Reuven Feuerstein

Profile

Reuven Feuerstein is a clinical psychologist and educator. From his work with children who appeared to have low levels of cognitive performance, he formed a positive view that human cognitive functioning is not fixed but could be enhanced. He described this potential for cognitive change as ‘structural cognitive modifiability’ and developed a holistic approach to cognitive enhancement.

Key dates

1921 – Born in Botosan, Romania

1940–44 – Studied in Bucharest

1945 – Moved to Palestine

1952 – Completed degrees in General and Clinical Psychology at the University of Geneva

1970 – Awarded his PhD in Developmental Psychology at the Sorbonne

1970 – Appointed Professor of Educational Psychology in Bar Ilan University School of Education, Israel

Links

• How Children Learn 4

Montessori

Piaget

Vygotsky

His life

Reuven Feuerstein studied at the Teachers College in Bucharest from 1940–44. During this period he was also co-director and teacher in a school for disadvantaged and disturbed children. Due to the Nazi invasion of Europe, Feuerstein escaped and fled to Jerusalem in 1944, where he attended a teacher training seminary. After the Second World War ended, Feuerstein worked as a special education teacher and counsellor with survivors of the Holocaust who had been separated from their parents and cultures.

Feuerstein went to Switzerland in 1949 to recuperate from TB, where he went on to study psychology under Jean Piaget and Andre Rey. In 1954 he returned to Israel, where he developed a psychological service to support the assessment of the large numbers of children who had immigrated to Israel.

In 1965, Feuerstein became the director of the Hadassah-WIZO-Canada Research Institute, which later became part of the International Center for the Enhancement of Learning Potential (ICELP). Though his approach was not accepted by academics at the time, who favoured the use of conventional tests, Feuerstein’s radical work has since become far more widely accepted and has applications for all children, including those with additional needs.

His writing

Feuerstein has written extensively as a main or contributing author to works about his theory of cognitive enhancement. His work includes:

• Feuerstein, R., Rand, Y. and Hoffman, M. (1979) The Dynamic Assessment of Retarded Performers: The Learning Potential Assessment Device (LPAD). Baltimore, MD: University Park Press.
• Feuerstein, R., Rand, Y., Hoffman, M. B. and Miller, R. (1980) Instrumental Enrichment: An Intervention Program for Cognitive Modifiability. Baltimore, MD: University Park Press.
• Feuerstein, R., Rand, Y. and Rynders, J. (1988). Don’t Accept Me As I Am: Helping ‘Retarded’ People to Excel. N.Y.: Plenum Press.
• Feuerstein, R. (1999). Instrumental Enrichment/Mediated Learning Training Programs. Arlington Heights, IL: Skylight Training and Publishing.

His theory

Feuerstein’s theory of Structural Cognitive Modifiability (SCM) is based on an optimistic notion that an individual’s cognitive functioning has the potential for change as it is flexible and open. (1) His theory was derived from his experience of working with children in Israel who had been culturally deprived. He believed that their poor performance in standard intelligence tests was caused by their undeveloped cognitive functions, which had been affected by their culturally-deprived backgrounds. (2) Feuerstein thought that convential IQ testing did not reveal the children’s learning potential. He suggested that when a child’s thinking processes are under-developed, they may struggle to find connections between similar tasks. Though a particular task may be managed by the child, they had not developed the capacity to transcend their learning to a different context. (3) His view led him to develop assessment tools, which aimed to uncover a child’s capacity to learn.

Learning Potential Assessment Device (LPAD)

Feuerstein advocated the use of LPAD to evaluate a child’s potential to learn through ‘dynamic assessment’. (4) The assessment, which consists of a series of cognitive tasks carried out over a number of days, aims to understand how a child thinks and learns. Dynamic assessment is a process of testing and teaching simultaneously. During the assessment, a specific principle or process is taught and the learner’s application of this principle or process is later assessed by the teacher. The assessment is used to develop an appropriate, individualized intervention programme for the child in the form of ‘Instrumental Enrichment’ (IE) tasks. The LPAD differs significantly from IQ testing in the following ways: its use of measurement tools; the test situation; its emphasis on process rather than outcome, as well as how the test results are then interpreted. (1)

Instrumental Enrichment

Feuerstein’s ‘Instrumental Enrichment’ (FIE), is a cognitive intervention programme, which was first developed in the 1950s. FIE enables the practice and learning of various strategies and stages in information processing and can be undertaken over a period of two or three years. The programme consists of 14 ‘instruments’ (see table 1 below) or paper and pencil tasks, which are free from subject-specific associations, and instead aimed at promoting the individual’s cognitive development and capacity to learn.

The instruments are each concerned with particular cognitive functions, which can be classified within the following headings: (4)

• The control of perception and attention.
• Comparison.
• Categorisation.
• Understanding relationships.
• Defining problems.
• Thinking hypothetically.
• Planning.
• Solving Problems.

FIE Basic has been developed for younger children from approximately three to seven years of age, or older children who have underdeveloped cognitive functioning. The programme aims to promote the development of basic concepts and build thinking skills. It consists of a set of playful learning activities (see table 2), which encourage children to seek and form relationships. It consists of 10 instruments, which are taught over the course of two to four years.

