Running Head: FINAL PROJECT

EDU 510: Final Project

Jessica Turpin
Post University

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EDU 510: Final Project

Cognitive science is the study of the mind and intelligence (Thagard, 2014, p.1). It
incorporates the sciences of philosophy, psychology, neuroscience, linguistics, anthropology, and
artificial intelligence in an attempt to explain how and why the human brain thinks. The five
mental representations of the mind include logic, rules, concepts, analogies, and images.
Combined with the application of Perkins principles the learning experience of the student and
educator can be enriched to its highest level. According to Perkins (2009), There are 7 principles
by which an educator or learner should abide to make learning whole. The seven principles are
designed to ensure that the student gets the most out of the lesson being taught including its real
life applications. This paper will evaluate the techniques used in previously mentioned mental
representations and how they can be enhanced or improved with the application of mental
representations.
Part One: Analysis and Application
Logic. According to Thagard (2014, p.5), the mental representation of logic serves to
explain the ways in which the question as to why people make the inferences they do is
answered. We can apply Perkins principle of playing the whole game to this representation. By
playing the whole game the learner can see why each step must be taken in a logical order to get
to a complete game. By playing the whole game, the logic becomes not only clearer but easier to
remember because it makes sense to do so. In a previous paper, logic was used to discuss the
technique used by this writer in their own teaching environment. Logic was used in the
explanation of how addition and subtraction are taught. With the application of Perkins
principle of Play the Whole Game this instruction could be even more effective.

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When learning subtraction the student is asked to turn the question in to a problem
relating to money. For example, instead of asking what 16-3 is, the student is asked how much
money will they have left if they start with $16 dollars in their pocket and buy a slice of pizza for
$3. They can come to the logical conclusion that if they spend 3 of their 16 dollars on pizza they
will have 3 less dollars or $3. When Perkins rule is applied of playing the whole game the
instruction could be furthered to allow the student multiple scenarios in which they can spend the
money in a variety of ways. It would begin with having the student receive the money being
counted out to him or her and carry on through the process of choosing toppings at different
prices and complete with payment and receiving. This would keep the student motivated and
engaged because it involves a real life scenario that they are likely to encounter. It also will
make the student more confident in life as a consumer when they understand how to calculate
how much change they should be receiving so as not to be ripped off.
Rules. Thagard posits that the mental representation of rules serves to answer the
question as to why an individual displays a specific kind of intelligent behavior (2014, p. 5). The
pattern follows that people employ their rules to search for solutions and procedures for making
new rules. These procedures result in the behavior that follows. The principle that can be
applied to this mental representation for enhancement in the learning process is to learn from
the team and other teams. Bronfenbrenner (2016) describes the people that affect an
individuals learning in the form of microsystems and mesosytems. The team an individual
learns from can be found in their microsystem. Members of this team can include siblings,
friends, and those closest by. One way in which this learning is accomplished is through peer
tutoring. The classroom can be considered the students team.

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An effective strategy when using rules to accommodate the learning process is for the
educator to clearly state the guidelines to the student and practice them. According to Goodman
et.al. (2008), one way to employ rule based learning is through the use of learning experiments
such as block learning experiments and two category experiments. In the two category
experiments the student is given a choice of two options by which to classify a concept or piece
of information. Each category is mutually exclusive meaning that the concept can only fall into
one or another and must be classified as such. This helps teach the student rules to help them
fully understand a concept. This can be enhanced by allowing the student to work in a team of
peers. One member of the team may be struggling to master a rule while others may be excelling
at it. The student is put in a position in which they dont just observe their teammate/classmate
but have the opportunity to work alongside them and learn from them.
Concepts. Concepts, according to Goodall et.al. (2008), are mental representations used
to provide a structure to reflect how the individual interprets the world. This is a very
individualized definition of concepts. Pavel (2009, p.6) uses a more broad definition of concepts
include the socially accepted meaning of one or more words. In other words, a concept is the
way in which an individual groups things. Perkins principles of learn from the team and
work on the hard parts can be applied to this mental representation for a more comprehensive
learning experience. Using an example in a previous paper this principles are applied as follows.
The use of concepts in this writers learning environment come into play when discussing
and teaching math. Using the concept of subtraction, or the lessening of a thing is taught using
metaphors and analogies. Students are asked to gather objects of a certain amount such as six
markers for example. The student is then asked to subtract three. In those terms the learner is
sometimes confused but when asked how many they would have left if they were to give the

