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= Cognitive Development Theories   =


= = **What are the learning goals for this assignment?**  Currently in HDFS 221 we are learning about cognitive development in early and middle childhood as well as the development of children’s language and mathematical abilities. As you have probably gathered there are many theorists and much research that have been conducted in this area of child development. One of the learning outcomes of this course is to understand typical and atypical cognitive developmental characteristics of children from three through eight years of age. Additionally, students should be able to identify environmental influences, describe individual differences, and plan guidance strategies related to children’s cognitive development. To aid in this pursuit we will be creating a class __wiki__ to incorporate our knowledge of cognitive development for children ages three through eight years of age.


**How should we use the HDFS 221 wiki?** Last week you were each assigned to a group and your group was assigned to learn about a particular cognitive development theory/theorist (e.g. Piaget, Vygotsky, or Information Processing). Within your group you determined which individuals would be responsible for which components of the Understanding Theories of Cognitive Development Activity that was posted on WebCT. In addition, in class we have been sharing our understanding of some of the terms related to these theories as well as some applied examples. Now, I would like us to work together to create a wiki based on what we have been learning and discussing related to cognitive development.

Upon entering the home page for our wiki, click on your assigned theorist. At that point you will find links to the pages where you will be posting the information that you were assigned to complete within your group. For example, there is a link for the person assigned to describe similiarities, differences, and limitations of each of the theories, as well as links to the important terms and vocabulary. Begin by clicking on the link for your assigned theorist/theory. Then click on the link to the portion of the activity that you were assigned to complete. If you are the first person to post information to this page you may see the following notification: This page doesn't exist yet. You can create it by clicking the edit button. Go ahead and click the edit button in the top right hand corner of the page and the page will open for editing. Type the information that you have gathered regarding your theorist/theory and any ideas, comments, or reflections that you might want to add. The "Editor" toolbar will appear at the top of the page. This toolbar allows you to set the font, alignment, heading size, create numbered or bulleted lists, create links, add images—even add embedded widget applications, tables. These toolbar icons and functions will seem very similar to other popular computer applications, such as Microsoft Word. Once you have entered your information be sure to click the save button on the bottom right hand corner before navigating away. Once you have done this your post will appear for all to see.

Again, only students in HDFS 221 will be able to make additions or modifications to our wiki. Please make sure that you have posted your assigned information from the Understanding Cognitive Development Theories activity to our course wiki ( http://fall2009-hdfs221.wikispaces.com/) by Tuesday November 17th at 5 PM. This activity will be worth 10 points and is required. Some of you have been assigned to report on the same aspect of a theory/theorist. This is intentional. Be sure that when you are posting to the wiki that you contribute something original in terms of providing your own thoughts, making revisions, and/or providing applied examples. In addition, any class member is welcome to edit/add to the wiki at any point in time. The wiki allows me as the creator to see who made what changes and at what time. This will ensure that class members post only appropriate, relevant information, and it will allow me to grade each student on his/her individual contribution.  The goal is to create a wiki together that represents our collaborative understanding of children’s cognitive development between ages three though eight years. You may also refer to the wiki when studying for your exam.  Piaget Vygotsky Information Processing Theory