Mediated Learning Experience

Feuerstein uses the term ‘mediated learning experience’ (MLE) to describe the interaction between the mediator and the child, which facilitates change in their cognitive functioning. During the MLE, prescribed tasks are used by the mediator to promote the child’s thinking. (4) Drawing on Vygotsky’s work, Feuerstein uses the term ‘mediator’ rather than ‘teacher’ to depict the more experienced individual who ‘mediates’ the interaction.

Table 1: The instruments of Feuerstein’s instrumental enrichment

1	Organisation of dots	8	Numerical progressions
2	Orientation in space I	9	Family relations
3	Comparisons	10	Instructions
4	Categorisations	11	Temporal relations
5	Analytic perception	12	Transitive relations
6	Orientation in space II	13	Syllogisms
7	Illustrations	14	Representational stencil design

Table 2: The instruments of FIE Basic

1	Tri-channel attentional learning	6	Identifying emotions
2	Orientation in space 1	7	From empathy to action
3	Orientation in space 2	8	Preventing violence
4	Organisation of dots	9	Compare and discover the absurd
5	From unit to group	10	Learning to question for reading comprehension

Putting the theory into practice

Feuerstein’s concept of a ‘mediated learning experience’ has direct application to practice. His theory of ‘Structural Cognitive Modification’ was based on his commitment to inclusive practice. He aimed to promote all children’s access to education so they could develop their potential. His thinking is reflected in the current emphasis on early intervention strategies, which seek to minimise the effects of socio-economic disadvantage and improve children’s future life chances. (5) Feuerstein also advocated the involvement of parents in their child’s programme, which is also relevant to current practice.

Feuerstein also highlights the importance of effective assessment to ensure children are not misjudged by established procedures. He advocated the use of assessment processes that are responsive to the unique circumstances of individual children. For example, assessment processes aim to measure learning potential rather than actual performance and assessment tasks are varied, and include visual material. (1)

Feuerstein’s theory acknowledges the importance of the mediator’s respectful relationship with the child so they can encourage the child’s intellectual and emotional development. (4) The mediator guides the process of ‘bridging’, which is the transfer of learned strategies and principles acquired from previous areas of learning to another unrelated task.

His influence

Feuerstein’s work on cognitive development has emphasised the importance of developing children’s independent thinking and problem-solving skills so they are supported to ‘learn how to learn’. This has provided a focus on the ‘process’ rather than the ‘content’ of learning. The assessment procedures advocated by Feuerstein have highlighted the need for educators to consider the potential of children’s cognitive functioning as well as actual performance in assessment tasks. His focus on intervention as a tool to improve children’s potential outcomes is supported by a ‘growing body of evidence of the effectiveness of early intervention with children and families’. (6)

FIE is used to enhance the learning potential of children who have impaired or underdeveloped cognitive functions, including those who are blind, as there is a Braille version of FIE. Feuerstein’s programme has provided a positive message for educators, children with cognitive deficit and their families. (7) His belief that children should not be defined by their limitations supports the view that educators should be prepared to enhance the learning potential of all children.

Comment

A criticism of Feuerstein’s theory is that some of his theoretical concepts are not clearly defined and the quality of mediated learning experiences can only be assessed subjectively. The programme also has financial implications for a setting; staff would need to be trained for their role as mediator and would need allocated time and specialised resources to work on the programme.

References

1. Kaniel, S., Feuerstein, R. (1989) Special Needs of Children with Learning Difficulties. Oxford Review of Education. 15 (2), pp. 165–179.
2. Kozulin, A. and Lurie, L. (1995) ‘Mediated Learning Experience and Psychological Tools: Vygotsky’s and Feuerstein’s Perspectives in a Study of Student Learning’. Educational Psychologist. 30 (2) pp. 67–75
3. Poehner, M.E. (2007) L2 Dynamic Assessment and the Transcendence of Mediated Learning. The Modern Language Journal. 91 (3), pp. 323–340.
4. Moseley, D., Baumfield, V., Elliott, J., et al (2005) Frameworks for Thinking: A Handbook for Teaching and Learning. Cambridge: CUP.
5. DWP/DfE (2011) A New Approach to Child Poverty: Tackling the Causes of Disadvantage and Transforming Families’ Lives. London: The Stationery Office.
6. Munro, E. (2011) The Munro review of child protection: final report: a child-centred system. Norwich: The Stationery Office (TSO).
7. Sutherland, P. (1992) Cognitive Development Today. London: Paul Chapman Publishing

Where to find out more

Ben-Hur, M., (ed) (1994) On Feuerstein’s Instrumental Enrichment: A Collection. Arlington Heights, IL: IRI/SkyLight Training and Publishing.

The International Center for the Enhancement of Learning Potential http://www.icelp.org/asp/main.asp

The Feuerstein Foundation http://feuerstein-foundation.org/inner.php?act=C&table=Home&lang_id=36&linkid=center_home