Download Using Content-Free Materials to Mediate KCF

Using Content-Free Materials to
Mediate KCF
Ray-Osterrieth Complex Figure
Exercises I and II
Mogens R. Jensen, Ph.D.
Myltreda L. Jensen, Ph.D.
The MindLadder® Teacher as Mediator
Achieving academic standards while learning how to learn
Printout of MindLadder® Advisor Section B-15:
Teacher Resources: Using Content-Free Materials
M. R. Jensen and M. L. Jensen
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Printout of MindLadder® Advisor Section B-15:
Teacher Resources: Using Content-Free Materials
M. R. Jensen and M. L. Jensen
Printout of MindLadder® Advisor
Section B-15•
Teacher Resource: Using Content-Free Materials to
Mediate KCF
Exercises I and II
Background: Subject Areas and Content-Free Materials
Teachers use learning events from their individual academic subjects to mediate
the development of the knowledge construction functions students need to process
information and solve problems in that area. Through their instruction, teachers must
connect the functions with the verbal tools, concepts, syntax, grammar, and facts that
make up their discipline, and they must orchestrate opportunities for students to fuse its
process and content dimensions through experience with real and meaningful problems
within the discipline. This combination enables teachers to attend both to the content
dimension of subject area knowledge and to the process dimension of the knowledge
construction functions. The combination enables learners to go through the transition
from the shallow and tentative performance of the novice to the proficient and confident
performance of the skilled and knowledgeable student.
The need to develop and connect knowledge construction functions within each
academic discipline is aided by the fact that the same knowledge construction functions
recur across the disciplines. We use systematic exploratory behavior (R-7) in biology,
chemistry, social studies, language arts and math and we search for relationships (T-14)
and establish rules (T-25) across all of them.
The re-occurrence of the knowledge construction functions across all the subject
areas means that all educators can accomplish some parts of the development of
knowledge construction functions using generic materials that, relative to the academic
disciplines, can be described as ‘de-contextualized’ or ‘content-free’. With mediation,
such materials can be used to launch (or boost) the development of students’ knowledge
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reserved. - For more information about the MindLadder® LearningGuide and the MindLadder family of programs go
to www.mindladder.org.
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Teacher Resources: Using Content-Free Materials
M. R. Jensen and M. L. Jensen
construction functions and prepare them for integration and use within each content area
as described above.
The purpose of this exercise is to show how you can use so-called content-free
materials to accomplish this goal. The MindLadder dynamic assessment program
provides a number of such tools that educators can use to develop knowledge
construction functions for students with both regular and special learning needs. With one
exception, all of the tools were developed at the International Center for Mediated
Learning specifically for dynamic assessment purposes. The exception is the Complex
Figure which was developed in 1945 by Rey and Osterrieth for unrelated purposes.1 The
Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure, nonetheless, provides an excellent task to learn about
and develop knowledge construction functions, and it is, as noted, available in the
MindLadder dynamic assessment kit. The Complex Figure is reproduced in Figure 1.
You can print and make overheads of the stimulus card as needed for the exercises
described in this resource.
Classroom teachers can learn to use the MindLadder dynamic assessment tools
initially with individual children and, subsequently, with small groups or even whole
classrooms of students. The special design of these materials enables teachers and
students to develop knowledge construction functions to ready them for integration and
use within the academic subject areas. Once there, as indicated above, the functions need
to be connected with the content dimension through instruction and teacher-mediated
opportunities to apply them within real and meaningful situations.2
There are two advantages to the use of content-free materials that should be
mentioned here. First, the removal of the normal, academic content dimension enables
materials to be designed that provide trained educators with tools to more precisely
investigate the knowledge construction functions and mediate their development. Second,
the removal of familiar content can produce a motivational advantage, especially for
students who are struggling in the academic content areas. For these students, poor
motivation often accompanies familiar academic tasks that have become associated with
failure. The benefit of unfamiliar, decontextualized tasks is that educators often more
easily can mediate the development of the knowledge construction functions that may
have played a role in producing the failure in the academic areas to begin with. Once the
functions have been developed in the decontextualized format, they can be connected and
proceduralized within the subject area, where they need to operate to become meaningful.
