1. PBL Scenario 2
Benedict, Denise, Mei Ling, Song-I, Ying Ying

2. About Jeremy
●
● Dozes off in class as he lacks sleep
● Often ostracized and teased by classmates; a solitary person
● Affected by harsh words from adults and peers
● No time for personal and social life
● Lacks support and attention at home

3. Jeremy’s Teachers
Lack empathy, judgmental
Ms Low
● Cares more about getting in touch with parents than understanding
Jeremy
● Alienates and embarrasses Jeremy out of frustration with him
Mr Tan
● Also embarrasses Jeremy
Also…
They do not encourage disinterested student (Jeremy)
They do not promote good behaviour
•
•

4. Problem statement
The lack of empathy, support, and communication
in relationships can be detrimental to a student’s
academic and socioemotional* well-being.
* Depression, low self-esteem, feelings of
alienation

5. Hypotheses
1. Classroom dynamics (the learning environment,
student behaviour & relationships) can drastically affect
individual behaviour and cognitive learning
2. A teacher has the ability to activate and facilitate
students’ motivation and critical thinking (selfevaluation, reflection) process

6. Two-Pronged Approach: Overview
Cognitive and Behavioural
1. Cognitive Constructivist (Piaget)
2. Social Constructivist (Vygotsky)
3. Social Cognitive: Inner motivation (Maslow)
4. Behavioural
● Classical Conditioning
● Operant conditioning (Skinner)

7. Cognitive Constructivist
Piaget
The Approach:
∙
∙
Cognitive development as process of adaptation and
organization of knowledge
Key figure: Jean Piaget (1896-1980)
o Conceptualization of his Theory of Cognitive
Development influenced by his early work as a
biologist
o Theory describes how humans gather and organize
information

8. Cognitive Constructivist
Piaget
Key Concept:- Principle of Adaptation
•
Four Concepts
o Schema
o Assimilation
o Accomodation
o Equilibrium

9. Cognitive Constructivist
Piaget: Schema
o Cognitive structure by which we
intellectually adapt to and organize our
environment
o New experiences organized into
schemata through two separate
cognitive process - Assimilation and
Accommodation

10. Cognitive Constructivist
Piaget: Assimilation and Accommodation
Cognitive process
What?
How?
Assimilation
Integration of new
materials into an
existing schemata
Connecting new
material to existing
knowledge
Accomodation
Development of a new
schema when process
of assimilation is
impossible because
there are no schemata
to fit new data
Creation of new
schema

11. Cognitive Constructivist
Piaget: Equilibrium
○ State of balance between Assimilation and
Accommodation
○ Piaget: “one of the most effective methods for motivating a
child is to set up a state of cognitive disequilibrium in which
the child is thrown into ‘cognitive conflict’ - when he expects
something to happen a certain way but it does not”

12. Cognitive Constructivist
Strategies: Theory of Cognitive Development
1. Address Jeremy’s pre-existing schemata
2. Create Cognitive Disequilibrium
3. KWL Method

13. Social Constructivist
Vygotsky
The Approach:
Social contexts of learning; knowledge is mutually built
and constructed
Key figure: Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934)
•
•
o Social influences (especially instruction) on
children’s cognitive development
o Collaboration & social interaction

14. Social Constructivist
Vygotsky
3 Key Concepts
• Teaching in the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)
• Scaffolding
• Language and thought

15. Social Constructivist
Vygotsky: Teaching in the ZPD
What is ZPD?

16. Social Constructivist
Vygotsky: Teaching in the ZPD
What is teaching in the ZPD?
o Awareness of student ability
o “teaching to enable developmental readiness, not
just waiting for students to be ready” (Horowitz &
others, 2005, p.105)

17. Social Constructivist
Vygotsky: Scaffolding
● How? Probing questions e.g.
o What would an example of that be?
o Why do you think that is so?
o What’s the next thing you need to do?
o How can you connect those?
● Develops ‘more sophisticated thinking skills’
● Students will gradually internalize probes and begin to examine own work
(Horowitz & others, 2005).

