COGNITION and LANGUAGE
EDEC 2230, Sections A& B, Spring 2003
Department of Early Childhood Education and
Section
A meets Mondays & Wednesdays
4:15 – 5:30 p.m.
Section
B meets Tuesdays & Thursdays
2:00 – 3:15 p.m.
College of Education Classroom Building Room
# 3151
INSTRUCTOR: Scott A.L. Beck
Office: Room
#4113,
Office hours: Tuesday & Thursday 12:30 – 1:30
p.m.
and by
appointment
Phone: (912)
681-0354
E-mail: sab44@cornell.edu
Webpage: http://www2.gasou.edu/facstaff/salbeck/
Course Catalog Description:
This course will examine
cognition and language and the relationships between the two systems. The
course will present language as a special form of thinking and communication
and as a complex, living, changing system.
The course will explore relevant theories of cognitive and language
development and will trace development from infancy to adolescence. The course will emphasize practices that
promote specific language and cognitive competencies and will explore their
utilization in various contexts and with learners representing language diversity.
Prerequisites: Sophomore
standing
Credit: 3
semester hours
Departmental Course Objectives:
The student will:
1. Identify and explain the distinguishing
characteristics of human language and the components of the language system;
2. Identify
and explain the major theories of both cognitive and language development;
3.
Utilize inquiry skills to
explore various aspects of cognitive and language development;
4.
Describe the typical pattern of
cognitive development and of language acquisition and development and explain
the effect of social and cultural influences upon that pattern;
5. Identify and describe specific competencies
(e.g. concepts, memory, functions of language, conversations, narratives, literacy)
and their relationship to both cognition and language;
6. Identify
and describe practices that promote both cognitive and language development;
7. Identify
the impact of technology as it relates to developmental and socioeconomic
issues;
8. Identify
and explain language diversity and ways to demonstrate respect for and valuing
of that diversity.
REQUIRED
Beck, S.A.L. (2002). ECED
2230 course reader: Spring 2003.
Berk, L.E. & Winsler, A. (1995). Scaffolding
children's learning: Vygotsky and early childhood education.
OPTIONAL
O'Conner, P. (1996). Woe is
i: The grammarphobe's guide to better English in plain English.
Note: The reading load for each class meeting will
average around 10,000 words. Classes
with substantially more reading are marked on the course schedule by Heavy reading assignment.
Attention Students with Disabilities:
If you have a physical, psychological, and/or
learning disability that might affect your performance in this course, please
contact the
Student Performance
Requirements:
Attendance:
PUNCTUAL ATTENDANCE IS MANDATORY.
Your success in this course is dependent upon your participation in
class activities and discussions.
Therefore your presence is required.
ANY MISSED IN-CLASS GRADES WILL BE RECORDED AS ZEROS AND CANNOT BE MADE
UP. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE for any class
notes, materials, or assignments missed during your absence.
BEHAVIOR:
Students are expected to participate in class activities and
discussions. ANY STUDENT WHOSE BEHAVIOR
INHIBITS THE LEARNING OF THEIR CLASSMATES CAN AND WILL BE ASKED TO LEAVE THE
CLASSROOM.
Guidelines for Preparing Assignments:
·
Assignments and
projects used to fulfill the requirements of this course are not to have been
used for the fulfillment of requirements for other courses.
·
All assignments
are due on time (at the beginning of class that day) as indicated in the course
calendar and/or specified in class.
·
LATE
PAPERS/ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED FOR UP TO ONE WEEK WITH A…
… 10
POINT (1 letter grade) REDUCTION IN GRADE WHEN LESS THAN 24 HOURS LATE.
… 20
POINT (2 letter grades) REDUCTION IN GRADE WHEN LESS THAN 1 WEEK LATE.
·
All assignments
are to be typed and stapled or bound together.
·
Each assignment must
have your name, course section and the date clearly indicated.
·
Demonstrate
thoughtful reading, research, analysis and presentation in your work.
·
DOCUMENT YOUR
WRITING WITH BIBLIOGRAPHIES AND CITATIONS USING STANDARD APA STYLE. For clarifications regarding APA style
see: http://library.usask.ca/education/apa.html
httpp://www2.gasou.edu/library/broch_ref/apastyle.pdf
http://www.apastyle.org/elecref.html
http://www.lib.usm.edu/~instruct/guides/apa.html
·
Avoid strings of quotes
or paraphrased material with little of substance linking and explaining these
materials. Instead, explain why you
think certain quotes are significant and/or related to each other. Share your thoughts; don’t just copy the
ideas of others.