Two Exercises
The two exercises included in this resource both use the Rey-Osterrieth Complex
Figure. The first is designed for you to use your own cognition to learn about the
knowledge construction functions. The second is designed for you to use the Complex
Figure to work with individual students or, when you have acquired experience, groups
of students. In this second exercise you will first observe knowledge construction
1
Osterrieth, P.A. (1945). Copie d’une Figure Complexe. Archives de Psychologie, pp. 205-353.
In the MindLadder model, this is referred to as the ‘proceduralization’ of the knowledge construction
functions.
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Teacher Resources: Using Content-Free Materials
M. R. Jensen and M. L. Jensen
Figure 1: Ray-Osterrieth Complex Figure
functions (‘pre-mediation’), then facilitate the development of key functions
(‘mediation’), and then observe the results of such mediation (‘post-mediation’). Finally,
you and your student(s) will examine the changes from the pre-mediation to the postmediation phase and discuss the benefits of the mediation that was provided. The two
exercises are described below.
Complex Figure — Exercise I
In this exercise you will use your own cognition and information processing to
learn about the knowledge construction functions. To do this exercise, you need two
pieces of plain white paper, a pencil and an eraser. You may wish to print and place a
copy of the stimulus card in front of you. There are two parts to the exercise.
Part I: Copy
Place the Complex Figure in front of you. Orient it horizontally with the diamond
to the right. Now copy the figure. To benefit from the exercise, try to observe yourself,
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Teacher Resources: Using Content-Free Materials
M. R. Jensen and M. L. Jensen
your thinking (cognition), and your behavior as you copy the figure. Pay attention also to
your affect and motivation. See if you can experience each of the following knowledge
construction functions:
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Spatial Orientation (R-3)
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Systematic Exploratory Behavior (R-7)
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Sequencing (T-10)
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Comparative Behavior (T-9)
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Planning (T-23)
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Precision and Accuracy (R-9 and C-7)
Use the resources of the LearningGuide Advisor to learn more about these
knowledge construction functions. You can also use these resources to see if you can
identify additional knowledge construction functions you may be using as you copy the
Complex Figure. You can erase any time. When you elect to erase, stop and identify the
cognitive processes that brought you to that point. Try also to identify the knowledge
construction functions you might have used instead.
Part II: Reproduction from Memory
Place the model of the Complex Figure out of sight along with your copy of the
figure. Using the second piece of white blank paper, try to reproduce the figure from
memory. See if you can experience a role for each of the following knowledge
construction functions:
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Mental Representation (T-7)
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Evoking from Memory (T-8)
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Hypothetical Thinking (T-11)
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Need to Search for and Establish Relationships (T-14)
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Projection of Virtual Relationships (C-3)
You do not have to remember every part and every detail. Do as much as you can.
The exercise is not a test. Remember that the Complex Figure is used as a tool to learn
about the knowledge construction functions and to discover specific areas where an effort
to develop a function will pay off.
When you have drawn what you remember, summarize the functions you used in
your own words. Now compare your copy and your reproduction from memory with the
model figure, and with one another. Look at how you approached the tasks. How did you
start in each case? Did you follow the edge of the figure? Did you start with a detail, or
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M. R. Jensen and M. L. Jensen
did you look for a central organizing element such as the large rectangle? Which way is
likely to provide the most support for copying and reproducing the figure? Did you notice
any changes in the way you went about the task when you drew the figure from memory
compared to when you copied it? What might account for any differences you see? What
did you learn, overall, about the knowledge construction functions from copying and
reproducing the Complex Figure?
