Self-Talk

Cognitive Developmentalisms focus on stages in the individual’s development of skills and preferences around reasoning, perception, language, and other thought-associated competencies. In general terms, these theories trace the development from the infant’s dependence on physical actions on concrete objects to more mature abilities to mentally manipulate abstract notions.

Psychoanalytic Theories comprise several schools of thought that are concerned with the study of the actions and beliefs that are not mediated (and often not moderated) by the conscious mind. Psychoanalytic Theories are most often focused on mental-health disorders. Many of these theories’ core constructs have come to be embedded in Western culture, and some are commonly assumed in prominent educational discourses.

Socio-Cultural Theory begins with the assertion that what is learnable begins as externalized possibilities, which learners gradually internalize through imitation of others, rehearsal with others, and other modes of participation in culturally relevant activities. Social interaction is thus stressed as prior and fundamental to cognition; consciousness and cognition are the products of socialization.

Literally meaning “beyond knowing,” Metacognition refers to “thinking about thinking” – that is, being critically aware of perceptions and interpretations as they happen. More pragmatically, Metacognition attends to abilities both to self-monitor and self-regulate, oriented by the conviction that such capabilities will enhance learning.

Psychotherapy encompasses a range of techniques based on personal interaction that are intended to support mental well-being through influencing personal behaviors. Psychotherapy focuses especially on maladaptations related to temperament, behavior, thought, and/or perception. More than a thousand schools have emerged, drawing on perspectives as diverse as Behaviorisms, Psychoanalytic Theories, and Complex Systems Research.

Mindset is focused on the relationship between learners’ conceptions of themselves and their attitudes toward learning. It distinguishes between two types of mindset, fixed and growth. Learners with a fixed mindset typically see ability as fixed and learning in terms of a performance that reflects that ability. Learners with a growth mindset typically see ability in more expansive terms, defined at least in part by the effort put forth.