Cognitive Learning Theory. 

This is the last of the pedagogical theories I’ve read about. When I first read the word, I was confused as I thought it was constructivism, which I had just covered in class. The article by, Kaya Yilmaz, says “cognitivism is a relatively recent learning theory and its features are not well known or are confused with constructivism by teachers” (p.204). This was certainly me, and for good reason, as constructivism is a theory created off of the cognitive theory. 

Behaviorism Theory 

Yilmaz clears up the differences beautifully stating that “The behaviorist approach was basically preoccupied with objectively observable and measurable teacher and student behaviors through a stimulus-response framework. Even though behaviorism did explain how behaviors got changed, it failed to account for how conceptual change occurred” (p.204). For more on this refer to my Behaviorist Theory blog here. 

Constructivism Theory 

“Learners do not transfer knowledge from the external world into their memories; rather they build personal interpretations of the world based on individual experiences and interactions “(Ertmer & Newby, p.55). The way I remember it is that students construct their knowledge. Using prior knowledge, they make connections and build upon it, much like a math lesson. You can’t skip ahead to algebra unless you have knowledge and comprehension of addition and subtraction. Teachers guide the students through to understanding by posing problems/questions, and facilitating the students as they work toward an answer. For more on this refer to my Constructivist Theory blog here. 

Cognitive Theory 

So, what is the Cognitive theory? “Cognitive theories focus on the conceptualization of students’ learning processes and address the issues of how information is received, organized, stored, and retrieved by the mind. Cognitivism, like behaviorism, emphasizes the role that environmental conditions play in facilitating learning. Instructional explanations, demonstrations, illustrative examples and matched non-examples are all considered to be instrumental in guiding student learning” (Ertmer and Newby, p. 51). What does this look like in the classroom? “Instructional materials should include demonstrations, illustrative examples, and constructive feedback so that students can have mental models to embody” (Yilmaz, p. 208). Yilmaz lists methods of teaching through the Cognitive Theory. Yilmaz Cognitive Theory Methods p.209 Cognitive Apprenticeship- this is where teachers facilitate students through modeling, coaching, articulation, reflection, and exploration Reciprocal Teaching- This area is particularly useful in reading as it deals with summarizing, question generating, clarifying, and predicting. Anchored Instruction- creating lessons around anchors Inquiry Learning- this looks similar to the scientific method, this promotes higher-order thinking skills Looking at each of these methods, I see that I’ve used all these in my classes. Where the reciprocal teaching is the method I’ve used to teach reading, inquiry learning is what I’ve used in science classes. There was an interesting note for anchored instruction that said, “Technology tools facilitate students’ exploration of the subject matter” (Yilmaz, p.209). This is exactly the point, technology is proving to be an important, indispensable, engaging tool for classrooms to use to teach. As I've said many times in my blogs, we live in an ever-increasing technology-driven world, we must as teachers use that in the classrooms or we aren't meeting our student's needs. 

Putting it Altogether 

I see myself using a bit of every method I’ve learned, as each has its strong points. The brain is a complicated thing, people have tried and continue to try to understand how it works. The behaviorist theory works in class because rewarding and punishing is much like training. I think it has a great bearing on classroom management. The Cognitive theory says that students need to be active participants in learning and that educators are there to guide and help. The constructivist theory is a stem off of the cognitive theory, building onto prior knowledge from the environment/experiences around them. We must as teachers know these theories to see how to best reach our students, but as I mentioned I don’t think there is just one answer, its complicated just like our fantastic brains. 

Resouces: 

https://explorable.com/cognitive-learning-theory 
Yilmaz, K. (2011). The Cognitive Perspective on Learning: Its Theoretical Underpinnings and Implications for Classroom Practices. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 84(5), 204-212. doi:10.1080/00098655.2011.568989