To complete this exercise, think about the students in your school or classroom
and how they can benefit from developing the knowledge construction functions, you
have learned about here. Try to find examples from the academic subject areas and
curricular goals where these knowledge construction functions play a role. Use the
resources of the LearningGuide Advisor to learn more about each of these functions and
their development. Click Identifying Functions: Academic Standards for examples of
how knowledge construction functions connect to academic standards. Click Developing
Functions: Classroom Dialogues for information about the kind of interaction you can
use to introduce a new knowledge construction function in the classroom. Click
Developing Functions: General Strategies for information about how to develop each
function.
Now that you have become familiar with the Complex Figure, you can use the
second exercise to learn how you can employ it to launch or boost the development of
your students’ knowledge construction functions.
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Complex Figure — Exercise II
In this exercise, you will use the Complex Figure to work interactively or
‘dynamically’ with a student in order to identify and mediate knowledge construction
functions in need of development. If you work individually with a number of students,
you will get a sense of the range of your students’ process learning needs. You will also
develop an understanding of the versatility of the Complex Figure as a tool for
developing your student’s knowledge construction functions. Once you have acquired
this experience, you may wish to use the Complex Figure exercise with your class as a
whole. Section A describes how to do this exercise with an individual student. Section B
describes the adaptations that are needed to do the exercise with a group of students. An
appendix provides a record of drawings that illustrate the use of this tool with a 13 year
old student with a history of developmental delays. There is a great deal of variation
among Complex Figure records. Striking records are common not only among students
with special learning needs but also among students in general education classes.
Section A: Using the Exercise with One Student
To do this exercise, you need 6 pieces of plain white paper (5 for the student and
1 for yourself) and 2 pencils with erasers. Print Figure 1 and cut along the edges of the
rectangle to prepare a stimulus card. Also have a notepad available.
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Teacher Resources: Using Content-Free Materials
M. R. Jensen and M. L. Jensen
Seating
When you work with one student, try to sit across from the learner. Seated this
way you have unobstructed visual access to the student’s face and eyes. This enables you
to get more comprehensive information about the way the learner collects, connects and
communicates information. Seated this way, it is easier, for example, to see how the
student plans (T-23) her drawing and compares it (T-9) with the model figure.
In one part of this exercise (Step 3, see below), you will need to describe spatial
relationships to the learner, and this should be done from the learner's viewpoint. As the
learner is sitting across from you, this necessitates that you mentally adopt the viewpoint
opposite the one you yourself perceive: The student's left is your right; the student's top is
your bottom. If you are not comfortable reversing the spatial referents - a little practice is
often all it takes - then simply sit next to the student during this part of the exercise, so
you and the student can relate to the figure from the same point of view.
Six Steps
In the full exercise, there are six steps. They pivot around Step 3: Mediation.
Steps 1 and 2 are identified as pre-mediation, or baseline steps, and 4, 5 and 6 as postmediation steps. The six steps are as follows:
1. First Copy:
The student copies the Complex Figure. You observe.
2. First Memory:
The student reproduces the Complex Figure from memory. You
observe.
3. Mediation:
You and the student produce a copy of the Complex Figure
together.
4. Second Copy:
The student copies the Complex Figure. You observe.
5. Second Memory: The student reproduces the Complex Figure from memory. You
observe.
6. Summary:
Comparison and discussion of Copy 1/Copy 2 and Memory
1/Memory 2.
All references to direction throughout this exercise (top, bottom, left right) are
from the student’s perspective. Sample language of the teacher-student interaction
illustrates the type of communication that focuses on the development of knowledge
construction functions. The sample language is not a script you have to memorize or read
to the student. Examine this language to get a sense of the tenor, purposes, and goals of
the communication. Then focus on the issues of the student in front of you, and just be
yourself.
