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Katherine C. Powell

Bio: Katherine C. Powell is an academic researcher. The author has contributed to research in topics: Constructivism (philosophy of education) & Erikson's stages of psychosocial development. The author has an hindex of 2, co-authored 2 publications receiving 755 citations.

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Journal Article
TL;DR: Constructivism is a vague concept, but is currently discussed in many schools as the best method for teaching and learning as mentioned in this paper, and teachers have the potential to teach constructively, if they understand constructivism.
Abstract: Introduction Constructivism is a vague concept, but is currently discussed in many schools as the best method for teaching and learning. For many educators or teachers, it has a variety of meanings. In order for teachers to use it effectively, they have to know where the student is at a given learning point or the current stage in their knowledge of a subject so that students can create personal meaning when new information is given to them. When in the classroom, teachers have the potential to teach constructively, if they understand constructivism. Constructivist teaching strategies and practices are the next important step in educational reform. Constructivist teaching strategies have a great effect in the classroom both cognitively and socially for the student. A teacher must understand and use methods of both cognitive and social constructivism, if he or she is to run an effective constructivist classroom. In cognitive constructivism, ideas are constructed in individuals through a personal process, as opposed to social constructivism where ideas are constructed through interaction with the teacher and other students. While they are fundamentally different both types will ultimately form overall constructivism or constructed learning elements for students to easily grasp; the main concept being that ideas are constructed from experience to have a personal meaning for the student. To be effective, both theories of constructivism need to be explicit in communicating concepts so that students can connect to them. Teachers need to understand these theories, as well as, know how to incorporate constructivist teaching methods, strategies, tools and practices to develop an effective learning environment. Cognitive Constructivism Many educators in schools throughout America are required to teach constructively in their classrooms. The term cognitive constructivism can connote ambiguous or puzzled reactions from teachers who are told that they should be using teaching strategies to promote this form of learning approach for their students. Substantial individual thought needs to be acquired in content or subject areas for students to actually understand the material instead of just being able to recite it. Providing classroom situations and activities that promote individual learning is required. Jean Piaget, a well-known French Swiss developmental psychologist, who wrote many books and articles on learning, construed this process. Piaget was originally a biologist and theorists state that he thought in terms of students becoming "little scientists," who learn voraciously as individuals who build conceptual structures in memory to store information. Initially, he built his theories observing his own children as they learned and played together. Piaget's main focus of constructivism has to do with the individual and how the individual constructs knowledge. Cognitive constructivism came directly from Piaget's work. Piaget's theory of cognitive development proposes that humans cannot be given information, which they immediately understand and use; instead, humans must construct their own knowledge (Piaget, 1953). He stated that children's schemas are constructed through the process of assimilation and accommodation, when going through four different stages of development (Wadsworth, 2004). Piaget's (1953) four stages of development are: Sensorimotor stage, which a child goes through from ages zero to two; preoperational stage (two to seven years old), concrete operational stage (seven to eleven years old), and the formal operational stage (eleven years old to adulthood). In Piaget's sensorimotor stage children begin to discover their environment around them through their own senses and physical activity and then language, as they get older within this stage. Children in his next stage of preoperational develop their own language skills but still cannot grasp the thoughts of others. …

761 citations

Journal Article
TL;DR: Santrock et al. as mentioned in this paper presented a psychoanalytical perspective on conflicts of identity resolution experienced by adolescents and found that adolescents need to make choices, be successful in school and manage life to attain a healthy identity at the end of adolescence.
Abstract: Adolescent teenagers, who are undergoing the process of growth between childhood and maturity or adulthood, are usually thirteen to nineteen years of age. During this period of adolescence, biological, emotional or psychosocial conflicts are evident. Adolescents are learning to cope with changes while concerned with self-image, self-esteem, social expectations and academic achievement. They are trying to find out: (1) who they are, separating from their families; (2) what they are about, their interests and personalities; and (3) where they are going, in order to discover their place in adult life (Santrock, 2001). Adolescents are also confronted with career choices, romantic entanglements and responsibilities that are new experiences in which they may make decisions or adjustments to attain their own identity or success. They have to make choices, be successful in school and manage life to attain a healthy identity at the end of adolescence. Identity refers to the sense of self or a consistent unique character over a period of time. The additional responsibilities and social expectations adolescents face may create conflicts for them to resolve, while defining their own identities. Erikson (1968), a student of Freud and developmental theorist, depicted eight stages of life span development. His fifth psychosocial stage of human development, "Identity versus Identity Confusion", states that if adolescents are not given the chance to explore their new roles and cannot follow a future positive path, they may remain confused about their identity. Erikson (1968) included socio-emotional tasks into his developmental framework for each one of his stages. Adolescents need to be able to complete these tasks, find resolution to conflicts or adjustments and reach their unique identity. Santrock (2001) cited a study stating that adolescent girls and boys have a lower self-esteem from ages thirteen to eighteen and also that girls' self-esteem is twice as low as boys. Resolving conflicts during adolescence helps adolescents become who they will be, unique individuals, progressing further into higher developmental stages. Understanding early development may also help clarify the adolescent process. During early childhood, as children separate from their parents, they experience the individuation process of becoming independent. For teenagers to become independent, their self-concept and self-esteem have to be strong to overcome adolescent conflicts. Adolescent conflicts may manifest in discipline problems in school and an inability to focus on their studies or accomplish their school work. Self-esteem in this context refers to self-worth, self-respect or how one regards or feels about oneself; self-concept refers to perception about identity and achievements. Both play an integral part in the process of adolescent development. The critical time for development of girls starts in early childhood when they are separating from their female caretakers forming their own personalities. This process is the start of forming a 'self' or thinking of self as separate from the primary caretaker. The conflict for girls is to resolve this individuation or separating process while still trying to stay close or connected to their mothers. This process for boys is analogous to girls', but may not be as complex since the gender of the primary caretaker is usually different which makes the separation process easier. The primary focus of this paper is to present a psychoanalytical perspective on conflicts of identity resolutions experienced by adolescents. There are two major psychoanalytical theories (Oedipal complex and object relations) on relationships: (1) the sexual gratification theory derived from Freud's Oedipal complex where the sexual drive of obtaining his or her parent is paramount and (2) the object relations theory which shifts the drive from sexual to relationships as objects other than self. …

