Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Cognitivism in Practice
This weeks learning resources provided a multitude of great resources for strengthening understanding of information presented. Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski (2007) describe excellent examples of “Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers” and “Summarizing and Note Taking.” These examples instruct teachers on how to implement these strategies, using technology, into their lessons. Cues and questioning relate to what the Cognitist Theorist would call, "Elaboration Theory", they seek to help students form connections with information. The connections could be from prior knowledge to prior knowledge or prior knowledge to new knowledge. Advanced Organizers help to activate the Dual Coding component of Cognitive Learning Theory. Students not only receive new information (text), but they also utilize tables and charts (pictures), facilitated by technology, to help them organize information they will soon learn about. Multiple components of the Cognitive Learning Theory are often engaged when considering the strategies from this weeks learning resources. The strategy of Combination Notes, "which utilize outlining, webbing, and pictographs in addition to words" (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and malenoski, 2007) employ Elaboration Theory, Dual Coding Theory, as well as Network Model of Memory Theory. Being able to use technology as the catalyst to bridge what we know about how the brain learns best and wonderful strategies such as these, makes education an exciting profession to be in these days.
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I really like the advanced organizers as well. Basically from the reasons that you said. Students see both text and diagrams. This is a very useful for students who are visual learners as well.
ReplyDeleteI am in my 19th year teaching and started teaching Electronics. This is a new course for me. It has been over 20 years since I studied it in college. I have found out for myself how advanced organizers can help me understand some of the theories of series and parallel circuits and how resistance, current, and voltage compare and contrast each other in these circuits. The organizers have allowed students to see and understand the information and make connections to the circuits they are asked to prepare. I was intimidated to teach the course but this weeks resources gave me some ideas to improve my teaching.
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting B. Diehl, I certainly think the more opportunities students have to see certain information, coupled with different ways of seeing the same information, the deeper understanding they will have of the information.
ReplyDeleteHello Setobia,
ReplyDeleteI have found the advanced organizers to be very helpful to me in my coursework as well. It allows me to sort information easier and helps me to recall that information better.
I totally agreed when Dr. Oney talked about the idea of Dual Coding theory. It has always helped me understand a new concept if I could see it (through a graphic organzier) as well as hear it in the lecture.
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