FOLA

Foundations of Lectical Assessment

Announcing the return of Lectica's Year of Developmental Delight!

FOLA is a graduate-level survey course, first delivered in Harvard's Mind, Brain, and Education program. It is focused on over 100 years of research and thought in the original positive psychology field—developmental psychology.

This year, as Lectica launches its first fully scalable learning & measurement tool—MindLog™—we find ourselves retracing our journey from philosophy and theory to the development of practical tools designed to support a future in which everyone has an opportunity to develop optimally.

MindLog is a sophisticated learning tool that supports mental development while creating a visual record of an individual's development in the form of a growth chart calibrated to the Lectical Scale. MindLog is the first tool of its kind.

We'd like to share this journey in the hope that what we have learned so far will help others move forward in their own lives and work. That's why we're inviting you to join us for a very special live FOLA experience—our 2nd Year of Developmental Delight.

During this special FOLA you will take part in rich discussions centered on the original FOLA Lectures and readings and newer material covering Lectica's research during the period from 2015 to 2025. As a participant, you will primarily be reading material from original scholarly sources. However, we will not focus exclusively on academics. As a group, we will be charged with the task of relating ideas in the literature to real-world educational and existential issues.

Before signing up, we suggest that you check out the syllabus below and view the first FOLA lecture (below), in which Dr. Zak Stein explores the historical and philosophical origins of developmental psychology.

Dates 

We'll be meeting on the second Saturday of each month from August 9, 2025 to July 11, 2025.

The primary meetings will be held from 5:00 PM–7:00 PM New York Time.

The fee for participation in our Year of Developmental Delight is $2,449 in US funds. The proceeds from all Institute activities are used to fund Lectica's non-profit activities.

If you think you'd like to join us, please complete our registration form. (If you have questions, please contact us. We'll get right back to you with answers.)

FOLA summary

FOLA explores the developmental theory and research that underpin Lectica's learning model, assessments, and learning tools. It includes 11 hour-long recorded lectures (view sample) that were delivered by Drs. Zak Stein and Dr. Theo Dawson during the fall of 2014 at Harvard's Graduate School of Education. It also includes a 12th lecture in which Dr. Dawson recaps Lectica's evolution and brings us up to date. Through engagement with these lectures and selected readings, you will explore the pedagogical implications of a wide range of developmental theories, the research spawned by these theories, and their real-world implications.

FOLA is available in the following forms:

1. as a self-paced lecture series with recommended readings (a MindLog™ 50-entry subscription is optional), or
2. as a “Year of Developmental Delight”—our live FOLA experience, which comes with a 50-entry subscription to MindLog.

FOLA is required if you plan to use our data in your thesis or if one of us is sitting on your doctoral committee.

History, concepts, & applications

FOLA lectures are divided into three parts—history, concepts, and applications. In the historical review, we examine the origins of developmental psychology, tracing the evolution of key ideas across over a century of research and theorizing. In the second part, in which we focus on concepts, we review the state of contemporary theory and research, exploring key concepts that form the basis of our research and assessments. Finally, we shift our focus to applications, discussing the ways in which developmental maieutics (including the Lectical® Assessment System) has been used in research and in efforts to foster radical innovations in standardized testing and education. In every lecture, we consider at least one concrete educational application of the ideas and research findings that are the focus of that lecture.

Part 1: History: evolution, psychology, and the birth of a science

Module 1: James Mark Baldwin and the origins of development psychology

Module 2: Piaget, genetic epistemology, and the triumph of a method

Module 3: Kohlberg and friends

Module 4: Erikson, H. S. Sullivan, and the psychodynamics of the life course

Module 5: The Neo-Piagetians

Topics explored in Part 1

• the fundamentals of nearly a dozen developmental models—with a focus on their history, core ideas, and how they can inform teaching and learning; and
• how developmental level influences the ways in which people view the world, take action, and learn.

Part 2: Concepts—Skill Theory and the Lectical Assessment System

Module 6: Emotion and development

Module 7: Dynamic system models of the mind

Module 8: Explicating the Common Core metric

Module 9: Learning sequences and educational research

Topics explored in Part 2

• the complex relations between developmental level and the content, quality, and validity of thinking;
• practices that promote human development and transformation;
• why domain specificity and knowledge transfer are so important for teaching, learning, and assessment;
• the difference between within-level elaboration and between-level transformation—and how neglecting elaboration means undertaking transformation on shaky ground;
• the history of developmental assessment and its methods;
• how development unfolds in nearly a dozen domains, including the self, leadership, ethics, physics, epistemology, and decision-making;
• the difference between domain-general and domain-specific developmental systems, with an emphasis on how different assessment techniques constrain or liberate educational practice;
• the fundamentals of the Lectical Assessment System and a sense of what full training in the system would require; and
• the principles and methods behind developmental maieutics as a broad approach to action-research.

