The construct of cognition in language teacher education and development [Elektronische Ressource] / vorgelegt von Nathaniel Bartels

Sujets

• Psychologie

Informations

• Publié par: justus-liebig-universitat_giessen
• Publié le: 01 janvier 2007
• Nombre de lectures: 12
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

The Construct of Cognition in Language Teacher Education and
Development






Inaugural-Dissertation
zur
Erlangung des Doktorgrades
der Philosophie des Fachbereiches 05: Sprache, Literatur, Kultur
der Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen






Vorgelegt von
Nathaniel Bartels


aus Philadelphia, USA



2006
















































Dekanin: Frau Prof. Dr. Monika Wingender
1. Berichterstatter: Herr Prof. Dr. Michael Legutke
2. Berichterstatterin: Frau Prof. Dr. Marita Schocker-von Ditfurth
Tag der Disputation: 19.01.2007

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements vi


Chapter 1: Introduction 1

1.1 Cognition and Second Language Teacher Education 1

1.2 The scope of research on human cognition 2

1.3 Terminology 3

1.4 Cognition 3

1.4.1 Definition 3

1.4.2 Knowledge vs. “beliefs” 4

1.4.3 Summary 8

1.5 Organization of this volume 8


Chapter 2: Conceptions of Second Language Teacher Education 12

2.1 Introduction 12

2.2 Conceptions of SLTE 12

2.2.1 Linguistics as source of teaching knowledge 12

2.2.2 Focus of SLTE should be ‘the activity of teaching itself’ 23

2.2.3 Reinvestment of cognitive resources 28

2.3 Common hypotheses about teacher knowledge and learning 29

2.4 Conclusion 30


Chapter 3: Knowledge Transfer 31

3.1 Introduction 31

3.2 SLTE and knowledge transfer 32

3.2.1 Little evidence of transfer 32

3.2.2 Knowledge about language 33

3.2.3 General conceptions or principles: L2 teachers 35

3.2.4 Summary 38 i
3.3 General teacher education research and knowledge transfer 38

3.3.1 Knowledge transfer is problematic for teacher education in general 38

3.3.2 General conceptions or principles: teachers in general 41

3.3.3 Summary 42

3.4 Knowledge transfer research 43

3.4.1 Knowledge transfer is difficult for everyone 43

3.4.2 Resistance to new knowledge 44

3.4.3 Near and far transfer 46

3.4.4 Experiential vs. theoretical knowledge or near vs. far transfer? 48

3.4.5 Summary 50

3.5 Conclusion 51


Chapter 4: The Cognitive Bottleneck and Implicit Knowledge 52

4.1 Transfer and the cognitive bottleneck 52

4.2 Implicit knowledge 54

4.2.1 Cognition based on implicit cognition 54

4.2.2 Schemata 57

4.3 Procedural knowledge 61

4.3.1 Procedural knowledge as a central part of teacher knowledge 61

4.3.2 Procedural knowledge helps avoid the cognitive bottleneck 63

4.3.3 Procedural knowledge as a central to teacher learning 64

4.3.4 Acquiring procedural knowledge 65

4.3.5 Summary 66

4.4 Images and gestalts 66

4.5 Acquiring implicit knowledge 68

4.6 Conclusion 72



iiChapter 5: Practice-Specific Implicit Knowledge 73

5.1 Introduction 73

5.2 Teacher knowledge is different from knowledge of academic fields 74

5.2.1 Much of academic knowledge is not useful for teaching 74

5.2.2 Teachers’ conceptions focus on a greater variety of knowledge 76

5.2.3 Different practices require different knowledge 79

5.3 All practitioners rely on practice-specific knowledge 84

5.4 Activity-specific knowledge is a central component of human cognition 85

5.5 Understanding concepts means knowing what the concepts mean in specific 86
instructional contexts

5.6 The importance of local knowledge 89

5.7 Acquisition of practice-specific knowledge 91

5.8 Conclusion 92


Chapter 6: Dynamically Linked Practice-Specific Implicit 94
Knowledge

6.1 Introduction 94

6.2 Practice specific knowledge organization is important 94

6.2.1 Experienced teachers have more organized knowledge 95

6.2.2 Mental models show knowledge organization 96

6.2.3 Organization important part of superior performance generally 97

6.2.4 Teacher education does not result in organized knowledge for teaching 98

