Course : (ESC_581) Cognition and Learning: Theories and Practical Implications
Curriculum : Aim of the course is to present the most important theories that describe how students learn, how they represent, organize and re-organize knowledge, and if/how they create misconceptions during this process. Additionally, the course focuses on the most appropriate practical implications that can promote learning.
By the end of the course the students will be able to:
1. Show complete understanding of the most important theoretical approaches on cognitive and developmental psychology regarding the students’ cognitive development
2. Know the theoretical framework on representations, organization and re-organization of knowledge
3. Understand the difficulties that students face when they are instructed scientific concepts, mechanisms and explanations
4. Show critical thinking about the most appropriate practical implications that may overcome students difficulties and improve the learning outcomes
5. Design and apply the most effective instructional methods in teaching science concepts
Bransford, J.D., Brown, A.L. & Cocking, R.R. (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
Carey, S. (2009). The Origin of Concepts. New York: Oxford University Press.
Keil, F. (2014). Developmental Psychology: The Growth of Mind and Behavior. USA: W. W. Norton & Company Inc.
Siegler, R. DeLoache, J., & Eisenberg, N. (2011). How Children Develop. New York: Worth Publishers.
Vosniadou, S. (2008). International Handbook of research on Conceptual Change. New York: Routledge.
Wood, D. (1998). How Children Think and Learn. USA: Blackwell Publishing.
Outline : The course provides a complete examination on the following topics:
• Introduction to theoretical frameworks on cognition and learning Piaget, Vygotsky, Bruner
• Current theories on conceptual development and knowledge representation: Domain general and domain specific learning theories
• Learning as a process of organization and re-organization
• Conceptual change theories: theoretical and methodological issues
• Cognition and learning in specific fields: physical sciences, mathematics, biology, observational astronomy, history
• Ontological and epistemological pressupositions in learning
• Refutational texts and conceptual development
• Instructional analogies and conceptual development
Language of instruction: Greek. There is the option of collaborating with foreign students in English. European/International students are instructed on an individual basis in English.