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M. R. Jensen and M. L. Jensen
Discontinuation
Each step gives you valuable information, but you and the student do not have to
complete them all. This is not a test and there is no grade. Most often, it is feasible to
complete all six steps, but sometimes it isn’t. As you can see, there is a significant
amount of repetition across the six steps and this fact, combined with the particular
difficulties a learner may have, can produce a situation where going forward would be a
mistake: The student's motivation is the determining factor. If it drops, and you are
unable to revive it using special requests (‘I would like to ask you a special favor: Could
you do one more; is it possible?’), humor or supportive non-verbal communication, then
simply bring the exercise to a close at the end of the current step.
If you sense early that doing all six steps will be too much for the learner, you can
shorten the exercise either by omitting the reproduction from memory before or after
mediation, or both.
Pre-Mediation Steps - Baseline
Step 1: First Copy
Position the Complex Figure so the rectangle is horizontal and the diamond is to
the right. Give the learner a piece of plain white paper oriented horizontally and a pencil
with an eraser, and say I would like for you to draw the figure that you see here. Just
draw it as well as you can. I will watch to see how you do it.
If the learner rotates the image, place it back in the original position (Try to do it
this way). If the learner once more rotates the image, leave it where the learner prefers it
to be. Learners may rotate the image in an attempt to reduce its complexity via reliance
on a familiar shape. For example, a learner may evoke a house, or a rocket, by rotating
the figure so the apex of the triangle points upward. The attempt to rely on a familiar
shape often reduces the cognitive investment the learner makes to analyze the drawing.
The result can be that the copy of the figure is short of details and structural elements that
might have been rendered correctly, if the learner had not relied on the familiar image.
From the standpoint of next steps, the principal significance of the rotation is that
it may be a clue to one or more underlying knowledge construction function, such as R-7:
Systematic Exploratory Behavior, or T-7: Mental Representation that may need to be
developed. The fragility of these functions may be the reason the learner tries to rotate the
figure: Rotating the figure may seem to ease the difficulty of the task by enabling the
learner to rely on familiar images and avoid the need to engage fragile knowledge
construction functions.
Occasionally students will ask if they can use a ruler or trace the figure by placing
the paper over the Complex Figure. Turn these requests down with an explanation: That
would make it easier. It would make it easier because we would have to think less. But,
you know, I would really like to see how you copy the figure using just your own good
head.
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M. R. Jensen and M. L. Jensen
The principal organizing features of the Complex Figure are the large rectangle
along with the two diagonal and two bisecting lines that traverse it and create the nexus in
the center of the figure. Pay attention to how the learner begins the drawing. Does the
learner start to copy immediately or does the learner first survey the components of the
drawing to collect more precise information? If so, is there evidence that the survey
yields a usable plan, or strategy, to reproduce the drawing? Does the learner start by
drawing the outer edge, by reproducing a detail, or by drawing an element such as the
main rectangle, that can help to organize the reproduction of the figure as a whole?
Do not interrupt with anything but brief supportive expressions, if any at all, and
instead concentrate on observing the learner. It is easy when you work with a single
student to sketch the way the learner proceeds and easy to note the order in which the
components are drawn. You may wish to create such a record so you more precisely can
compare the student’s approach before mediation with the one that will be used following
mediation. Begin to think about the knowledge construction functions that may benefit
from being developed and coming under more volitional control.
If the learner struggles, offer an encouraging remark, such as This is not easy. You
are working hard. That is good. Just draw it the best way you can. Let the student tell
you when he or she is done. Some students will wait and expect to hear from you. Say:
Take your time and tell me when you are done. Or simply: Are you done? Curtail
frustration or repeated erasing that doesn't lead to improvement: You are working hard.
And you have already done well. Don't worry that you cannot make it look exactly the
way you want. No one can draw it exactly like it is on the card. When the student is done
label this production C-1 (Copy 1).