6.2.5 Reorganizing knowledge is difficult 100

6.2.6 Summary 100

6.3 Teaching requires dynamically organized knowledge 100

6.3.1 Uncertain nature of teaching necessitates dynamic knowledge 101

6.3.2 Dynamic knowledge as a tool, not a framework 104

6.4 Acquisition of dynamically linked knowledge 107

6.4.1 Link specific knowledge 108

iii6.4.2 Deliberate practice 111

6.4.3 The role of explicit, academic knowledge 115

6.5 Conclusion 119


Chapter 7: Managing Cognitive Load 121

7.1 Cognitive load and learning 121

7.2 Scaffolding learning 122

7.2.1 The construct of “scaffolding” 122

7.2.2 Social contexts as scaffolds 124

7.2.3 Mentoring as scaffolding 127

7.2.4 Summary 128

7.3 Similarity between learning and target activities 129

7.3.1 Similarity 129

7.3.2 Focus on details 133

7.3.3 Contextualizing information 134

7.3.4 Problem Based Learning 137

7.3.5 Summary 141

7.4 Differentiating instruction 141

7.4.1 Different learning needs at different developmental stages 141

7.4.2 Differentiating due to personal knowledge base and learning styles 144

7.4.3 Summary 146

7.5 Conclusion 146


Chapter 8: Investigating Long Term Teacher Learning 148

8.1 Introduction 148

8.2 The studies 149

8.2.1 Introduction 149

8.2.2 The participants 150

8.2.3 Study 1: Memory task 152
iv
8.2.4 Study 2: Sorting task 154

8.2.5 Study 3: Problem-solving task 159

8.2.6 Conclusion 164


Chapter 9: A New Model Of SLTE 166

9.1 Introduction 166

9.2 Evaluating SLTE hypotheses 166

9.3 A working model of L2 teacher cognition 168

9.3.1 Cognition and action 168

9.3.2 Cognition and learning 171

9.3.3 Research questions 176

9.3.4 Using the model to evaluate proposals for SLTE 177

9.3.5 Summary 179

9.3.6 Human cognition and SLTE 179

9.3.7 Conclusion 181

183 Index of Abbreviations


184 Bibliography


Erklärung zur Dissertation 230





v
Acknowledgements

The work in this volume was developed over an extended period of time and would not
have been possible without the help and guidance of many people. I would like to thank
Michael Legutke for helping me (and giving me the opportunity to) put together a myriad
of pieces into a solid, coherent form. I would also like to thank Diane Larsen-Freeman,
Leo van Lier and Bernard Spolsky for reading and commenting on parts of this work.
This dissertation is also indebted to Elsbeth Stern, who helped introduce me and guide
me into research on human cognition. I am grateful to Rainer Roth and Stacey Nyikos for
helping me with the statistical evaluation of the data, Friederike Wyrich for helping me
with the German summary of the dissertation, and Daphne Katranides for proofreading
the manuscript. All mistakes, omissions, and unclear or obtuse wording are,
unfortunately, my own.

This dissertation was made possible by the support of quite a number of people. In
particular, I would like to thank John and Elizabeth Caulk, Günter and Margarete Bartels,
Annette and Karl-Heinz Batzke, Katrin and Peter Ebert, John and Lenore Caulk, and
Kelly Goldfarb for entertaining and taking care of my children while I worked on this. I
would also like to thank Hans, Jakob and Ben Dembowski, Annegret Böhme, Peter
Friese, Ute Dressel, Jörg Wächtler, Catherine and Lorenza Sharpe, and Roland Bier for
putting me up while I was working on the dissertation and giving me space to work and
write. I would also like to acknowledge my gratitude to the Center for Cognitive Studies
of Leipzig University and the John and Elizabeth Caulk Foundation for Wayward Sons
for financial help which has supported this work.

Most of all, I would like to thank my immediate family – Henrike, Franziska and Marika
Bartels – for their patience and support throughout this process. And I promise that I
won’t do this again…

viChapter 1: Introduction

As long as institutionalized second language teacher education has existed, there have
been debates about what L2 teachers need to know and what second language teacher
education (SLTE) can do t