Part 3: Applications: research and innovation in assessment technology

Module 10: Transforming K-12 education through assessment reform

Module 11: The assessment and promotion of adult learning

Module 12: Pragmatizing the research results

Topics explored in Part 3

• how best to adapt teaching and coaching to enable optimal growth;
• the effects of context on human development and transformation;
• the difference between functional and optimal levels of performance, and how to create settings that support optimal performance;
• the non-linear dynamics of the transitional phases between developmental levels—and how understanding these transitions is key for improving instruction and enacting lasting change;
• the within-level prerequisites that set the stage for healthy transformation;
• the ways in which culture and context shape the behavior and developmental trajectories of individuals;
• the central role of developmental assessment in educational reform, from the K-12 system to corporations and governments; and
• the long journey from theory to effective application.

FOLA syllabus

Module 1: James Mark Baldwin

James Mark Baldwin was the first to develop a theory of development and how it influences people's perceptions, views, behavior, and learning. His work represents some of the earliest and most sophisticated theorizing about development. Engaging with Baldwin provides insights into the history of methods in developmental psychology and the value of a bio-psycho-social approach in research and education.

Guiding questions

• What is the relationship between developmental level and the content, quality, and validity of thinking?
• How does culture shape development?
• What is the bio-psycho-social approach and how can we apply it productively to our own work?
• What is Baldwin’s legacy?

Learning goals

To discover and explore many of the core themes of this course in the work of one of the field’s earliest and most creative theorists.

Required readings

1. Cairns, R.B. & Cairns, B.D. (2006). The making of developmental psychology. In R. M. Lerner (Ed.), Handbook of child psychology: Vol. 1. Theoretical Models of Human Development (pp. 89-165). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons.
2. Baldwin, J. M. (1895). Chapter 1. In Mental development in the child and the race (pp. 1-33). London: McMillan.
3. Baldwin, J. M. (1897). Chapter 7. In Social and ethical interpretations in mental development (pp. 256-303). London: McMillan.

Recommended readings

• Baldwin, J.M. (1904). The genetic progression of psychic objects. Psychological Review, XI, 216-221.
• Piaget, J. (1982). Reflections on Baldwin. In J. Broughton & D. J. Freeman-Moir (Eds.), The cognitive developmental psychology of James Mark Baldwin (pp. 80-87). Norwood, NJ: ABLEX Press.
• Richards, R. J. (1987). James Mark Baldwin: Evolutionary biopsychology and the politics of scientific ideas. In Darwin and the emergence of evolutionary theories of mind and behavior (Chapter 10, pp. 451-504). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Module 2: Piaget

Piaget, genetic epistemology, and the triumph of a method

This module explores the work of Jean Piaget, who picked up where Baldwin left off, offering research studies and theoretical models addressing a wide range of basic issues in developmental psychology. Piaget (along with his many collaborators, including Barbel Inhelder and Eleanor Duckworth) surpassed Baldwin in revealing the relations between developmental level and various aspects of thought and action, and inspired a whole generation of educators to begin adopting a developmental approach to pedagogy. A close, although brief, look at Piaget provides insight into the history of developmental methods and the importance of approaches to research and assessment that allow individuals to demonstrate how they build knowledge. Piaget’s continued commitment to a bio-psycho-social approach also serves as a reminder that development is a complex process in which both culture and biology play a role.

Guiding questions

• What is genetic epistemology?
• What are the strengths of Piaget’s stage model?
• What are the potential limitations?
• What is the relationship between Piaget’s stages and his posited mechanisms of equilibration, assimilation, and accommodation?
• Did stages or mechanisms have a greater impact on the field of developmental psychology—and what are the lasting repercussions of these impacts?
• What of Piaget’s model, method, or mechanisms can we apply to our own work?

Learning goals

To understand the basic insights that follow from Piaget’s work, especially as they form the backdrop for the continued legacy of constructivist approaches to education and research.

