Learning, Cognition and

Memory
EDC 312
Dr. Diane Kern
Session 3
 Admit activity
Ch. 1 How does the field of educational
psychology inform or impact your
teaching?
Ch. 2 We know that learning is “a process of
actively constructing meaning.” What
does this mean? Describe 3 classroom
strategies that help students learn actively
and explain why this practice is effective.
 Discussion
 Admit Activity
 Syllabus questions/course
requirements
 Case Study: The New World
 We must understand the nature of learning in
order to teach children and adolescents well
Theoretical Perspectives on Learning
 Behaviorism
 Social Learning Theory
 Information Processing Theory
 Constructivism
 Sociocultural Theory
 Behaviorism
 Definition: Learning is viewed as a
process of acquiring and modifying
associations among stimuli and responses.

 Key theorists and theories:

B.F. Skinner-Operant conditioning
Pavlov- Classical conditioning
 B.F. Skinner
Conducted experimental research studies.
”Operant conditioning” is based on the
idea that learning is a function of
changeable behavior. Changes in
behavior are the result of a person’s
response to events (stimuli). When a
stimulus-response is reinforced
(rewarded), the individual becomes
conditioned to respond.
 Ivan Pavlov
Conducted experiments with dogs in 1920s.
He found that dogs naturally salivate in an
unconditioned response to the
unconditioned stimulus of food. He also
proved that dogs can be taught to salivate
(a conditioned response) in response to a
conditioned stimulus (one that creates a
physiological or emotional response after
learning).
 Social Learning Theory
 Definition: People learn from observing
one another
 Key theorists and theories:
Bandura – “social learning theory”
 Bandura
 Bandura’s research showed that children
learn from observing others. In a
classroom setting, this may occur through
teacher’s modeling, observing a peer, or
learning vicariously from another’s
experiences.
 Information Processing Theory
 Definition: Focus on what goes on inside
learners as they learn. Particular focus on
cognitive processes involved in learning,
memory and performance.
 Key theorists and theories:
Atkinson
Shiffrin
Anderson
 Constructivism
 Define: Learning occurs when people
create (rather than absorb) knowledge
from their observations and experiences.
 Key theorists and theories:
Piaget- Theory of cognitive development
and 4 developmental stages of learning
 Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive
Development
Stage Age(s) Behavior
Sensorimotor Birth–2 Explore the world
through senses and motor skills.
Preoperational 2–7 Believe that others
view the world as they do. Can
use symbols to represent
objects.
Concrete operational 7–11 Reason logically in
familiar situations. Can
conserve and reverse operations.
Formal operational 11+ Can reason in hypothetical
situations and use abstract
thought.
 Sociocultural view of learning
 Define: Learning occurs in social, cultural
and historical contexts that have profound
influence on thinking, learning and
instructional practices.
 Key theorists and theories:
Vygotsky- zone of proximal development
 Vygotsky’s Theory of Cognitive
Development
Zone of proximal development: Students learn best in a
social context in which a more knowledgeable adult or
peer teaches the student something he or she could not
learn on his or her own.
Major assumptions:
 Informal conversations & formal schooling provide adult
models
 Thought and language become increasingly
interdependent
 Higher level mental processes start as social activities…
internalizes
 More challenging tasks achieved with support of
capable adult or peer
 Developmental Trends
Video
 Early Childhood
 Middle Childhood
 Adolescence
 So what?!
 Share your observations of different level
learners. How will what you know about
learning, cognition and memory affect
your instruction in the early grades,
middle grades, and high school?
So what??!
 Next class
 Workshop
 Reading due next seminar—Chapter 3
 Reading to learn…How does context (both
immediate and broader contexts) impact
students’ learning? As a teacher, what are
2 things that can you do to create
supportive learning contexts for your
students? Vocabulary Ch. 3
 Exit activity
 Vision Unit
Page 53 Constructed response and multiple
choice question