46 citations


Cited by
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Journal Article
TL;DR: Constructivism is a vague concept, but is currently discussed in many schools as the best method for teaching and learning as mentioned in this paper, and teachers have the potential to teach constructively, if they understand constructivism.
Abstract: Introduction Constructivism is a vague concept, but is currently discussed in many schools as the best method for teaching and learning. For many educators or teachers, it has a variety of meanings. In order for teachers to use it effectively, they have to know where the student is at a given learning point or the current stage in their knowledge of a subject so that students can create personal meaning when new information is given to them. When in the classroom, teachers have the potential to teach constructively, if they understand constructivism. Constructivist teaching strategies and practices are the next important step in educational reform. Constructivist teaching strategies have a great effect in the classroom both cognitively and socially for the student. A teacher must understand and use methods of both cognitive and social constructivism, if he or she is to run an effective constructivist classroom. In cognitive constructivism, ideas are constructed in individuals through a personal process, as opposed to social constructivism where ideas are constructed through interaction with the teacher and other students. While they are fundamentally different both types will ultimately form overall constructivism or constructed learning elements for students to easily grasp; the main concept being that ideas are constructed from experience to have a personal meaning for the student. To be effective, both theories of constructivism need to be explicit in communicating concepts so that students can connect to them. Teachers need to understand these theories, as well as, know how to incorporate constructivist teaching methods, strategies, tools and practices to develop an effective learning environment. Cognitive Constructivism Many educators in schools throughout America are required to teach constructively in their classrooms. The term cognitive constructivism can connote ambiguous or puzzled reactions from teachers who are told that they should be using teaching strategies to promote this form of learning approach for their students. Substantial individual thought needs to be acquired in content or subject areas for students to actually understand the material instead of just being able to recite it. Providing classroom situations and activities that promote individual learning is required. Jean Piaget, a well-known French Swiss developmental psychologist, who wrote many books and articles on learning, construed this process. Piaget was originally a biologist and theorists state that he thought in terms of students becoming "little scientists," who learn voraciously as individuals who build conceptual structures in memory to store information. Initially, he built his theories observing his own children as they learned and played together. Piaget's main focus of constructivism has to do with the individual and how the individual constructs knowledge. Cognitive constructivism came directly from Piaget's work. Piaget's theory of cognitive development proposes that humans cannot be given information, which they immediately understand and use; instead, humans must construct their own knowledge (Piaget, 1953). He stated that children's schemas are constructed through the process of assimilation and accommodation, when going through four different stages of development (Wadsworth, 2004). Piaget's (1953) four stages of development are: Sensorimotor stage, which a child goes through from ages zero to two; preoperational stage (two to seven years old), concrete operational stage (seven to eleven years old), and the formal operational stage (eleven years old to adulthood). In Piaget's sensorimotor stage children begin to discover their environment around them through their own senses and physical activity and then language, as they get older within this stage. Children in his next stage of preoperational develop their own language skills but still cannot grasp the thoughts of others. …

761 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This article conducted a systematic review to understand the challenges inherent to addressing climate change education and the growing recognition of the challenge inherent in addressing this issue, and found that climate change is a major concern in climate education.
Abstract: Increased interest in climate change education and the growing recognition of the challenges inherent to addressing this issue create an opportunity to conduct a systematic review to understand wha...

396 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Concerns are raised about the degree to which MOOCs are actually revolutionizing higher education by using technology to improve quality, and educators are challenged to strive for more creative and empowering forms of open online learning.
Abstract: Massive open online courses (MOOCs) have become a prominent feature of the higher education discourse in recent years. Yet, little is known about the effectiveness of these online courses in engaging participants in the learning process. This study explores the range of pedagogical tools used in 24 MOOCs, including the epistemological and social dimensions of instruction, to consider the extent to which these courses provide students with high-quality, collaborative learning experiences. Findings suggest that the range of pedagogical practices currently used in MOOCs tends toward an objectivist-individual approach, with some efforts to incorporate more constructivist and group-oriented approaches. By examining MOOCs through the lens of engaged teaching and learning, this study raises concerns about the degree to which MOOCs are actually revolutionizing higher education by using technology to improve quality, and challenges educators to strive for more creative and empowering forms of open online learning.

216 citations