Required readings

Please ensure that you read the specified version.

1. Miller, P. (2002) Piaget’s theory. In Theories of developmental psychology (pp. 29-105), 4th. Edition. New York: Worth Publishers.
2. Bond, T. & Tryphon, A. (2009). Piaget and method. In U. Muller, J. Carpendale, and L. Smith (Eds.). The Cambridge companion to Piaget (pp. 171-199). New York: Cambridge University Press.
3. Piaget, J. (1932). Chapter 1. In Moral Judgment of the child (pp. 1-100). New York: Free Press.
4. Piaget, J. (1985). Foreword and Chapter 1. In The equilibration of cognitive structures: The central problem of intellectual development. Chicago, The University of Chicago Press (pp. 1-35).

Recommended readings

• Piaget, J. (1970). Chapters 1 & 4. In Structuralism (pp. 3-17 & 52-74). New York: Harper & Row.
• Smith, L. (2002). Piaget's model. In U. Goswami (Ed.), Blackwell. Handbook of childhood cognitive development (pp. 515-538). Oxford: Blackwell.

Module 3: Kohlberg

Kohlberg and friends

This module focuses primarily on the work of Lawrence Kohlberg, who applied Piaget’s broad theoretical and methodological commitments to the domain of moral reasoning. We use Kohlberg’s work to begin considering the difference between domain-specific and domain-general developmental systems, with an emphasis on how different approaches to modeling and measuring development affect educational practice and design. We also discuss the work of Kohlberg's students, including Cheryl Armon, Carol Gilligan, and Elliot Turiel, who have carried forward the study of moral development in recent decades.

Guiding questions

• What is the relationship between developmental level in Kohlberg’s scheme and the “goodness” of morality being expressed?
• Are the two qualities separate or linked?
• What are the practices that promote human development and transformation in the domain of morality?
• What is a domain-specific model of development and how does it differ from a domain-general approach (e.g.) Piaget’s or Baldwin’s approach?

Learning goals

To consider Kohlberg’s work as both a fruition and a transformation of Piagetian methods, representing an important turn in developmental psychology toward practice, education, and reform.

Required readings

Kohlberg, L. (1975). The cognitive-developmental approach to moral education. The Phi Delta Kappan, 56(10), 670-677.

Kohlberg, L. and D. Candee (1984). Stage and sequence: The cognitive-developmental approach to socialization. Essays on moral development: Vol. 2. The psychology of moral development: The nature and validity of moral stages (pp. 7-169). San Francisco: Jossey Bass.

Kohlberg, L. (1984). The relationship of moral judgment to moral action. Morality, moral behavior, and moral development. W. Kurtines and J. Gewirtz. New York, John Wiley & Sons: 52-73.

Recommended readings

Kohlberg, L. (1981). From is to ought: how to commit the naturalistic fallacy and get away with it in the study of moral development. In Essays on moral development: Vol. 1. The philosophy of moral development (pp. 101-190). New York: Harper and Row.

Habermas, J. (1990). Justice and solidarity: On the discussion concerning stage 6. In E. W. Thomas (Ed.), The moral domain: Essays in the ongoing discussion between philosophy and the social sciences (pp. 224-255). Cambridge, MA, MIT Press.

Armon, C. & Dawson, T. (1997). Developmental trajectories in moral reasoning across the lifespan. Journal of Moral Education, Vol. 26, No. 4.

Selman, R. L. (1971). The relation of role taking to the development of moral judgment in children. Child Development, 42(1), 79-91.

Walker, Lawrence J., & Taylor, John H. (1991). Family interactions and the development of moral reasoning. Child Development, 62(2), 264-283.

Module 4: Life course

Erikson, H.S. Sullivan, and the psychodynamics of the life course

This module focuses on the work of Erik Erikson, Harry Stack Sullivan and other theorists, such as Anna Freud, who combined developmental models with insights from the psychoanalytic tradition. Erikson and Sullivan present comparable stage models and allow us to explore how their ideas about stages and developmental processes differ from those outlined by Piaget and Kohlberg. We will also explore important issues concerning the unique methods and applications that stem from these integrative models of the life course. We also discuss the work of more contemporary ego-development researchers, such as Jane Loevinger, Abraham Maslow, and Susanne Cook-Greuter.