·
Your work must be
yours – write in first person when appropriate.
·
Assignments are
to be your work or the work of your team, not the work of others.
·
Academic honesty
is not just a nice idea, it is the rule at GSU.
PLAGIARISM WILL NOT BE TOLERATED.
Plagiarism includes:
Ø Using someone else’s ideas or words without
proper quotation marks and citations.
Ø Failing to cite paraphrased material.
PLAGIARISM CAN LEAD TO YOUR IMMEDIATE FAILURE OF THIS
COURSE.
The GSU Student Conduct Code and Regulations regarding
Academic Honesty will be enforced. (See:
http://www.stp.gasou.edu/scc/index.html). Misconduct will be reported to the Office of
Judicial Affairs and can result in severe penalties. CHEATING DURING A TEST CAN LEAD TO YOUR
IMMEDIATE FAILURE OF THIS COURSE.
·
If you think that
you can plagiarize and get away with it, see: http://www.asee.org/prism/december/html/student_plagiarism_in_an_onlin.htm
·
The Professional
Standards of Conduct outlined by this department will be enforced.
·
Avoid use of the
‘generic he.’
·
Your grade will
suffer if errors (grammar, spelling, punctuation) and poor composition and style
make an assignment difficult to read.
·
WRITE, then EDIT,
RE-WRITE, then PROOFREAD, RE-WRITE again, and ask FRIENDS to EDIT and
PROOFREAD, and RE-WRITE yet again.
·
MAKE USE OF GSU’S
WRITING CENTER (call 871-1413). It’s
free and they can help anyone improve their writing
Assessment:
Course Requirements
& Assignments:
1. DAILY CLASS GRADES – Unannounced Quizzes on
There will be some form of
assessment NEARLY EVERY CLASS. Most of
them will be short and simply check your comprehension of the readings due for
class that day.
If you don’t do the readings, your
daily class grades will suffer tremendously.
If you read sloppily or without consulting a dictionary or the
glossaries, your grades will also suffer.
Each daily class grade will be worth
approximately 1% of your final grade, which does not seem like much, but this
will add up to the SINGLE LARGEST portion of your grade.
2. Two Reading Reflections …
First: 8% of total grade
Second:
12% of total grade
You will write two separate reflections upon
the readings (see due dates in the course schedule below). Each of these papers will be approximately
500 words long and make reference to 2 or 3 of the assigned readings.
Although these are short papers, they must be
well thought out and well written.
Please be sure to edit and proofread your writing.
In these papers, you will be expected to
demonstrate that you have gone beyond simply reading and have comprehended and
responded to the texts. Suggested
questions to ask yourself as your read and respond:
·
Do I agree
or disagree with the ideas in these readings?
Why? What personal experiences do
I remember that either affirms or casts doubt upon these readings?
·
If I
were forced to choose sides between two different and incompatible readings,
which side would I be on? Why? What evidence (anecdotal or research-based)
can I muster in favor of my preference?
·
Singer
& Revenson use many examples from children’s’ literature and cartoons to
illustrate the ideas of Piaget. (Take a
look!) Can you use other examples from
children’s’ literature, cartoons, or television programs to illustrate the
ideas from OTHER readings? (Don’t do
this with Singer & Revenson). If so,
describe the scene in a children’s’ book, cartoon, or television program and
explain how it illustrates the ideas in at least two of the readings. For example, what would Vygotsky or Chomsky
say about the characters in Harry Potter or Garfield?
3. ‘Promotive Practices Team’ Presentation & Summary
…
20%
of total grade …
5% based upon team
presentation
5%
based upon team summary handout
10% based upon
individual work within team, especially as reflected in WebCT
You and your team will then be given a chance
to state your preferences regarding which developmental theme you would like to
study. In order to allow the largest
possible number of people to study themes that interest them, I will look over
your team preferences and assign particular teams to particular themes.
As you read for this class, you and your
teammates will be expected to note the relevance of particular readings, ideas,
and quotes to your developmental theme.
You will note what a particular reading has to say about your theme and
what promotive practices the reading suggests.
You are welcome to and encouraged to seek out other relevant readings
for other books, journals, or the web.
