Cognitivism is a
learning theory that focusses on how information
is received, organized, stored and retrieved by the mind. It uses
the mind as an information processer, like a computer. Therefore,
cognitivism looks beyond observable behaviour, viewing learning as
internal mental processes.
What is an example of cognitivism?
Cognitive processes combine the acquisition of knowledge and skills
with the ability to apply information to new situations. For example,
when a student learns about addition and subtraction, he is able
to transfer that knowledge when he uses it to create a budget to help
him save money for a new video game.
What is the main point of cognitivism?
Cognitivism focuses on the mind, and more specifically, mental
proceses such as thinking, knowing, memory, and problem-solving,
with the goal of opening the “black box” of the human mind, the
process of which is deemed valuable and necessary for learning to
occur.
How is cognitivism used in the classroom?
Cognitivism is prevalent in our classrooms today. Using cues,
questions, and advance organizers as well as summarizing, note
taking, concept mapping, and virtual field trips are all ways that
teachers utilize the cognitive learning theory in their classrooms. ...
Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology.
What is the role of memory in Cognitivism?
Sweller (2011) suggests that long-term memory is of
primary importance to the nature of learning because “we use it to
determine the bulk of our activity.” Experts are those who have
stored large amounts of information about a certain topic in long-
term memory and can draw upon it to solve problems.
How did Cognitivism come into existence?
Cognitivist theory developed as a reaction to Behaviorism.
Cognitivists objected to behaviorists because they felt that
behaviorists thought learning was simply a reaction to a stimulus and
ignored the idea that thinking plays an important role.
How do we use memory in everyday life?
Examples of everyday memory include remembering names,
remembering plans for the day, recalling items that one needs to
purchase at the grocery store, remembering to take medications, and
remembering telephone numbers, directions, or recent newsworthy
events.
Who is responsible for cognitivism?
One of the foremost minds with regard to developmental
psychology, Jean Piaget, focused much of his attention
on cognitive development from birth through adulthood.
What is the concrete operational stage of cognitive
development?
The concrete operational stage is the third stage in Piaget's theory
of cognitive development. This period lasts around seven to eleven
years of age, and is characterized by the development of organized
and rational thinking.
Do we need memory?
Our memory helps make us who we are. From fondly recollecting
childhood events to remembering where we left our keys, memory
plays a vital role in every aspect of our lives. It provides us with a
.sense of self and makes up our continual experience of life
Characteristics of cognitivism
Its main characteristics are:
Knowledge for cognitivism is functional.
Through it, you can develop plans and set goals, decreasing negative consequences.
It focuses on the mental processes of learning and how these are stored in memory.
They have a research base for the realization of scientific works.
Different environmental conditions are part of the learning process.
Explanations, examples and demonstrations form a guide for proper learning.
Knowledge must be meaningful.
The student is helped to organize and relate new information with the knowledge that he
already has.
The subject is seen as an active processor of information through the recording and
organization of information.
Contributions
Its main contributions have been to education, especially in the area of teaching and learning. It has
been able to contribute with special and essential learning skills such as memory and reasoning. It has
also contributed to the attempt to predict and control behavior in
an empirical and experimental manner, the planning and organization that should be given to the
teaching process, the search for different reinforcements to achieve educational objectives and the
evaluation of students according to objectives.
Applications
In education has been very important because educators must perceive the student as
an active processor of information and not simply as receivers of education, with this, must take into
account a number of aspects related to the student to test the ability of the same when performing
mental operations.
Key Principles
Purpose of education is for learners to remember and apply information
Learning is a change in symbolic mental constructions (or schema)
Emphasis is on structuring, organizing, and sequencing information in the mind
Learners are information processors
Teachers facilitate optimal processing
Key Theorists
Noam Chomsky, 1928-
Noam Chomsky is an American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, historian, political activist,
and social critic. Chomsky argued that language could not be acquired purely through conditioning,
and must be at least partly explained by the existence of some inner abilities.
Chomsky's theory of universal grammar posits that native speakers are born with an innate ability to
develop language because they are born with a cognitive sense of language. Chomsky suggests that
there are patterns in grammar that children cannot learn simply through watching and listening to their
caregivers. He also concludes that children must have some innate capacity for language that is
independent of outside stimuli. By the age of about five years, almost all children have learned the
same basic speech patterns, regardless of their home environment. Chomsky rationalizes that children
innately posses the ability to construct grammar patterns on their own.
Key Theorists
John Sweller, 1946-
John Sweller is an Australian educational psychologist best known for his theory about cognitive
load.
Cognitive load refers to the total amount of mental effort being used in the working memory. Intrinsic
cognitive load is the effort associated with a specific topic. Extraneous cognitive load refers to the way
information or tasks are presented to a learner.
Consider describing a square to a student. One can describe it visually or verbally. Certainly an
instructor can describe a square in a verbal medium, but it takes just a second and far less effort to see
what the instructor is talking about when a learner is shown a square. This is because it does not
unduly load the learner with unnecessary or extraneous information.
Cognitive load theory informs instructional design decisions. Examples include: minimal information
on slides, providing definitions ahead of time, and deleting extraneous examples.
.
Key Concepts:
Mind as a "Black Box"
Learning is explained as a "recall"
of stored information
Instruction usually grabs the attention of
learners and helps make sense of the
information so it can be stored more readily
stored (learned) later for recall.
Key Words (and Definitions)
Schema Theory is defined as a mental representation of something previously known,
including actions, events, and perspectives. These are the building blocks of knowledge.
Gestalt Theory states that perceptions are entirely dependent upon the whole and not of the
individual parts. All of our understanding is built upon whole objects, events and not of their
small parts.
Equilibrium is the state in which our minds exists before we learn something new. The
process, called "adaption" by Piaget, flows as follows:
Equilibrium-->New Situation/Schema-->Disequilibrium-->Accomodation-->Assimilation
Applications in Educational Technology
The best way for a teacher to approach using A quick video of an example in general
education using a cognitivist approach.
cognitivism in the classroom is to ask
questions to help students refine their thinking
and recognize where they may be wrong. You
want to approach topics that they may think
they already know and introduce some new
aspect to make them redefine something.
Alternately, for entirely new topics, you want
to draw upon background knowledge before
you challenge existing ideas (schema) and
create learning toward amplification or change
of those schemata.
Some great examples of Cognitivism in educational technology can be found in online games and
reinforcement activities, such as sorting games, puzzles, and flashcards. These games will often present
prior knowledge schema in a different method, thus creating disequilibrium and a need to adapt and
learn the new information in order to continue. For example, the online resource Quizlet creates a
means of listing vocabulary, pictures, and even mathematical procedures and then taking that list and
producing several ways of practicing the previously known schemata, including the incorporation of
audio and video.