Guiding questions

• What are the differences between these psychoanalytically oriented approaches to development and the approaches of Piaget and Kohlberg?
• What are the key principles and processes that drive development as it is understood by Sullivan and Erikson?
• How are these useful in various educational contexts?

Learning goals

To consider the work of Erikson and Sullivan in relation to Piaget and Kohlberg, and to explore their respective methodological and theoretical differences and similarities.

Required readings

1. Kohlberg, L. and C. Armon (1984). Three types of stage models in the study of adult development. Beyond formal operations: Vol 1. Late adolescent and adult cognitive development. M. L. Commons, F. A. Richards, T. A. Grotzer and J. D. Sinnot. New York, Praeger: 383-394.
2. Noam, G., et al. (1983). Steps toward a model of the self. In Developmental approaches to the self. B. Lee and G. Noam. New York, Plenum Press: 59-141.
3. Sullivan, H. S. (1953) Part 1: Introductory concepts. In The interpersonal theory of psychiatry (pp. 13-45). New York: Norton & Co.

Recommended readings

• Erikson, Erik, H. (1982). Major stages in psychosocial development. In The life cycle completed (55-83). New York: Norton.
• Freud, A. (1936). Ego and the mechanisms of defense. Karnac Books. London.
• Loevinger, L. (1976). Chapters 1 & 2, in Ego development. New York: Jossey-Bass.
• Cummings, A. L. & Murray, H. G. (1989) Ego development and its relation to teacher education. Teaching and teacher education, 5, pp. 21-32.
• Gfellner, B. (1986). Ego development and moral development in relation to age and grade level during adolescence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 15, 147-163.

Module 5: Neo-Piagetians

The Neo-Piagetians

In this module, we consider the work of the Neo-Piagetians, including Kurt Fischer, Juan Pascual-Leone, Sharon Griffin, John Flavell, and Robbie Case. The Neo-Piagetians, like Kohlberg, followed Piaget, but they more explicitly continued Piaget’s search for domain-general models, mechanisms, and measures. These theorists teach us a great deal about the effects of context on development and transformation, such as why support and scaffolding are part of a person’s capacity (not separate independent influences), and why variability in performance is the norm, not the exception. We will also gain an initial understanding of the non-linear dynamics of the transitional phases between developmental levels.

Guiding questions

• How does a domain-general model of development differ from a domain-specific model of development like Kohlberg’s?
• How does Fischer integrate context and support into his model of development?
• How might understanding the non-linearity of developmental transitions improve instruction and help enact lasting change?

Learning goals

To consider the key advances and revisions to the constructivist legacy undertaken by the Neo-Piagetians, and the implications for education and human transformation these imply.

Required readings

1. Fischer, K. W. (1980). A theory of cognitive development: The control and construction of hierarchies of skills. Psychological Review, 87, 477-531.
2. Case, R. (1985). Chapter 6. In Intellectual development: Birth to adulthood (pp. 81-117). New York: Academic Press.
3. Commons, M. L., Trudeau, E. J., et al. (1998). Hierarchical complexity of tasks shows the existence of developmental stages. Developmental Review,18, 237-278.

Recommended readings

• Ayoub, C., & Fischer, K. (2006). Developmental pathways and intersections among domains of development. K. McCartney & D. Phillips (Eds.), Blackwell Handbook on Early Childhood Development (pp 82-62). Oxford: Blackwell.
• Marini, Zopito, & Case, Robbie. (1994). The development of abstract reasoning about the physical and social world. Child Development, 65(1), 147-159.
• Yan, Z., & Fischer, Kurt W. (2002). Always under construction. Human Development, 45, 141-160.

Module 6: Emotion

Emotion and development

In this module, we consider research and theorizing about emotion by focusing on the work of Donald Hebb and other more contemporary emotion researchers like Antonio Damasio and Mary Helen Immordino-Yang. The Skill Theory framework is used to integrate these approaches to understanding the relation between emotion and development. We explore the implications of understanding emotions in this way, for developmental processes, education, and research.

Guiding questions

• How does recognizing the importance of emotion force us to re-examine and question developmental theories that neglect its primacy, such as Kohlberg’s?
• What is the most central way in which emotion shapes learning and development?
• What are the implications of this for schooling?

Learning goals

To consider the centrality and ubiquity of emotional processes in learning and development and explore a variety of theoretical approaches to understanding emotional development.

Required readings

Hebb, D. O. (1946). On the nature of fear. Psychological Review 53, 259-276.

