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Robert F. Williams Assistant Professor Education Department |
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At Lawrence University I teach courses and tutorials in education, cognitive science and linguistics, and conduct research into everyday cognition and how instruction shapes the construction of meaning. I also supervise student teaching and independent studies, advise students in the Teacher Education Program, and chair the Committee on Teacher Education. Recently, I served on the President's Task Force on Individualized Learning. When
not at work, I can be found singing with the White Heron Chorale; wrangling
small children in a park, library, or coffeehouse; or enjoying the local culture (much more than cheese and snow!).
For
more information, see a recent interview as the March 2009 UCSD Cognitive Science Alumnus of the Month, a faculty
profile in the Winter 2006 issue of Lawrence Today, or my curriculum vitae.
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VITA -------------------------------- |
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2004-present |
Assistant Professor, Education Department Linguistics and Cognitive Science Programs
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2004 |
Doctor
of Philosophy in Cognitive Science (Dissertation:
Making
meaning from a clock: Material artifacts and conceptual blending in
time-telling instruction)
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2000 |
Master
of Science in Cognitive Science (Thesis:
An ERP study of hemispheric asymmetries in joke
comprehension) |
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1996-97 |
Visiting Lecturer, English |
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1993-98 |
High School Teacher, German & English |
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1992 |
Master of Arts in Curriculum & Instruction, Secondary English and Foreign Language |
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1985-91 |
Systems Engineer |
IBM Corporation, Denver |
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1985 |
Bachelor
of Arts, German major |
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1985 |
Bachelor
of Science in Mechanical Engineering |
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COURSES ------------------------------ |
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Fall 2009
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Winter 2010
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Spring 2010
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EDST 180
Psychology of Learning
Educating All Learners in Music
EDUC 650 Student Teaching |
EDST 345
Distributed Cognition
EDUC 430 Educating All Learners EDUC 650
Student Teaching |
EDST 180 Psychology of Learning LING 545
Gesture Studies
EDUC 650
Student Teaching |
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TEACHER EDUCATION
EDST 180
Psychology of Learning (PSYC 180)
An investigation of how people learn. This course examines learning theories (behavioral, cognitive, constructivist, humanist) and their implications for the educational process in schools. Other topics include learning and the brain, the nature of expertise, the design of learning environments, and approaches to instruction that promote meaningful learning. Practicum of 20 hours required. 6 units.
EDUC 430 Educating
All Learners This course
focuses on two related topics: promoting effective reading and writing in
school content areas and adapting instruction to learners with special needs.
As part of the latter focus, students will explore various exceptionalities,
legal requirements, school arrangements, and teacher practices. Practicum of
20 hours required. 6 units. Prerequisite: EDST 180 and junior standing. EDUC 431 Educating
All Learners in Music This course
focuses on adapting instruction to learners with special needs. Students will
explore various exceptionalities, legal requirements, school arrangements,
and teacher practices. Practicum of 10 hours required. For music education
students. 3 units. Prerequisite: EDST 180 and junior standing. EDUC 650 Student
Teaching Student
teaching is normally taken during Term I, coinciding with the public school
fall semester. A weekly seminar at EDUC 660 Student
Teaching Seminar The seminar
will engage students in critical reflection upon their student teaching experience.
Concrete and theoretical problems having to do with teaching and learning
will be explored (e.g., classroom management, assessment of pupil
performance, curriculum design, instructional methods), as will issues having
to do with educational policy and school organization. 3 units. Prerequisite:
Concurrent enrollment in EDUC 650 or consent of instructor.
COGNITIVE SCIENCE
EDST 180
Psychology of Learning (PSYC 180)
An investigation of how people learn. This course examines learning theories (behavioral, cognitive, constructivist, humanist) and their implications for the educational process in schools. Other topics include learning and the brain, the nature of expertise, the design of learning environments, and approaches to instruction that promote meaningful learning. Practicum of 20 hours required. 6 units.
EDST 345
Distributed Cognition (ANTH/PSYC 345)
Distributed
cognition explores the role of the environment, artifacts, social
interaction, and culture in human reasoning, problem-solving, and learning.
Domains of study range from the sophisticated (ship navigation) to the
everyday (time-telling). Emphasis is placed on studies of cognition in
real-world settings. 6 units. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.