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instructor three markers the concept of subtraction becomes more tangible and understandable
for the student. This is practiced until the student can effectively replace the phrase give with
subtract and eventually the concept expands to include numbers in an equation on the board as
subtraction. This practice in itself can be considered a hard part. Focusing on mastering the
concept that the numbers stay the same regardless of what the medium is and practicing it with a
group to incorporate team learning can help improve this instruction.
Analogy. According to Thagard (2014), analogies as well as concepts aim to explain why
an individual may have a specific kind of intelligent behavior. Analogies are explained by the
verbal and visual representations of experienced or perceived situations that can be used for
future reference. In other words, this mental representation allows the person to use their past
experiences as references to understand their new data by comparing the similarities between the
two. Perkins principle of play out of town can be combined with this representation to
enhance this concept when teaching and learning. It will be demonstrated in the following
paragraph.
In this writers personal learning environment analogy is used very often in the teaching
of math. After providing in depth explanation of a problem and assisting in a step by step
manner to solve a problem the learner is given a very similar problem and asked to complete it
with less or no assistance. The student is given the advice to attempt to recall the steps they did
in the previous problem and see if they are applicable to the new problem. This can practice can
be improved upon by adding the concept of playing out of town. This can be done in a manner
as simple as applying the concept that was taught to a new subject. After the student has
completed the material in once subject they can apply it to the next one or new town. The
student learns principles of multiplication, addition, subtraction, and division. They can are then

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used in learning algebra when some numbers are replaced with letters instead. The letters
themselves serve as the analogies and the different town.
Images. Imagery is a useful technique in learning. According to Reading Rockets (2009,
para.1), imagery can be compared to mind movies. They help the learner to clarify
information and understanding of texts using any of the five senses. Imagery creates memory by
stimulating the individuals sense or senses. Imagery can be the description of a smell using
analogies and great detail. It can be the use of a mental picture laid out in great detail so the
learner can construct it in their own mind. It can be the feel of a fan blowing across the
individuals face to represent a windy day. The Perkins principle most relevant to imagery is to
make the game worth playing. This principle would can be applied to keep the student
interested in learning by using imagery most appealing to the student as demonstrated in the
following paragraph.
This writer uses imagery regularly in the personal learning environment to help make
concepts more complete. When introduced to a new concept it is mentally pictured or physically
drawn out and examined looking for details that can be compared to already acquired
information that may make it more understandable or memorable. For example, when studying
the 5 mental representations each representation discussed was carefully considered and mental
images of each were imagined. This could be altered to use the principle of making the game
worth playing by instead of just using imagery to learn the concepts begin using imagery to
imagine how they will be applied in teaching. This makes it more attractive to the learner
because the lesson now has value in this learners future in education making it a worthwhile
conquest.

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Part Two: Connections and Reflections

After learning about mental representations I had a much better understanding of why
certain techniques work better than others in both the teaching and learning environment. Not
only did it remind me that there must be a solid foundation poured for knowledge to be built on
but each step along the way must be equal in worth. If the foundation of learning is logic than
the other four representations are the materials used to construct the frame and remainder of the
concept. Logic in combination with Perkins principle of learning the whole game provide a
larger, clearer picture of what the student is learning. The whole game in this metaphor would be
the completed structure or building.
In the future, as an educator I intend on using more of Perkins principle of learning from
the team to help establish rules and how they are applied. I feel like this will be affective
because of the tendency for students to learn well from their peers or team. I think much of the
educating I have done thus far has been very isolating and not including a team at all. Concepts
in the future will taught using a similar, less isolative method using Perkins principles of
learning from the team and working on the hard parts. This type of participative learning can
help to make the game worth playing by satisfying the need for being social and having
interactions with peers.
I think the area in most need of improvement in my understanding right now is to how to
incorporate the concept of learning the game of learning. I feel like this is a problem because in
my teaching environment most if not all of what is being learned is preplanned and there is not
call for teaching something that is just of specific interest to the student. I feel that if I can
incorporate learning the game of learning into my teaching context the students might benefit by
being able to take their learning to their homes and continue it independently. This also

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incorporates Perkins principle of playing out of town. I believe with practice combining the five
mental representations and Perkins principles of making learning whole it can help me to be a
better educator and student.

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References:

Bronfenbrenner's Microsystems and Mesosystems. (2016, August 5), Retrieved from

http://www.vvc.edu/academic/child_development/droege/ht/course2/faculty/lecture/cd6le
ctmicro.html
Goodman, N. D., Tenenbaum, J. B., Feldman, J., Griffiths, T.L. (2008) A reational analysis of
rule-based concept learning. Cognitive Science. Volume 32.
Pavel, G. (2009) Concept learning, investigating the possibilities for a human-machine dialogue.
Knowledge Media Institute, Intelligent support for learning concepts. December 2008.
P.6
Perkins, D. N., & ebrary, Inc. (2009). Making learning whole: How seven principles of teaching
can transform education. SanFrancisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Reading Rockets (2009) Picture this. Using mental imagery while reading. Retrieved from
http://www.readingrockets.org/article/picture-using-mental-imagery-while-reading
Thagard, P. (2014) Cognitive Science. Stanford Encyclopedia of Phiosophy. Retrieved from
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/cognitive-science/