Fischer, K. W., Shaver, P., & Carnochan, P. (1990) (2006). How emotions develop and how they organize development. Cognition and Emotion, 4, 81-127.

Fischer, K. W. and Bidell, T.R. (2006). Dynamic development of action, thought, and emotion. In W. Damon and R. M. Lerner (Eds.), Handbook of child psychology: Theoretical models of human development (pp. 313-399). New York, Wiley. [pp. 314-336; 370-382].

Recommended readings

Ayoub, C. C., Rogosh, F., Toth, S. L., O’Connor, E., Cicchetti, D., Rappolt-Schlichtmann, G., et al. (2006). Cognitive and emotional differences in young maltreated children: A translational application of dynamic skill theory. Development and Psychopathology, 18, 670-706.

Li, Jin, Wang, Lianqin, & Fischer, Kurt W. (2004). The organisation of Chinese shame concepts. Cognition and Emotion, 18(6), 767-797.

Immordino-Yang, M.H., McColl, A., Damasio, H., Damasio, A. (2009). Neural correlates of admiration and compassion. PNAS.106(19) 8021-8026.

Module 7: Dynamic systems

Dynamic systems models of the mind

In this module, we explore how dynamic systems modeling can be used to understand the development of cognition, skill, and emotion. We consider the importance of dynamic systems research in general by first looking at the work of early pioneers, such as Donella Meadows and Jay Forester. We then use the work of Paul Van Geert to provide an accessible introduction to dynamic systems models in developmental psychology and raise a set of critical concepts and questions. Next, we examine how Rose and Fischer approach the creation of a truly dynamic science of the individual. Finally, we explore the far-reaching implications of reframing human development in these terms.

Guiding questions

• How can we build growth models based on the principles of dynamic systems theory?
• What kinds of tools are available to build models of how people grow and learn?

Learning goals

To consider how dynamic systems models are being used in developmental psychology, and how this way of researching and explaining human development grows naturally out of the tradition we have been exploring.

Required readings

1. Rose, L.T., Rouhani, P., & Fischer, K.W. (2013). The science of the individual. Mind, Brain, and Education, 7(3), 152-158.
2. van Geert, P. and H. Steenbeek (2004). Dynamic systems theory: A tool for understanding development and education. Practical Knowledge, Harvard Graduate School of Education.
3. Dawson-Tunik, T. L., Commons, M. L. et al. (2005). The shape of development. The International Journal of Cognitive Development, 2, 163-196.
4. Rappolt-Schlichtmann, Gabrielle , Tenenbaum, Harriet R. , Koepke, Margy F. , & Fischer, Kurt W. (2007). Transient and robust knowledge: Contextual support and the dynamics of children’s reasoning about density. Mind, Brain, & Education, 1, 98-108.

Recommended readings

• Van Geert, P. (1994). Dynamic systems of development: Change between complexity and chaos. London: Harvester Wheatsheaf.
• Mascolo, M. F., & Fischer, K. W. (2010). The dynamic development of thinking, feeling and acting over the lifespan. In W. F. Overton (Ed.), Biology, cognition and methods across the life-span. Volume 1 of the Handbook of life-span development (pp. 149-194). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Module 8: The Lectical Scale

Toward a "common core" metric

This module examines a recent advance that builds on the history outlined in Part 1—Dr. Dawson’s domain-general cognitive developmental scoring system, the Lectical Assessment System (LAS). By exploring the LAS and the Lectical Scale to which it is calibrated, we'll deepen our exploration of the distinctions between domain-general and domain-specific developmental systems. We will also continue to advance our understanding of the non-linear dynamics of the transitional phases between developmental levels, paying special attention to the implications for measurement and pedagogy. This look at Dawson’s work also contributes to our continued exploration of the history of developmental assessment systems and methods.

Guiding questions

• How does Dawson build the argument that she is tapping into a domain-general index of development?
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of her approach?
• How does her model relate to Kohlberg’s, Piaget’s, or Fischer’s?
• How do different assessment techniques constrain educational practice?
• How might they liberate practice?

Learning goals

To learn about the development and refinement of the Lectical Assessment System, as it relates to the history and future of developmental psychology and education.

