Cognitivism in Practice with Instructual Technology

     

Cognitive learning theory deals with how we think, understand, store, and retrieve information (Laureate Education Inc., 2011). As teachers we want to help students hold what they learn in their long term memory. To do this we can use many different technologies which support meaningful learning. As part of the requirements for my Walden University coursework I read chapter 4 and 6 of Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works (Pitler, 2012).

After reading Chapter 4: Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers, I have found several tools which can be used prior to teaching new content which will help students anchor their learning (Pitler,2012). Most teachers call this the “Hook” or the “APK” portion of the lesson. The first of these is use of word processing applications such as Word or Pages to create tables or columns where students can track their learning. Creating the table supports cognitive theory because it helps the learner begin to make connections with new content (Laureate Education Inc., 2011). After the lesson the students could use the organizer as a rehersal of information to increase the chances they will be able to store their learing into long-term memory.

In addition to word processing software I found the section on Organizing and Brainstorming Software to have a strong correlation to cognitive learning theory. The use of explicit cues tell the learner what they are about to learn and again help them make important networking connections in their brains before learning new content (Pitler, 2012). Showing the students an organizer such as a KWHL before the lesson helps students know what they are about to learn before the lesson begins (Pitler, 2012).

There are several ways to help students organize and brainstorm using technology. One suggestion in Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works is to use tools like Inspiration, RapidFire, or www.webspirationaclassroom.com (Pitler, 2012). These tools allow either the teacher or students to create “nodes” or organizational boxes which help chunk information, increasing the likelihood that the learner will be able to store the new content (Laureate Education Inc., 2011).

Multimedia advanced organizers are another way to get the learners attention, help them formulate questions about what they will learn, and explicitly tell them what they are about to learn. One example from the course text involved a teacher using a video of the letter M to helps students organize that content (Pitler, 21012). The video helped each student understand what the lesson was going to be about, what they already knew about the letter, and finally it helped them begin to formulate some questions about the letter M. Some great multimedia resources mentioned in Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works are Discover Education Streaming, The Internet Archive, Google Video, and Watch Know. Some other multimedia sites not mentioned but also useful to use for questions, cues, and advanced organizers are Teachertube, Youtube, and Kahn Academy.

After students engage in the learning of new content it is important that they are abel to summarize and take notes on the information they have learned (Pitler, 2012). The cognitive learning theory supports the idea of rehersal of new information in order to store it into long term memory. To achieve rehersal and summarizing of new content educators can use word processing software such as Microsoft Word to help students “track changes” in their notetaking (Pitler, 2012). The track changes feature in Word gives students a way to organize the process of summarizing into a rule-based format, which can otherwise be confusing. In teaching the students the skill of rule-based summarizing you are helping them learn and understand the content, while also allowing them the opportunity to rehearse what was taught. The example used in Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works was if the text lists specific kinds of things, such as elm, oak, and so on the student can cross out the list and input the word trees (Pitler, 2012). The use of technology is important because you can copy/paste the text for the students and then have them manipulate it using the rule-based summarizing steps, and the track changes feature. Having students do this in their notebook would be entirely too time consuming because they would waste time transferring information rather than acutally summarizing.

Another outstanding way to help students manipulate content through summarizing and notetaking is available through the Macintosh version of Word and called the combination notes format. It allows students to incorporate drawings and use drawing to summarize. This supports our visual learners and also the cognitive learning theory. As stressed by Dr. Orey use of visuals can help keep information manageable for our students so they are able to store information. Using the combination notes feature starts with a picture that the students then describe. This helps them manage and organize the information in a meaningful way, and is a part of the duel coding theory. Duel coding pairs images with text, increasing the chances students will have a meaningful learning experience.

For iPad users there is an application called Paper Desk in which students can use the audio recording feature to capture key points (Pitler, 2012). This feature allows students to record audio and play it back again and again, until they are able to summarize the information into their own words.

Overall, I see the need to connect our technology tools to a learning theory in order to give our students a meaningful learning experience. Educators have so many tools which support the information processing model. If you have used any of the tools listed here or hava additional tools which support cognitive learning theory please share by leaving a comment.

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011). Program five: Cognitive learning theory [Video webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Retrieved from http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5700267&CPURL=laureate.ecollege.com&Survey=1&47=2594577&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=0&bhcp=1

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E.R., & Kuhn, M. (2012). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. (2nd ed.) Alexandria, VA:ASCD.