Step 2: First Memory
Remove the stimulus card and the student's copy. Place a fresh piece of plain
white paper in front of the student in the horizontal position, and say: Now, let me tell you
what I would like for you to do. Listen to this: I would like for you to draw the figure one
more time but this time from memory - You did it before while looking at the card. Now I
would like for you to do it without looking at anything. OK? I will again watch to see how
you do it. It is really a pleasure to see how well you work. Draw what you remember just do it as well as you can.
During the reproduction phase, as in the copying phase, look at what you see with
an eye to discerning the knowledge construction functions the student uses or doesn't use.
Does the learner rely on a coherent mental representation (T-7) or does the learner evoke
details from memory (T-8) in a disconnected manner? How much effort does the learner
expend and what type of affect accompanies this effort? When the student is done label
this production M-1 (Memory 1).
Step 3 — Mediation
Position the Complex Figure as in Step 1. Place one piece of plain white paper in
front of the student and another in front of you.
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Teacher Resources: Using Content-Free Materials
M. R. Jensen and M. L. Jensen
In this step, the main objective is for you and the student to draw a copy of the
Complex Figure together. By labeling the processes of knowledge construction, by
modeling your own behavior, and by providing feedback, the purpose is to enable the
learner to strengthen fragile knowledge construction functions. The goal is to enable the
student to gain insight into any such knowledge construction functions and to learn how
to use them deliberately and purposefully in both school and non-school situations.
Planning (T-23), Systematic Exploratory Behavior (R-7), Spatial Orientation (R3), Sequencing (T-10), Comparative behavior (T-9), and Precision and Accuracy (R-9
and C-7) are among the functions that often are addressed via the Complex Figure
drawing. You may focus on just one or a few functions. Mediators rarely focus on more
than a handful. Avoid cluttering the learning experience and making it too long.
Example of Introductory Dialogue
The dialogue models a teacher and a 4th grade student. It covers the start of the
joint reproduction of the Complex Figure. The emphasis in this example is upon T-23:
Planning. This emphasis is useful when Step 1 reveals an unsystematic approach in which
the elements of the drawing are copied and reproduced from memory in a disorganized
manner.
Use this language example to gain a sense of the purpose and flow of the
interaction between teacher and student. The specific language you will use will depend
on the particular knowledge construction functions you determine to be in need of
development when you do this exercise with a student. In any given instance, the
dialogue between teacher and student may be more or less detailed depending upon the
student’s level of functioning and the goals of the interaction. So, once more, the example
below is offered merely for purposes of illustration, and not as a script to be followed.
Teacher and student sit across from one another and look at the Complex Figure.
Imagine you are the teacher. Use your pencil to point as you speak. You and the student
will not actually draw, until you have talked through a plan to do so.
Teacher: OK. Are you ready?
Student: Yes.
Teacher: Great. Up to now I have been watching you. I must tell you - it was a real pleasure.
Now you and I will draw the figure together. But before we do that, we will plan it. Do you know
what planning is? Do you know what the word means?
Student: It is like not doing something now.
Teacher: You are right. It is about not doing something now. Instead of doing something now,
we think about doing it first. Planning is when we think first and do later. Why would we want to
think first?
Student: Because it is better.
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Teacher Resources: Using Content-Free Materials
M. R. Jensen and M. L. Jensen
Teacher: Yes, it is better. Why is it better to think before we do? What makes it better?
Student: It is better because we won't make mistakes.
Teacher: That is true. The purpose of planning is to cut down on mistakes. That is exactly right.
OK. Let's see how we are going to plan to copy this drawing: Lets start here - down at the
bottom left of the drawing. What we will do is first draw this line. This line is the left vertical side
of a rectangle. Do you know the word rectangle?
Student: Points to the bottom left corner of the main rectangle - traces the left vertical side of
the main rectangle
Student: Is it a shape or something?
Teacher: Yes it is. A rectangle is a shape with four sides. Two by two the sides are equal. Two
sides are longer than the other two. The two shorter sides face each other and the two longer
sides face each other. The side we are going to draw first, this one here, is one of the two
shorter sides of the rectangle. Now, can you find the other short side of the rectangle that faces
it?