Required readings

1. Dawson, T. L. (2001). Layers of structure: A comparison of two approaches to developmental assessment. Genetic Epistemologist, 29, 1-10.
2. The LAS in plainer English: The Lectical Assessment System
3. Dawson, T. L. (2002). A comparison of three developmental stage scoring systems. Journal of Applied Measurement, 3, 146-189.
4. Dawson, T. L., Y. Xie, et al. (2003). Domain-general and domain-specific developmental assessments: Do they measure the same thing? Cognitive Development, 18, 61-78.
5. Dawson-Tunik, T. L., Commons, M. L. et al. (2005). The shape of development. The International Journal of Cognitive Development, 2, 163-196.
6. For an overview of the validity and reliability of the LAS see: Validity and reliability of the LAS

Module 9: Developmental maieutics

Learning sequences and educational research

In this module we focus on the methods that accompany the Lectical Assessment System when it is used in the context of educational research—an approach known as Developmental Maieutics. We will examine two sets of learning sequences produced with Developmental Maieutics, one for physical science concepts and another for leadership decision making. We will discuss domain specificity, knowledge transfer, and the difference between within-level elaboration and between-level transformation.

Guiding questions

• How is Developmental Maieutics employed to examine the relationship between developmental level and the content of performances?
• How is it employed to examine the quality of arguments?
• How might learning sequences be applied in various educational contexts?

Learning goals

To build an appreciation of the radical new possibilities opened up by recent advances in modeling and measuring human development, the way in which these advances might contribute to research and reform in education, and how they are continuous with the legacy of Baldwin, Piaget, and the Neo-Piagetians.

Required readings

1. Dawson-Tunik, T. L. (2004). “A good education is…” The development of evaluative thought across the life-span. Genetic, Social, and General Psychology Monographs,130(1), 4-112. (pp. 1-50)
2. Dawson, T. L. and S. Gabrielian (2003). Developing conceptions of authority and contract across the life-span: Two perspectives. Developmental Review, 23, 162-218.
3. Dawson, T, L. & Stein, Z. (2008). Cycles of Research and Application in Science Education. Mind, Brain, and Education, 2(2), 90-103.

Recommended readings

• Dawson, T. L., & Stein, Z. (2004). National Leadership Study results. Hatfield, MA: Developmental Testing Service, Inc.
• Dawson, T. L., & Stein, Z. (2006). Mind Brain & Education study: Final report. Northampton, MA: Developmental Testing Service, Inc.
• Heikkinen, K. M. (2014). The Development of Social Perspective Coordination Skills in Grades 3-12. Graduate School of Education. Cambridge, MA, Harvard. Ph.D.: 208.

Module 10: DiscoTest

Transforming K-12 education, the DiscoTest initiative

In this module, we consider the state of K-12 education in light of what we have learned in Parts 1 & 2. We will examine DiscoTests, which were Lectica’s original K-12 assessments. We consider how the right tests can help shape institutional cultures to promote optimal development and appropriate educational practice.

Guiding questions

• What is the current role of testing in K-12 schooling?
• How does the culture of testing shape the behavior and developmental trajectories of students?
• How did the DiscoTest initiative seek to change testing?
• How can we best adapt teaching and coaching to enable optimal growth?

Learning goals

To consider the educational importance of the constructivist legacy for educational reform today, especially in testing.

Required readings

1. Toch, T. (2006). Margins of error: The education testing industry in the No Child Left Behind Era. Washington D.C.: Education Sector.
2. Dawson, T.L. & Stein, Z. (2011). Virtuous cycles of learning: a digital revolution. Paper presented at the International School on Mind, Brain, and Education, in Ettore Majorana Center for Scientific Culture, Erice (Sicily), Italy.
3. Stein, Z., Dawson, T.L., & Fischer, K.W. (2010) Redesigning testing: operationalizing the new science of learning. In M. Khine & I. Saleh (Eds.) The new science of learning: computers, cognition, and collaboration education. New York: Springer Press.
4. Stein, Z. (2014). Tipping the scales: Social justice and educational measurement. Harvard Graduate School of Education. Cambridge, MA, Harvard. Ed.D.: 288.

Recommended readings

• Spring, J. H. (1989). Chapters 1 and 2. The sorting machine revisited: National educational policy since 1945 (pp. 1-61). New York: Longman.
• Lemann, N. (1999). Book 1. The big test: The secret history of the American meritocracy (pp. 3-115). New York: Farrar, Straus and Grioux.
• Ravitch, D. (2010). Chapters 2 and 6. In The death and life of the great American school system (pp. 15-31 and 93-113). New York: Perseus Books.

