Cognition and Learning (SEN)

Question 1

Requests for assessment

Answer 1

• Made by schools, parents, local gov, authorities + courts
• Aim to provide understanding of child from psych perspective
• Establish strengths, areas of need + targets
• Help assess if further funding is needed
• Help determine most appropriate school for child

Question 2

Assessment report structure

Answer 2

• Background –> school history, family, diagnosis
• Strengths + need within all categories - assessment = observation data
• Summary + formulation –> barriers to ed progress + reccomended focus areas
• Reccomend targets, interventions

Question 3

Assessment methods

Answer 3

• Observing at home or school
• Teacher + parent perceptions
• Intelligence or IQ tests
• Phonological skill assessment
• Executive function assessment
• Dev milestone checklist
• Emotional wellbeing questionnaires
• Functional beh assessment

Question 4

Overlap + Interaction

Answer 4

• Holistic assessment to identify different areas of difficulty overlapping + interacting helping formulate intervention
• Learning impacts wellbeing but wellbeing can impact learning

Question 5

Assessment approaches examples

Answer 5

1) Investigate internal factors (within child)
- Intelligence
- Attainment levels
- Executive functions
2) Investigate external factors (outside child)
- Approach to learning
- Impact of env on learning

Question 6

Intelligence measurements or IQ tests

Answer 6

• Weschler test - WISC for children 5-16, WAIS for adults 16-75
• British Ability scales
• Raven’s matrices
• Stanford-Binet
• Update normative scores to reflect intelligence changes with the population across time
• Compare childs performance to average

Question 7

Spearman’s intelligence model

Answer 7

• Pos correlation between difficult intelligence subscales
• If do well on maths, do well on english
• 2 factors theory ( G +S)
• G = general intelligence
  S = Specific abilities

Question 8

British Ability Scales

Answer 8

• Core scales: Word definitions, Matrices, Pattern construction
• Diagnostic scales: Recall of objects, digits forward + backwards
• Achievement scales: Word reading, spelling, number skills

Question 9

Pros of British Ability Scales

Answer 9

• Evidence of how someone compares to average for that age
• Identify gifted indivs
• Identify specific strengths + weakness

Question 10

Cons of British Ability Scales

Answer 10

• Misleading (other factors influencing performance)
• Don’t account for broader definitions of intelligence (Gardner)
• Excuse for lack of progress
• Reductionast
• Some applications unethical

Question 11

Environmental influences on intelligence

Answer 11

• Prenatal factors (drugs during pregnancy)
• Genetic influence (30-80% of intelligence inherited)
• Nutrition
• Birth order (parent resource dilution)
• Pos + Neg feedback loops of parenting
• Socio-economic status
• Technological advancements

Question 12

Multiple intelligences (Gardner, 1983)

Answer 12

• Western ed system prioritises linguistic + mathematical abilities
• Argue for broader perspective
• 9 intelligences: linguistic, logical, spatial, musical, bodily kinaesthetic, interpersonal + intrapersonal, naturalis + existentialist

Question 13

Vygotsky theory of cog dev

Answer 13

• Cog dev results from social interactions + are optimal when in zone of proximal dev
• Child as an apprentice
• Learn through env
• Role of culture + env

Question 14

Vygotsky theory: implications for ed

Answer 14

• Zone of proximal dev (ZPD) - learning occurs within collaboration between parent
• Difference between learner can achieve indep vs guidance
• Importance of active learning

Question 15

Scaffolding

Answer 15

• Requires rang of knowledge/skils
• Teacher needs to know each indiv student + when to support + when to remove support
  2 mental models: own +childs
• Supports childrens knowledge + learning
• Recognises when stydent needs to be motivated or more attention

Question 16

Scaffolding - Supporting students

Answer 16

• Wood, Bruner + Ross
• Has 6 functions
• Recruitment
• Reducing degrees of freedom
• Direction of maintenance
• Making critical features
• Frustration control
• Demonstrating

Question 17

Scaffolding - Hmelo-Silver, Dunan + CHinn

Answer 17

• Opportunity to engage in complex tasks that would be beyond current abilities
• Learning more tactable for students making difficulties manageable

Question 18

Scaffolding: Current View

Answer 18

• Puntambekar + Hubscer (2005)
• Increasing due to resources (technology) + isn’t restricted to interactions between indivs

Question 19

Dynamic assessment

Answer 19

• Lauchlan + Carrigan (2013)
• Assessment of childs approach to task
• Learning process not outcome
• Analysis of cog + emotional factors
• Response to scaffolfing
• Establish strengths + limitations

Question 20

Executive functions

Answer 20

• Neuro-cog processes that guide beh (Garner, 2009)
• Difficulties with EF present sig barriers to learning + inhibit academic achievement (Morgan et al)

Question 21

Type of Executive Functions

Answer 21

• Dawson + Guare (2018)
• Thinking skills
• WM
• Planning + Prioritising
• Organising
• Time management
• Meta-cog
• Doing skills
• Emotional control
• Sustained attention
• Task initiation
• Goal persistence
• Flexibility

Question 22

Other barriers to learning

Answer 22

• Attitudes + motivation
• Indirect effect of other dev issues
• Home issues
• Lack of identification of need
• Limited teaching adaptation
• Lack of funding
• High staff-student ratios
• Learning difficulties

Question 23

Dyslexia - Rose

Answer 23

• Affects skills involved in accurate + fluent reading + spelling
• Difficulties in phonological awareness, verbal memory + processing speed

Question 24

Sign of dyslexia in primary school children

Answer 24

• Poorer standards of writing
• Confusing letters
• Poor presentation
• Inconsistent handwriting
• Difficulty blending letters together
• Slow reading
• Spiky academic ability

Question 25

Example dyslexia strategies

Answer 25

- Encourage alternatives to writing - Limit writing demands + give more time - Teach use of keywords - Multi-sensory teaching approaches - Assistive technology to reduce writing load

Question 26

Fixed/growth mindset

Answer 26

- Haimovitz + Dweck (2017) - Childrens beliefs about their capacity to leadn influences rate of progression - Fixed = limited level of ability which they are powerless to change - Growth = Ability is malleable + dev through perseverance, creativity + support

Question 27

Learning techniques

Answer 27

- Dublosky et al (2013) - Practice testing + distributed practice have best results

Question 28

Assessment for EHC plans

Answer 28

- For children with most complex needs - Detail childs needs + provision required - Prior to applying need to: provide support from own budget, seek supoort externally, display difficulties - 3 outcomes of EHC: 1) No to plan - mainstream, school supports with own resources 2) Yes to plan no change - mainstream, local authorities support 3) Yes to plan with change - Specialist school, local support

Question 29

Pros of specialist ed placement

Answer 29

- Tailored curriculum --> accessible - Given attention need - Mainstream children receive attention - Around similar people = improves confidence - Mainstream divide resources more equally - Reduces staff pressure - Self-esteem socially + academically - Parents get more help at home

Question 30

Cons of specialist ed placement

Answer 30

- Reduced curriculum - Eventually have to fit into soc - Seperating - Sectioning - Entire new building + stfaff - Disruptive to child + parent - Parents stress for change - Teaching staff don't get experience with special ed needs