Then, each of you will post your ideas and
notes regarding your theme in your team's discussion section on WebCT AT LEAST
ONCE A WEEK. It will also provide
important documentation of your individual work within your team.
The objective of your WebCT contributions and
discussions will be for your team to debate, agree to disagree, and maybe reach
consensus about the readings and their relevance to your theme. In this way, over the course of the semester,
your team will construct a great deal of expertise regarding your theme. Then it will be time for your team to share
your communal expertise with the rest of the class.
Your team will write a 2 page summary of your
findings regarding your team’s developmental theme. This summary will compare and contrast the
importance and usefulness of the various theories and ideas we have read during
the semester. The summary will also provide
a number of suggested promotive practices regarding your developmental theme.
Your summaries may include bulleted lists,
graphic organizers, or any other appropriate methods of presenting your
material. As with your reading
reflections, these summaries must be well thought out and well presented. Please be sure to edit and proofread your
writing. You will make copies of your
summaries and distribute them to all your classmates. These will serve as reference materials for
you as you progress through the Early Childhood Education major.
Your team will also make a presentation in
class regarding your findings. Your team
will take over the classroom and use interesting and appropriate activities,
methods and materials to teach your classmates about your findings.
Finally, each team member will confidentially
assess the contribution made by his or her individual teammates. These assessments will take into account your
professionalism, courtesy, promptness, reliability, work ethic, contributions,
and cooperation in the team context. Based
upon these assessments, my own observations, and the documentation on WebCT, I
will assign a grade to each individual team member.
4. Examinations …
First
Preliminary Exam: 8% of
total grade
Second
Preliminary Exam: 10%
of total grade
Final
Exam: 12%
of total grade
These exams will cover material presented in
readings, class discussions, and team papers and presentations. The exams will likely focus upon objective
(multiple choice and matching) questions.
You are likely to be provided an opportunity to suggest questions for
the final exam.
NO MAKEUP EXAMS will be given without advance
notice and an official written explanation from a medical or legal
professional. Any makeup exam will be in
written long essay format.
GRADE CHART:
|
Assessment |
Your Grade |
x % of Total Grade |
= Subtotal |
|
|
Daily Class Grades |
|
x 30% |
|
|
|
Reading Reflection 1 |
|
x 8% |
|
|
|
Reading Reflection 2 |
|
x 12% |
|
|
|
Promotive Practices Team 20% |
Presentation |
|
x 5% |
|
|
Handout |
|
x 5% |
|
|
|
Individual |
|
x 10% |
|
|
|
Preliminary Exam 1 |
|
x 8% |
|
|
|
Preliminary Exam 2 |
|
x 10% |
|
|
|
Final Exam |
|
x 12% |
|
|
|
Total Grade: |
|
|||
Course Schedule:
|
Mtg # |
Section A MW 4:15 – 5:30 |
Section B TR 2:00 – 3:15 |
Topics
|
Readings due |
Assignments due |
|
1 |
Monday January 6 |
Tuesday January 7 |
Introduction: Defining Our Purposes as Teachers, Parents &
Citizens, Overview of Theories |
|
|
|
2 |
Wednesday January 8 |
Thursday January 9 |
Behaviorism: Skinner |
OTTO – pp. 23-30 READER - SKINNER
- "Walden Two" – Chpt. 12, 13 & 15 |
Survey from L. & Spada |
|
3 |
Monday January 13 |
Tuesday January 14 |
NEUROSCIENCE: Brain Cells & Chemistry (parts of Suzuki’s
The Brain video) |
SYLWESTER – pp. 14-24 & chapter 2 |
|
|
4 |
Wednesday January 15 |
Thursday January 16 |
Emotion, Attention & Memory |
SYLWESTER – chapters 4 & 5 |
|
|
NO CLASSES: Monday, January