Student: Points
Student: This one.
Student: Points to the right vertical side of the rectangle
Teacher: Yes. And show me the whole line.
Student: Traces the right vertical side of the rectangle
If the student has difficulty, you can use a separate piece of paper to draw a rectangle and
discuss its properties more carefully. Discuss number of lines, length of lines, number of angles,
type of angle and the concept of parallel lines. Include a second rectangle to highlight the point
that size is not a factor in what makes a rectangle a rectangle. Draw another rectangle, this one
rotated to a vertical orientation, to make the same point about spatial position. When you are
done, come back to the Complex Figure and continue where you left off.
Teacher: Great. We also say that sides or lines that face each other are parallel to each other.
They run side by side. OK. We have two sides of the rectangle. In a rectangle the lines are
connected in right angles. Like this [point to a right angle]. These angles are also called 90degree angles. Here we have a right angle and here too, and here. Show me another angle in
the drawing that is a right angle or a 90-degree angle.
Student: This one. And that one!
Teacher: Great. And show me an angle that is not a 90-degree angle.
Student: Here is one.
Student: Points to an acute angle
Teacher: Ok. That's good. - You pointed to an acute angle. It has less than 90 degrees. Here is
an obtuse angle. It has more than 90 degrees [point to an obtuse angle] - Good. Let's get back
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Teacher Resources: Using Content-Free Materials
M. R. Jensen and M. L. Jensen
to the rectangle. Can you show me the other two sides of the rectangle? The two long sides. The
two sides we have are vertical. They go up and down. The two we are looking for are horizontal.
They lie down.
Student: Here they are!
Teacher: Great. Now, trace the whole rectangle. Start with the bottom left corner and the left
vertical side.
Student: Traces the large rectangle
Teacher: That is great. You know, this is a very complicated figure. It has a lot of lines and that
can make it confusing. When there are many pieces to a problem, it is a good idea to see if some
of them can be connected in a way that will help us to look at all the rest. So far, what is our
plan to copy the drawing?
Student: We will draw the rectangle first.
Teacher: Yes, that is our plan. Let's think of some other situations where planning is useful.
Student: You can plan how to cross the road. Like, first you look to the left and then you look to
the right.
Teacher: Yes, it is important to think before we walk across the road. You are right. When we
think before we cross the road, it is like we make a plan. We make sure that what we do will
work. What is another example? Can you make a plan for the way you spend your time?
Student: I could make a schedule - like my schedule for school. My school schedule is really like
a plan for how I go through my day!
Teacher: OK. You are getting it. Let's see how we might plan to copy the rest of the drawing.
The teacher and the student continue the process. The teacher brings in also T-9: Comparative
Behavior. In the mediation phase teacher and student first talk through the drawing. This enables
you to reach out to a number of knowledge construction functions as illustrated in the dialogue in
the example above. Afterwards, you and the student together execute the plan you came up
with.
Teacher: OK. We have put our plan together. Let's now carry it out. I want for you to follow me.
See where I place my pencil on the paper. Now put yours in the same place on your paper. Let’s
stay close together as we go through the plan.
Now draw according to the plan. Provide guiding vocal commentary to help the student connect
action with the mental script represented by the plan ("Now we have to draw the right vertical
line. OK. I see you got that too. Great. Next, we need to draw the bottom horizontal line to
complete the rectangle.")
Establish a comfortable pace to keep the process moving. Observe the student's behavior. As
students gain confidence, they may get out a little ahead of you. That is just fine. You may see
them fall in behind you again when they are a little less certain about how to proceed. If the
student gets too far ahead, synchronize the paces ("Don't get too far ahead of me. Let's do this
together" or "Hey, I think I am going a little slow. Wait a bit and I will catch up to you so we can
do this together.")