18. Social Constructivist
Changing Perceptions
•
•
Recognize that ZPD differs from student to student
Understanding/Empathizing with Jeremy

19. Social Constructivist
Strategies: Teaching in the ZPD + Scaffolding
1.
1. Scaffold Jeremy’s Learning
2. Check and Assist
3. Encourage

20. Social Constructivist
Strategies: Teaching in the ZPD + Scaffolding
4. Group work
a. “Children also benefit from the support and guidance
of more-skilled children” (Gredler, 2009).
b. Strategic grouping of students

21. Social Constructivist
Strategies: Teaching in the ZPD + Scaffolding
5. Peer Tutoring
■ “Fellow students also can be effective tutors” (De Smet &
others, 2010; McDuffle, Mastropieir, & Scruggs, 2009)
■ (Cross-age) Peer-tutoring programme
∙
Train student tutors
∙
Monitor students
∙
Parental consent

22. Social Cognitive (Inner Motivation)
Abraham Maslow
The Approach:
● A theory of human motivation: Psychological health
predicated on fulfilling innate human needs.
● Key figure: Abraham Maslow (1908-1970)
○ Key participant of the humanistic movement.
○ The importance of focusing on the positive
qualities in people.
○ Belief that humans are motivated to satisfy needs.

23. Maslow’s Need Hierarchy
Growth Need
Deficiency Need

24. Maslow’s Need Hierarchy
Need to experience beauty and truth
Satisfy curiosity and seek knowledge
Desire to have respect & personal value
Needs for friends and family to give and
receive love
Good health & Security from harm and danger
Food, Water, Sleep & Pain reduction

25. Jeremy’s Issues according to Maslow’s hierarchy
Jeremy’s needs were not
met because...
1. Busy parents
2. No time for social life
Harsh words from people
around Jeremy
Lack of sleep

26. Social Cognitive (Inner Motivation)
Maslow
It is easier to meet the higher
needs when the lower
needs have already been
met.
For Jeremy, it is difficult for
him to achieve the higher
needs as the lower needs
have not been satisfied.

27. Behaviorism in the Classroom
•
•
•
First proposed by John B. Watson (1913)
A belief that behaviors can be measured, trained, and
changed through conditioning
Our behaviors are shaped by our responses to
environmental stimuli
Classical
Conditioning
Operant
Conditioning

28. Classical Conditioning
Counterconditioning
•
•
•
•
Introduce a new stimulus so as to
break the association between the
conditioned stimulus and conditioned
response.
Discourage negative comments
Utilizing non-competitive games
Keeping the classroom climate relaxed and supportive
Give positive reinforcements and no sarcasm

29. Operant Conditioning (1968)
•
•
•
•
•
•
Behavioral contract
Identify effective reinforcers
Reinforce contingently and timely
Best schedules of reinforcement
Use cues and prompts
Use negative reinforcements
effectively
B. F. Skinner
Solutions: Positive, negative or punishments?

30. Operant Conditioning in the Classroom
✓ It is successful for learning-challenged children
✓ Useful when working towards larger, more valued
goals
✓ Students learn to persist toward more significant
achievements
✓ Extrinsically reinforced behavior may become an
intrinsic motivation

31. Solutions to Scenario 2
Cognitive
•
For cognitive development…
o Piaget
 To address students’ schemata
 Provide problem-solving opportunities
 Apply KWL method
o Vygotsky
 Scaffold learning process
 Encourage group work and peer tutoring

32. Solutions to Scenario 2
Behavioural
•
•
To resolve behavioral issues…
o Maslow
 Applying the hierarchy of needs
o Skinner
 Social contract
 Effective reinforcers
Other solutions

33. Conclusion
•
•
Empathy, support and communication in relationships
are crucial to the student’s socioemotional well-being
In order to provide a nurturing environment for the
student, the teacher needs to be aware of the following
factors:
o Classroom dynamics will affect the individual
student’s behavior and cognitive learning
o The teacher has the ability to activate and stimulate
the students’ motivation

34. References
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Santrock, J.W. (2011). Educational Psychology (5th ed.) Boston: McGraw-Hill.
Skinner, B. F. (1968). The Technology of Teaching. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts.
Tan, O.S., Parsons, R.D., Hinson, S.L. and Sardo-Brown, D. Educational Psychology - A
Practitioner-Research Approach (2nd ed.). Singapore: Cengage Learning
Thorndike, E. L. (1905). The Elements of Psychology. New York: A. G. Seiler.
Vygotsky, L.S. (1987). The collected works of L.S. Vygotsky. Vol.1: Problems of general
psychology. Including the volume Thinking and speech. R.W. Rieber & A.S. Carton, Eds., N.
Minick, Translators. NY: Plenum Press.
Watson, J. B. (1913). Psychology as the Behaviorist Views it. Psychological Review, Vol 20(2),
Mar 1913, 158-177.

35. Thank you!