20th & Tuesday, January 21st - Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr. Holiday |
|||||
|
5 |
Wednesday January 22 |
Thursday January 23 |
Sylwester’s
General Categories, Gardner's Multiple Intelligences, Pinker’s Modules |
SYLWESTER – chapters 6 & 7 |
|
|
6 |
Monday January 27 |
Tuesday January 28 |
NATIVISM /
INNATISM & LANGUAGE: Uniqueness,
Elements & Sub-fields of Linguistics (parts of Human Language video #1) |
OTTO – chpt. 1 |
|
|
7 |
Wednesday January 29 |
Thursday January 30 |
Chomsky's LAD/UG (parts of Human Language video #2) |
OTTO –pp. 30-47 |
|
|
8 |
Monday February 3 |
Tuesday February 4 |
Pattern of
Language Acquisition / Development (parts of Human Language video #3) |
OTTO – chpt. 6 |
First Reading Reflection
Paper Due |
|
9 |
Wednesday February 5 |
Thursday February 6 |
Whole Language / Emergent
Literacy v. Phonics / Reading Readiness (parts of Emergent
Literacy video) |
OTTO – chpt. 8 |
|
|
10 |
Monday February 10 |
Tuesday February 11 |
Early School
Literacy and Special Needs Children |
OTTO – chpt. 10
& 13 |
|
|
11 |
Wednesday February 12 |
Thursday February 13 |
PRELIMINARY EXAM #1 |
||
|
NOTE:
Tuesday, February 18th is the LAST DAY TO WITHDRAW without
Academic Penalty |
|||||
|
12 |
Monday February 17 |
Tuesday February 18 |
Cognitive Constructivism: Piaget |
SINGER & R. –
pp. 1-4, chpt. 2 & 3 |
|
|
13 |
Wednesday February 19 |
Thursday February 20 |
Piaget &
Children |
SINGER & R. –
chpt. 4 & 5 |
|
|
14 |
Monday February 24 |
Tuesday February 25 |
Piaget &
Montessori |
SINGER & R. –
chpt. 6 & 8 |
|
|
15 |
Wednesday February 26 |
Thursday February 27 |
Socio-Cultural INTERACTIONISM: Vygotsky |
BERK & W. -
chpt. 2 (Heavy reading
assignment) |
|
|
16 |
Monday March 3 |
Tuesday March 4 |
Vygotsky |
BERK & W. -
chpt. 3 (Heavy reading
assignment) |
|
|
17 |
Wednesday March 5 |
Thursday March 6 |
Vygotsky &
Bruner |
BERK & W. -
chpt. 6 (Heavy reading
assignment) |
|
|
18 |
Monday March 10 |
Tuesday March 11 |
Vygotsky &
Other theories |
BERK & W. -
chpt. 5 & 7 |
|
|
20 |
Wednesday March 12 |
Thursday March 13 |
PRELIMINARY EXAM #2 |
||
|
NO CLASSES: Monday, March 17th
- Thursday, March 20th – Spring Break |
|||||
|
19 |
Monday March 24 |
Tuesday March 25 |
Diversity: Cross-Cultural Diversity in Cognition |
READER - ROGOFF -
"Cultural Similarities and Variations in Guided Participation" |
|
|
21 |
Wednesday March 26 |
Thursday March 27 |
History of
Southern English (parts of History of
English Video) |
OTTO – pp. 52-63 READER - SCOLLON
& SCOLLON - "Narrative, Literacy, and Face in Interethnic
Communication" |
|
|
22 |
Monday March 31 |
Tuesday April 1 |
Cross-Cultural
Diversity in Language (parts of American
Tongues video) |
READER – BRICE
HEATH - "A Lot of Talk about Nothing" |
|
|
23 |
Wednesday April 2 |
Thursday April 3 |
Power Codes &
Code Switching |
READER - DELPIT -
"Politics of Teaching Literate Discourse" READER - DELPIT -
"What Should Teachers Do?" |
|
|
24 |
Monday April 7 |
Tuesday April 8 |
Funds of
Knowledge |
READER - NCRCDSLL
- "Funds of Knowledge" READER - NCREL -
"Funds of Knowledge" |
Second Reading Reflection
Paper Due |
|
25 |
Wednesday April 9 |
Thursday April 10 |
Multilingualism |
OTTO – pp. 63-80 |
|
|
26 |
Monday April 14 |
Tuesday April 15 |
Research on Additional
Language Learning |
READER – IGOA –
“The Silent Stage” READER – VALDES –
“Implications for Policy & Practice” |
|
|
27 |
Wednesday April 16 |
Thursday April 17 |
BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER |
READER – PIPER – “Language and Learning” |
|
|
28 |
Monday April 21 |
Tuesday April 22 |
FINAL EXAM
|
||
|
29 |
Wednesday April 23 |
Thursday April 24 |
Workshop Time for Team Presentations |
||
|
NO
CLASS on Monday, April 28th |
|||||
|
30 |
Between April 29 and May 2 |
During Final Exam Time: TEAM PRESENTATIONS |
|||