First Case Study...

1. An episode in the case study that demonstrates disequilibrium: When the fish dies and thet teacher tells the girls that she will give him a good burial. The definition of disequilibrium is the state of being unable to address new events with existing schemes; typically accompanied by some mental discomfort. Amy was confused because she went back to when her grandpa died and went to heaven. She thought that because her grandpa didn't come back he was really gone in heaven. She didn't understand how the fish could go to heaven because she was still physically seeing it. Describe and episode that demonstrates assimilation: Well I think that it was when Amy rembers her grandpa going to heaven and her wanting the fish to go to heaven too. But the more I think about it and read through the case study I want to say that it's when the girls are walking home and Lucy asks if you have to go potty in heaven and Amy replies back by saying "Of course not, silly! You know our mommies and Ms. Bowman make us go potty before we go anywhere!" Amy is conecting the schema with not having to go potty in heaven because in real life, she knows that people make her go potty before they go anywhere, and the definition of assimilation is: process of dealing with a new event in a way that is consistent with an existing scheme. The new event is the fish dieing and heaven which is going somewhere to her and the fact that anytime they travel she has to go potty.

2. Identify a possible instance of preoperational egocentrism in the case. I would say that an instance when this happened would be when it's Amy's turn to feed the fish and she thinks that because the fish isn't eating the food and laying on it's side that it's just sleeping. Lucy then says that she thinks something is wrong and goes to get the teacher. Although, i'm really not sure because the definition of preoperational egocentrism is the inability of children in Piaget's preoperational stage to view situations from another person's perspective... I'm still a little cloudy in what part of the story that this applies to... I guess with my answer Amy is having a hard time understanding Lucy's perspective, because Amy just thinks that the fishy is sleeping and Lucy thinks that something is wrong with the fish.

3. How might a Vygotskian theorist suggest Ms. Bowman address the death of the class pet? Some of the children in the class may not understand what death is. So she may have to ask them if they have ever had something that went to heaven. That way she can use assimilation by allowing the students to connect something they know with what has happened to the classroom pet.

4. How might taking care of pets in the classroom promote students' cognitive development? Having a pet within the classroom would allow the students to get an understanding of why you have to take care of a pet or something that isn't able to feed itself or clean it's own cage. They probably can feed themselves and clean their rooms so they may not understand why other things can't do that. Also, if something happens to happen to the classroom pet, the teacher may talk to them and explain what has happened so they will be able to reason why it happened...