Module 11: LectaTests

Lectical Assessments and adult learning

In this module, we invite you to consider the state of adult education and learning in light of the material covered in Parts 1 & 2. As you take in the lecture and readings for this module, reflect upon prior teaching points concerning the nature of human transformation, including the non-linear dynamics of the transitional phases between developmental levels, the within-level prerequisites that set the stage for healthy transformation, and the ways in which culture and context shape the behavior and developmental trajectories of individuals.

Guiding questions

• How might developmental assessments be productively used in adult educative and professional contexts?
• What are the educational implications of understanding transformation in terms of whole-system categories—like "center of gravity" or "structure of the whole”—or in terms of more fine-grained categories—like "skill" or "line"?
• What are the implications of employing whole-system assessments like Loevinger’s or Kegan’s, compared to those of evaluating particular skills?

Learning goals

To use adult learning as a context for integrating the many lessons about human development discussed in the course.

Required readings

1. Mascolo, M. F., & Fischer, K. W. (2010). The dynamic development of thinking, feeling, and acting over the lifespan. In R. M. Lerner & W. F. Overton (Eds.), Handbook of life-span development. Vol. 1: Biology, cognition, and methods across the lifespan (pp. 149-194). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. [pp. 151-170].
2. Dawson, T.L. & Stein, Z. (2011). We are all learning here: Cycles of research and application in adult development. In C. Hoare (Ed.), Oxford Handbook of Reciprocal Adult Learning and Development, (447-461). New York: Oxford University Press.
3. Jaques, E. & Carson, K. (1994). Parts 1 and 3. Human capability: A study of individual potential and its applications (pp. 3-38 and 75-127). Falls Church, VA: Cason, Hall, & Co. Publishers.

Recommended readings

• Fuhs, C. J. (2015). A latent growth analysis of hierarchical complexity and perspectival skills in adulthood. Santa Barbara, CA, Fielding Graduate University.
• Kegan, R. (1994). The mental demands of public life: Work and self-expansion. In over our heads: The mental demands of modern life (pp. 135-304). Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press.

Module 12: Pragmatization

In this module, Dr. Dawson will…

1. summarize the most important insights from FOLA,
2. discuss the problems that arise when we attempt to apply research in the real world,  
3. show how the research covered in Modules 1–11 has been gradually translated into easy-to-use learning tools like micro-VCoLs, skill mapping, the Micro-VCoL Maker, and MindLog; and
4. share what we've learned from working with MindLog during our Year of Developmental Delight.

FOLA logistics & participation

Payment information

Registration in FOLA gives you unlimited personal access to FOLA materials for as long as the series is offered. All amounts are in US dollars. There are no refunds after FOLA course materials have been released.

• The self-guided FOLA is $1,300.
• The self-guided FOLA with a 50-entry subscription to MindLog is $1,575.
• The "Year of Developmental Delight" live version of the FOLA is $2,491 (includes a 50-entry subscription to MindLog).
• One-on-one face time with FOLA instructors is available at $250 per hour.

FOLA participation

Our first aim in FOLA is to help participants gain a usable understanding of developmental theory and research. Consequently, we've designed the course to foster optimal learning—the kind of learning you can put to work in the world. For example, our flipped classroom design allows us to spend our time together exploring what we've learned from recordings and readings and relating what we've learned to our work and lives. MindLog provides additional support for growth through reflective writing (15–20 minutes per week), reflection sharing, and micro-goal setting. MindLog will also show you how your mind is growing as a consequence of participation.

Our second goal in FOLA is to bring together a strong group of academics and practitioners whose perspectives will enliven discussions around the ideas in FOLA recordings and readings. The heart of the FOLA experience is in the quality of our monthly discussions. These meetings work best when participants are fully prepared and able to interact respectfully during sometimes intense discussions. Individuals who clearly aren't preparing for meetings or fail to engage respectfully may be asked to leave the course.

The minimum time commitment for our Year of Developmental Delight includes 1 hour of listening, about an hour of writing, up to 3 hours of reading, 1 hour reviewing MindLog reflections, and 2 hours of meeting time each month. That's 9 hours per month, or about 2 hours per week. If you opt to listen to the recordings from the first Year of Developmental Delight, that will add another 2 hours per month.

FOLA application forms

To apply for FOLA, please fill in  the relevant form, below.