Cognitive Development and Learning in Instructional Contexts

ISBN: 0205507719

Author: Byrnes, James

Condition: New

This text uses practical applications and an accessible writing style to present a summary of psychological research on students' learning of academic subject areas. The text is organized into three main sections. 1. General principles of learning, memory, intelligence, problem-solving, and motivation that apply to any school-related skill. Unlike typical books on cognitive development, these general principles are explicitly translated to classroom practice. 2. Specific developmental trends in the acquisition of skills in the areas of reading, writing, mathematics, science, and social studies. The reader will learn what children can understand and do at various ages in these domains. 3. Understanding gender and ethnic differences in achievement.

• Summaries at the beginning of each chapter and within sections of each chapter present a concise overview of material and highlight key concepts so that students know where to focus their attention as they read and can refer back to the summaries as a reference. | Chapters 6-12 give broad coverage to age trends in the acquisition of school skills in the areas of math, reading, writing, science, and social studies and also provide explanations of school trends. This helps teachers understand why certain classroom techniques work or do not work with different students. | Engaging writing style and clear, easy-to-understand language helps to maintain students' interest and make this text accessible to all levels of learners. | Additional case studies provide students with real-life examples of instructional techniques, classroom problems, or classroom successes so that theory can be linked to classroom practice. | Updated sections on brain research relevant to school-related learning provide insight to this emerging area that will influence learning. | Very thoroughly revised with over 300 references including studies from major journals in education, developmental, and cognitive psychology. This wide range of resources provides the most current research and also illustrates the different approaches taken by different categories of researchers. | New chapter on intelligence, aptitude, and expertise has been to show how these factors can help explain individuals differences in the ability to benefit from instruction | Revamped chapter on problem-solving and transfer updates research and clarifies the exposition.