A.The
cognitive map provides an analytical tool by which to locate specific
points of difficulty in a lesson for the ultimate purpose of drawing out students’
potentials. By pinpointing possible causes of student error, you can give
precise feedback to students or make subtle adjustments in the lesson to increase
accessibility.
The seven parameters include the following:
1.
Content: subject matter.
2. Kinds of operations involved: eg., classification, algorithmic problem
solving, syllogistic, analogical, or inferential reasoning, etc. (the abilities
and skills activated by your lesson)
3. Modality or the “language” of instruction, presentation
or information processing: eg., visual, graphic, numerical, symbolic, verbal,
auditory, sign language, kinesthetic, tactile, etc.
4. Phase of the mental act: reception, elaboration, expression.
5. Level of complexity: number, quality, & degree of novelty of
units.
6. Level of abstraction: distance between mental act & object or
event on which it operates, ranging from objects perceived by the senses to
hypothetical propositions.
7. Level of efficiency: rapidity/precision (often confused with capacity).
Example: On a verbal analogies test, a student may not perform very well due to a lack of familiarity with the vocabulary even though she is able to think analogically. Referring to the parameters of the cognitive map, you might decide to give the student feedback about how to gain a greater background knowledge of key terms in the field rather revisit how to apply analogical thinking.
This example draws upon distinctions being made between content and operations, with a special lens of how modality plays into the learning process.
We
will explore some other ways to use Feuerstein's Cognitive Map in the Question
of the Week series.
Source: Reuven Feuerstein’s Learning Potential Assessment Device. (Used with permission.)