Download Cognitivism and Teaching: Three Key Elements and more Thesis Brand Marketing in PDF only on Docsity!
Running head: IZT2, Task Two
IZT2, Learning Theories, Task Two
WGU-Missouri IZT2 Learning Theories, Task One This year marks a new start for me in the realm of teaching. With a degree in Special Education, focused on behavior disorders and learning disabilities, I accepted a position in an Autism center housed within a high school. A main focus in this setting is preparing the students for their transition into main stream life once school is over. Daily living skills, self-help, and self-awareness are the foundations of the instructional setting. Within this setting, I have students with varying levels of skills physically, emotionally, and academically. Discuss three key elements of Cognitivism that could impact teaching and learning In the theory of Cognitivism the learner plays an active role in processing information they receive and relating it to information they already have stored within their memory. Theses “stores” are referred to as schemas. Those who believe in Cognitivism theorize that learning occurs through the internal processing of information. They believe mental processes, not observable behaviors, are where learners acquire knowledge. Three elements of Cognitivism are discussed below. Information processing is used to structure and organize knowledge within schemas. It is believed within this theory that learning takes place in stages, or chunks, and that what one can learn, or process, varies at each stage. The use of a stimulus helps aide in the process of constructing new knowledge. The purpose of this structure and organization is to take short term
Running head: IZT2, Task Two knowledge and build upon it to convert it to long term knowledge. This element directly effects teaching and learning because if you present a learner with too much information they can become overloaded and no learning will take place. By teaching in smaller chunks we are allowing our learners to process the new knowledge and relate it to existing schemas, which is where the learning is taken from the short term and related to the long term memory. Attention is another important element of Cognitivism. It is believed that we pick up what we have a schema for. Learners use their past experiences, or schemas, to recall if the information they are receiving is worthy of their attention. A transfer of knowledge is then used to aide the learner in constructing new knowledge that can be stored in long term memory. This element directly effects teaching and learning because a learner can not retain information if the teacher does not present it in a meaningful way to the learner. By presenting knowledge in a meaningful way, relevant to the learner, they are able to connect to schemas and increase their attention spans, which aides in comprehension. Self-regulation is a vital element of Cognitivism. This element requires learners to be able to adjust to changing learning environments. A learner should be able to ask themselves what they feel is required to complete a task and then act upon those needs in order for learning to take place. This element requires learners to self evaluate and self monitor their reactions and performances. It is believed that learning can not take place if the learner is not in control of their brain processes. This element directly effects teaching and learning because the learning environment is always changing, especially as the learner gets older, therefore the learner must be able to assess what is needed in each learning environment and apply it in order to build upon existing knowledge.
Running head: IZT2, Task Two Discuss three key elements of Constructivism that could impact teaching and learning. Constructivism is based on the theory that everyone constructs their own perspective of the world, based on individual experiences and internal knowledge. Learning is steered by how a learner interprets and constructs the meaning of their own experiences. Driven by the notion that everyone has a different set of experiences and perceptions, learning will be different for each person. (Kelly, 2012) One key element of Constructivism is the idea of Multiple Perspectives. Under the idea of Constructivism, we, as learners construct our knowledge from our past experiences. This creates limitations to our learning and the idea of discovering another learners perspective can have a great impact on our ability to construct new knowledge. This directly effects teaching and learning because when a learner is able to discover how another person interacts with a concept it broadens their perspective and their ability to construct knowledge in a new way. A second element of Constructivism is the idea of Situated Learning. This condition holds strong to the notion that learning should occur within a realistic context to solve a meaningful problem. This idea asserts that students should be able to take knowledge they have learned previously and apply it to everyday situations. This directly effects teaching and learning because situated learning, through it’s realistic contexts, helps the students construct the value of the knowledge they are learning because they are using it to solve everyday problems. A third element of Constructivism is the condition of Cognitive Apprenticeship. This asserts that when teachers model a cognitive process that students are to learn and then gradually turn responsibility over to the students for executing the process, the students become more skilled. (Seezink, Poell, Kirschner, 2009) For example, the process of modeling directly effects
Running head: IZT2, Task Two teaching and learning because a learner is able to construct through the teachers actions what the new skill should look like. As the students begin to exhibit the new skill the teacher can slowly remove the modeling behavior. Propose one curriculum content or instructional strategy modification to the plan from part A that incorporates Constructivism in academics. The instructional strategy modification that incorporates Constructivism in my lesson plan is Modeling. This modification directly relates to the condition of Cognitive Apprenticeship as discussed in the elements of Constructivism. In my lesson I model what a properly formed “WH” question looks and sounds like. This aides my students by giving them an example of what this process should look and sound like. By demonstrating this new task, I am aiding them in their own process of constructing a proper “WH” question. A weakness of this modification would be if students had auditory processing deficits. References Snowman, Jack, 2015, Applying Psychology to Teaching, Cengage Learning. Seeznick, A., Poell, R., & Kirschner, P., 2009. Kelly, J., (2012, September). Learning Theories. http://thepeakperformancecenter.com/educational-learning/learning/theories/
