Putting the variability–stability–flexibility pattern to use: Adapting instruction to how children develop

Publication date: December 2019Source: New Ideas in Psychology, Volume 55Author(s): Thea IonescuAbstractThrough learning, children solve problems by both using known solutions and going beyond those solutions. It has been shown that humans develop by passing through a recursive pattern of variability, stability, and flexibility states. In this paper, I argue that analyzing how the cognitive system behaves in each state when a child tries to solve a problem can provide insight into how to teach and evaluate the system during learning. Ways to teach from this perspective are presented, specifically how to use context, as well as the challenges and implications of this approach. This approach might help integrate some of the essential ideas in education, such as the need to address the zone of proximal development of children and to identify the kind of guidance that works best for efficient learning.
Source: New Ideas in Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research