This is a short presentation of the learning theory of cognitivism. It mentions its major contributors, main ideas, and my own thoughts as a future educator.
4. Two Important Terms
Associated With Cognitivism
Schema is a term that is used to
identify acquired knowledge.
Schemata are sets of physical
actions, mental operations, or
concepts that increase in
complexity as learning occurs.
5. Educational Implications in
Relation to Technology
People control their own learning.
Educational software can help students maintain their own
pace and learn in a way that is best for them.
People organize what they learn.
Graphical User Interfaces are helpful in modeling mental
organization techniques.
New information is most easily acquired when people can
associate it with things they have already learned.
Those who are extensively computer literate should be able to
learn foreign ideas easier through interaction with
educational software programs.
6. Usefulness of Cognitivism
I believe the cognitive theory is incredibly useful and
logical in explaining and offering insight into the learning
process.
I believe it can be used to highly promote the use of
technology in the classroom because it emphasizes
individuality in leaning processes.
As a future teacher I understand that cognitivists believe
that learning difficulties often indicate ineffective or
inappropriate cognitive processes; this tells me that
students who are doing poorly either don’t have methods to
learn effectively or they are inappropriately using the
schemata they have acquired.
