COgnitive theories of learning treat the mind as a learning tool that can be understood. This is a very different approach than the behavioral learning theories. Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski talk about two sets of instructional strategies to support cognitive learning approaches in the classroom.
The first one they discuss is "cues, questions, and advance organizers". In a classroom these three things could be presented through various forms of software. Word Processors can be used to create cues, or present questions. Spreadsheets can be used as advanced organizers. And numerous organizing applications can be used to sort and order thoughts and ideas. In a cognitive learning classroom these things are all directed towards stimulating the student's ability to learn. These different software styles give students the tools to organize their thoughts, and different cueing or questioning techniques are included in lessons in an attempt to stimulate student learning and thought process.
The second strategy they talked about was "summarizing and note-taking". This can be instituted by using the same software mentioned in the last paragraph. Students can use word processing software to do both of these things. Summarization is an extremely important cognitive skill for students to cultivate. They can type a short summary to an article, or summarrize directions to an assignment. They could jot down notes into an outline in powerpoint or possibly type out important facts into a bulletted list in Microsoft Word. These two techniques are designed to target students ability to sort through important data, and weed out the important parts.
Overall both of these instructional strategies are very strong in their ties to cognitive learning theory. They both really target students thinking skills and attempt to develop them further in whichever way they can. Technology can be used to assist these attempts by giving students a medium in which to be questioned or in which to organize their thoughts.
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
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James,
ReplyDeleteI learned something new in this week's resources about Microsoft Word! The Auto Summarize feature is something I never new existed! (And here, I thought I knew everything there was to know about Word!) What a great tool to help teach kids HOW to summarize! As teachers, we sometimes give instructions to do something without keeping in mind that students may not know HOW to do what we've asked. I find that to be true in my classroom quite a bit! If we're going to put cognitive tools into practice, we have to make sure the kids know how to use them. After all, we wouldn't hand a kid a chainsaw and say, "Go for it!" without some SERIOUS training on its use, would we? :)
Deana
James,
ReplyDeleteI think the Auto Summarize tool in microsoft word is a great way to show students how to summarize by letting them summarize a piece for themselves and then compare it to what the computer chose. I also think it is important for students to understand the difference between summarizing and paraphrasing. They need both skills and should be able to use them depending on the text. What great points you made.
Ginger