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Model your own behavior during the drawing part of the mediation phase. Just draw and talk
naturally about what you do. You do not need to focus on minor deviations from the plan that
you and the student put together. The point is to learn about how thinking can guide behavior
and how such knowledge construction functions as planning and precision are used. Be
meticulous. But don't overdo it.
When you are done, label the student's drawing MLE (Mediated Learning Experience) and put
both the student's and your figure drawing out of sight.
Post-Mediation Steps
Step 4: Second Copy
The post-mediation steps enable you to assess the benefits of the mediation you
provided for the development of the students knowledge construction functions. Place the
card with the Complex Figure in front of the student along with a piece of plain white
paper. We have done one together. Now I would very much like to see again how you do
one on your own.
As the student copies the figure, pay attention once more to the way the student
does it. Look out for evidence that the knowledge construction functions you and the
student focused on in the mediation phase are being used by the student. As before (Step
1), let the student bring the task to an end. Prompt if needed (Let me know when you are
done). Label this production C-2 (Copy 2) and place it and the model figure out of sight.
Step 5: Second Memory
Place a piece of plain white paper in front of the student. Now I have a very
special favor to ask. I would like for you to do one more and this one from memory.
Depending on the student's reaction you may expand some: I know you have already
worked hard. But if you can, it would be really great if you could do just one more. Let
me know if you can. Most students are ready to do also this step as most get caught up in
the task and, by now, are as curious about their ability to do this, as you may be.
However, in the event that a student is not prepared to proceed, simply skip this step and
say: You have worked hard and you have done well. Let's talk about what we did and
what you have learned.
As the student reproduces the figure from memory, continue to pay attention to
the way it is drawn. Look at the efficiency with which knowledge construction functions
are used. Also look at how motivation is allocated and managed. Label this production
M-2 (Memory 2).
Step 6: Summary
The purpose of this step is to take a look at changes that occurred across the steps
of the exercise by contrasting the student's drawings before and after mediation. Compare
Copy 1 with Copy 2 and compare Memory 1 with Memory 2. Use the comparison to
once more talk about the knowledge construction functions that were targeted in the
mediation phase and together look for a few more examples of where these knowledge
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construction functions can make a difference both in school work and in general. An
illustration is provided below.
C-1 and C-4 are in front of the student.
Teacher: All right. You finished another one from memory. Hard work. I appreciate it. Now let's
take a look at everything you have done. We will compare the first one you did while looking at
the model figure with the second one you did while looking at the figure. Let's compare the two.
What would you say?
Student: The second one is more like the model.
Teacher: Yes it is. What do you think was the difference? You did them both.
Student: In the second one I planned it and I compared what I did with the model.
Teacher: Yes, I think that is what you did. Planning and comparing were useful for you. Let's
think of some other situations where planning and comparing can help us. Before we talked
about planning to cross the street and we also talked about how a schedule is a plan. Let's think
of a few more examples.
Student: How about planning a trip? You have to think about how much time you have and
where you want to go and what you need to bring. Those are all important.
Teacher: Yes, you are right. Trips usually turn out better if they are planned. Can you think of
an example from your schoolwork?
Student: Well, I can think about how I can make a plan to use my time so that I can get
everything done.
Teacher: That's good. And, you know, once you start planning, you may find that you have time
also to do a lot of other things because you have a better sense of the time each one will take.
Planning can help us become more efficient but also to find time to relax and just enjoy casual
things. - How about comparing. You mentioned that as well. I noticed that you used comparing
when you made the second copy. I think it helped you to bring a lot more details into the
drawing and to draw them in their correct locations.
Student: It did. If I looked at the model and compared it with mine it was easy to see what I
had put in and what I still needed to do or to fix.
Teacher: What are some other situations where comparing makes a difference?
Student: Let me think. - It enables you to make better decisions about what to buy when you
go shopping.
Teacher: Give me an example.
