What Learning Looks Like

by Feuerstein, Reuven; Lewin-benham, Ann; Bellanca, James

• ISBN13: 9780807753262
• ISBN10: 0807753262
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-05-04
• Publisher: Teachers College Pr

Summary

In this unique collaboration, the authors bring to life the theory of mediated learning. Through numerous examples and scenarios from classrooms and museums, they show how mediated learning helps children to become more effective learners. Readers learn the steps in the process, including analyzing the child's problem, teaching the child to focus on the difficulty, and using the techniques of mediated learning to enable the child to overcome the learning challenge. This is the first book to present Feuerstein's groundbreaking work in accessible language with copious examples of practice. With this volume, educators and administrators will have a reliable and practical way to understand the place of mediated learning in today's schools.

Author Biography

Reuven Feuerstein is a psychologist who chairs the International Center for the Enhancement of Learning Potential (ICELP) that he founded in 1993. His books include Beyond Smarter: Mediated Learning and the Brain's Capacity for Change. Ann Lewin-Benhamfounded and directed the Capital Children's Museum and the Model Early Learning Center in Washington, DC. She is the author of Possible Schools; Powerful Children; Infants and Toddlers at Work; and Twelve Best Practices for Early Education. Daniel Feuerstein, who created the drawings featured in this book, illustrates children's books and educational tools.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. xi
Acknowledgments	p. xv
Introduction	p. 1
Mediation: A Brief Description and Examples	p. 1
A Word About Deficient Cognitive Functions	p. 2
Reading This Book	p. 3
Chapter Summaries	p. 4
Knowing Your Authors	p. 5
Learning Through Mediation	p. 9
Museums' Potential to Stimulate Learning	p. 11
At a Museum: What Didn't Happen, Why, and Changing It	p. 14
Recognizing Myths About Learning	p. 21
The Mediated Learning Experience Defined	p. 26
Feuerstein: Mediator and Theorist	p. 26
Theory of Mediation	p. 30
The Three Partners of Mediation	p. 33
Essential Aspects of Mediation	p. 38
Summary: A Picture of Mediation	p. 42
Mediated Learning in Action	p. 44
The FIE Programs: An Overview	p. 44
FIE Lessons by Mediators	p. 53
Summary: Imaginative, Authoritative, and Responsive Teaching	p. 58
Expert Mediators	p. 59
Mediation in Two Classrooms	p. 60
Mediation in an Exhibit	p. 66
Summary	p. 69
Four Essential Cognitive Acts	p. 71
Acquiring Basic Competencies	p. 71
Intersection of Basic Competencies	p. 76
Summary: Mediation-The Connecting Link to Learning	p. 85
Defining the Effectiveness of Learning Experiences	p. 87
The Cognitive Map	p. 87
The Thinking Deficiencies Tool	p. 97
Two Techniques to Enhance Learning	p. 98
The Case for Mediation: Demetria's Story	p. 101
Summary: Analytic Observation Tools	p. 102
Creative Use of Effective Exhibits	p. 103
Learning from Rich Experiences	p. 103
Providing Conflict-Producing Ideas	p. 111
Appealing to Multiple Intelligences	p. 114
Summary: Mediating Exhibits	p. 117
More Essential Cognitive Acts	p. 118
Empathy	p. 118
Acquiring New Skills	p. 121
Mastering Varied Modalities	p. 122
Collaborating	p. 126
Complex Thinking Acts	p. 129
Museums' Abundant Experiences	p. 131
Summary: Mediating for Complexity	p. 132
Blue Sky Partnerships	p. 133
Beliefs About Learning	p. 133
Adult Interventions	p. 138
Museums as Partners	p. 140
"What If Ideas	p. 143
Emily's Story: Mother as Mediator	p. 147
Summary: Museums as Learning Centers	p. 148
Enlarging the Cognitive Repertoire	p. 149
Incongruence	p. 153
Repetition	p. 153
Transformation	p. 158
Illusion	p. 164
Stereognostic (Hand/Vision) Experiencees	p. 166
Summary: Challenging Designs	p. 168
Stretching the Brain to Make Learning Happen	p. 170
Motivation	p. 170
Summary: Four Interrelated Factors in Learning	p. 177
Moving from Concrete to Abstract Thinking	p. 177
The Brain and Learning	p. 182
Summary: When We Think and Learn	p. 185
After Words	p. 189
For Teachers	p. 189
Questions to Ask of Exhibits	p. 194
Summary Prepare, Question, Discuss	p. 198
Understanding Exhibit Design	p. 198
Summary: Bringing Learning Home	p. 201
List of Deficient Cognitive Functions	p. 203
Children with Learning Challenges: Notes for Parents and Exhibit Designers	p. 205
References	p. 207
Index	p. 213
About the Authors	p. 219
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