LING 470 Cognitive
Linguistics
Cognitive
linguistics is a subfield of linguistics and cognitive science that studies
conceptual structure, language, and meaning in relation to general cognitive
mechanisms. Topics include cognitive and construction grammars,
categorization, construal, image schemas, mental spaces, conceptual
metaphors, and conceptual blending. 6 units. Prerequisite: LING 150 or consent
of instructor.
LING 545 Gesture Studies (EDST/PSYC 545) Gesture studies is an interdisciplinary field that examines the use of the hands and other parts of the body in communication and cognition. In this seminar we discuss studies of gesture types, universals, and variations; gesture development; gesture production and perception; relations of gesture to thought and language (spoken and signed); and functions of gesture in human interaction, problem-solving, and learning. 6 units. Prerequisite: one course in linguistics or psychology, or consent of instructor. |
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--------- RECENT
TUTORIALS & INDEPENDENT STUDIES --------- |
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Theory and practice in second language acquisition Assessment in second language learning Literacy acquisition in English language learners Mood-dependent memory effects Computational semantics Artificial life and language evolution The role of motivation in learning Issues in bilingual education Conceptual integration and skill learning
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RESEARCH ----------------------------- |
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My research explores how people perform everyday cognitive activities and how experienced performers shape the understanding of novices. I study human cognitive activities from the perspective of distributed cognition: as interactive processes encompassing the individual, the material setting, and the social organization of activity. When studying instructional discourse, I draw upon research in cognitive linguistics to relate talk, gestures, and actions to the conceptual operations we use to construct meaning. Recent papers
& talks: Image schemas in clock-reading: Latent errors and emerging expertise
(under review). For Journal of the Learning Sciences special issue on embodied
mathematical cognition, edited by R. Hall & R. Nemirovsky. [pdf]
Distributed cognition. In E. Anderman (ed.). Psychology of Classroom Learning: An
Encyclopedia. Detroit:
Macmillan Reference, 2008. [pdf]
Situating cognition through
conceptual integration. Paper presented at the 9th conference on Conceptual Structure, Discourse,
and Language,
Cleveland, 2008. [abstract] [slides]
Functions of gesture during
instruction: Conceptual mapping, anchoring, and blending. Invited lecture at
the Berlin Gesture Center, Berlin, 2008.
Path
schemas in gesturing for thinking and teaching. Paper presented at the 3rd
international conference of the German
Cognitive Linguistics Association, Leipzig, 2008.
Gesture
as a conceptual mapping tool (2008). In A. Cienki & C. Mueller
(eds.), Metaphor and Gesture [Gesture
Studies 3] (pp. 55-92).
Guided
conceptualization: Mental spaces in instructional discourse (2008). In T.
Oakley & A. Hougaard (eds.), Mental
Spaces in Discourse and Interaction (pp. 209-234).
Embodiment
in learning to read a clock. Presentation for workshop on Research on Embodied
Mathematical Cognition, Technology and Learning,
Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, Palo Alto, 2007.
Counting
and conceptual blending. Paper presented at the 10th International Cognitive Linguistics Conference,
Using
mapping and anchoring gestures to establish common ground. Paper presented at
the 3rd conference of the International Society for Gesture Studies, Chicago, 2007.
The image-schematic structure of pointing. Poster
presented at the 2nd international conference on Language, Culture, and Mind,
Latent
errors and conceptual change. Paper presented at the 8th conference on Conceptual Structure, Discourse, and Language, San Diego, 2006. [abstract] [slides]
Instruction as guided
conceptualization. Paper presented at the 2nd international conference on Language, Culture, and Mind,
Using
cognitive ethnography to study instruction (2006). In S. A. Barab, K. E.
Hay, & D. T. Hickey (eds.), Proceedings
of the 7th International Conference of the Learning Sciences
(vol. 2, pp. 838-844).
Keywords: cognitive
artifacts, cognitive ethnography, cognitive semantics, conceptual blending,
conceptual models, distributed cognition, gesture studies, image schemas,
instructional discourse, situated activity A complete list of works can be found in my CV. |
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CONTACT ----------------------------- |
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E-mail robert.f.williams lawrence.edu |
Office Briggs 124 (920) 993-6276 |
Mail |
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