Student: Like going out to buy a bike. I have to look at the different models, what's on the bike,
the color and the price. I need to compare to decide.
Teacher: Give me an example from your schoolwork.
Student: We need to compare to find out how the characters in a story are alike and different.
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Teacher Resources: Using Content-Free Materials
M. R. Jensen and M. L. Jensen
Teacher: Great.
When you are done make sure there is a name and a date on each piece of paper. If you work with the student on an on-going basis, you may wish to ask the student to
draw the Complex Figure from memory at a later point in time. This is called Free Recall
Delayed (FRD). It will allow you to look at aspects of long-term memory and changes in
efficiency that may occur over time. You may find that the use of the knowledge
construction functions has become more of a habit and that what initially was laborious
now is performed with greater fluency and skill. This will be especially true if the
classroom-learning environment has provided opportunities during the intervening time
for the knowledge construction functions to be strengthened via further mediation and use
in real and meaningful situations.
Section B: Using the Exercise with a Group of Students
You can easily adapt this exercise for use with a group of students: Make a
transparency of the Complex Figure. Put it on an overhead projector so everyone can see
it. It is easier in a large group to use just the overhead and not distribute individual cards
with the Complex Figure. Keep in mind, however, that any such change alters the
processing requirements and options that are available to the students. For example,
relying on an overhead places more emphasis on visual transport, and students are no
longer able to rotate the Complex Figure in space.
All six steps can be implemented. After you introduce the task, circulate among
the students during Steps 1 and 2. Your observations are less detailed when you work
with a larger number of students, but use your observations to identify a small number of
functions (most often three or less) that you will focus on during the mediation phase
(Step 3), which you can conduct as a whole group activity.
Following the mediation phase, circulate once again among the students to see
how they now copy the figure (Step 4) and reproduce it from memory (Step 5). Use step
6 just as before to look at the change between the two copies and the two productions
from memory. Once again, focus on the knowledge construction functions you
emphasized in the course of the mediation. Have your students look for and discuss
examples of how the development of these functions can be of significance not only on
tasks like the Complex Figure, but also for many other tasks and situations.
You can use the group version of the exercise to identify students who may need
more individualized attention. These are students whose performance before the
mediation phase shows little improvement after the mediation phase. For these students
the less precise mediation of the group format may be inadequate. You may wish to try
the individual format with them. Remember, also, that the full MindLadder dynamic
assessment program is available to assist in your work with all learners who do not
respond to your instruction in the classroom. Go to Special Reports in the LearningGuide
Advisor and click Download Special Report #1 to read more about the use of dynamic
assessment with such students.
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Teacher Resources: Using Content-Free Materials
M. R. Jensen and M. L. Jensen
Appendix
The appendix presents the Complex Figure record of J. K., a 13 years, 8 months
old boy with a long history of learning problems secondary to developmental delays.
Steps 1, 2, 4 and 5 are all included and all drawings are reproduced in the original size.
The time lapse from Step 1 to Step 5 was about 30 minutes. Among the functions
included in the mediation were Spatial Orientation (R-3), Systematic Exploratory
Behavior (R-7), Mental Representations (T-7), Evoking from Memory (T-8), and
Planning (T-23). Note: the dialogue modeled in this resource was not recorded from the
dynamic assessment of the learner whose Complex Figure record is illustrated here.
J.K. - Step 1: First Copy
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Printout of MindLadder® Advisor Section B-15:
Teacher Resources: Using Content-Free Materials
M. R. Jensen and M. L. Jensen
J.K. - Step 2: First Memory
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Printout of MindLadder® Advisor Section B-15:
Teacher Resources: Using Content-Free Materials
M. R. Jensen and M. L. Jensen
J.K. - Step 4: Second Copy
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Printout of MindLadder® Advisor Section B-15:
Teacher Resources: Using Content-Free Materials
M. R. Jensen and M. L. Jensen
J.K. - Step 5: Second Memory
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