and a script describes an expected sequence of events. Matlin discusses memory selection and the two opposing theories: we remember better when stimuli is consistent with existing schemas OR we remember better when stimulus is inconsistent with existing schemas. She continues with memory abstraction -suggesting we store the meaning of the message and not exact wording, memory interpretation - remembering our own interpretation rather than original messages, and finally memory integration.

2.) How does this fit with what I already know? It follows what was presented in earlier chapters, specifically 4-7. It offers more detailed theories to explain how memories are stored and how previous knowledge can influence the processing of new information.

3.) Unclear? I don't think I am unclear on anything. The chapter went into GREAT detail.

4.) How would I apply this in my own teaching? I posted on the discussion board an example of using the prototype approach in nutrition education. This is a very useful approach because students can learn a specific example of each food group and then compare it to new foods to determine which group they belong to.

5.) Proof? The author offers MANY studies in this chapter. I think the evidence comes in the description of the semantic memory categories - for me anyway. The descriptions seem easily understandable and rational. That's not to suggest that I don't believe the schema and scripts information. I completely believe we remember what is most applicable to us and the meaning of the message as opposed to exact words.

6.) Why is it important? What does it explain? I think it offers insight into how students may process new information and relate it to preexisting knowledge. It helps to explain why students may struggle with new material if it does not fit into their established schemas, therefore helping the teacher to try and alter that schema to allow new understanding.

7.) When would I use this? I think I would use this information with students who are struggling to incorporate new information into preexisting knowledge. I gave an example earlier in the semester about students who were having trouble with the idea that even a little second hand or environmental smoke is unhealthy. They seemed to resist this information because it did not fit with their existing understanding or schema. The effort then became to change that schema to allow for the new understanding that no amount of second hand or environmental smoke was acceptable and any exposure carried health risks.

8.) Faster, cheaper, better? I think as we understand these theories, we will be able to employ learning strategies to either utilize them as possible avenues in learning or work within them, such as schemas, to enable students to process new information more readily.