Cognitive Theory and the

Classroom

Jess B
Cognitive Theory stems from
traditional psychological concepts
of thinking. Cognitivists view
activities such as thinking,
deciding, and remembering in
terms of how they underlie
behavior.
 Background Information
• Cognitive theory came about as a reaction to
behaviorism
• Cognitivists and Behaviorists have conflicting
views
• A “cognitive revolution” took place in the
1950s which led to a collection of cognitive
sciences studied present day
 Key Cognitive Theory Concepts
• Cognitive psychology focuses on how people
think, understand, and know
• Emphasis on learning how people
comprehend and represent the world around
them
• Focus on conscious thinking
• Emphasis on individual’s active construction of
understanding
 Important Cognitive Theorists
Allan Paivio

Robert Gagne

Howard Gardner

Benjamin Bloom
 Allan Paivio (1925- present)
• Dual Coding Theory- believed people process
information in two ways: processing images or
processing language
• His dual coding theory formed the beginnings of
subsequent educational theories
• Paivio placed an equal importance on verbal and
nonverbal processing
 Robert Gagne (1916-2002)
• Psychologist and educator
• Known for contributions to
cognitive learning hierarchies
• Identified 5 major categories
of learning outcomes (verbal
information, intellectual skills,
cognitive strategies, motor
skills, and attitudes)
• Also known for his “nine
events of instruction” model
shown on the right
Howard Gardner (1943-present)
•Focused on understanding and defining
intelligence
•Developed a theory of multiple intelligences
(there are eleven in all)
• Professor at Harvard University where he
conducted research on his regular, gifted, and
adult students
•Believed educators need to take into account the
student’s multiple intelligences and use them to
guide themselves while instructing
 Benjamin Bloom (1913-1999)

• Educational psychologist
who focused on students’
learning domains
• Classified learning into
three domains (cognitive,
affective, and psychomotor)
• Created Bloom’s Taxonomy
which is made up of six
levels that can be used to
acquire knowledge on a
topic (shown to the right)
 Teachers Applying Cognitive Theory
Expository Teaching-
• Teacher gives students the tools to organize information for easier encoding,
storage, and retrieval
• Teacher exposes students to underlying and selective interrelationships in
cognitive learning to help students come up with the correct conclusion

Meaningful learning method- when presenting new information the teacher uses old
information to introduce new information and make connections

Dual Coding-
• Using both text and picture or sound while instructing gives students a better
chance of remembering and encoding the information
• Technology can easily be used to enhance a lesson and the dual coding method
 Students Applying Cognitive Theory
• Students use sensory, short term, and long term
memory to store information learning in class
• Students come up with mnemonic devices to
remember facts with ease
• Using existing schemas to connect new
information to helps students retain information
• Technology can be used to organize information
into charts, graphs, concept maps, etc.
Cognitive Theory in MY Classroom
In my opinion, cognitive learning theory
provides an effective way to teach students. I
will use the theory in my classroom to bring
the individuality of each student and their
learning styles into lesson plans. This will
encourage comprehension for a specific set of
students, MY students, as it should be. I will
definitely incorporate cognitive theories
within my classroom in the future.
 Sources and Credit
Information
• Teachers Discovering Computers: Integrating Technology in a
Connected World 7th edition
• http://peoplelearn.homestead.com/BEduc/Chapter_5.pdf
images
• http://leanlearning.wikispaces.com/instructional_design
• http://crescentok.com/staff/jaskew/ISR/education/bloom.htm
• http://dryfly.ca/etec512/index.php?option=com_content&view=art
icle&id=61&Itemid=73
• http://www.lindamoodbell.com/International-Conference-on-
Learning.Aspx
• http://saludpublicaps.blogspot.com/2011_05_01_archive.html
• http://www.kurzweilai.net/howard-gardner
• http://www.mainlinehealth.org/phy/Page.asp?PageID=PHY000196