Cognitive Learning Theories:Focus on acquisition of knowledge and knowledge structuresBehavior is the result of learningFocus on changing the learner, not the environmentINFORMATION PROCESSING THEORYAssumptions:People are active participants in the learning processPeople get to decide what they put in their memory and learnYou interpret the meaning of things based on previous experience, not just on how you say it.We can draw inferences through observationTHREE MAIN PROCCESSES:Encoding: process of gathering and representing informationStorage: process of putting new information in memoryRetrieval: remembering previously stored informationSHORT TERMWhere info is held until its processedLimited capacity 5-9 bitsShort duration: 20-30 secondsMaintenance rehearsal: repeating information over and overElaborative rehearsal: associating information with something you already knowMEMORYCue Dependent Forgetting: Caused by a lack of retrieval cuesInterference Theory: Old info gets in the way of new information or vice versaDecay Theory: Passage of time allows “memory trace” to disintegrateLONG TERM:Declarative memory: something is a fact, you know itSemantic memory- general knowledge about worldEpisodic memory- information ties to a particular time and placeProcedural memory: how to do thingsLarge capacityLong TermDeclarative ProceduralEpisodic and SematicSTORING INFORMATIONElaboration: adding to newly acquired information by connecting it to existing knowledgeOrganization: ordered and logical networks of relationsContext: physical/emotional backdrop associated with an eventFactors Affecting Retrieval :Frequently used information is retrieved more easilyInformation learned to mastery and then overlearned is easier to retrieve (once you’ve learned it, practice over and over and over)Information learned meaningfully is retrieved more easily. (relate it to them, that makes it meaningful)Retrieved more easily when one has a retrieval cue.Mnemonics can help when knowledge is limitedWait time… when you ask students questions remember to allow them to process the question and then retrieve the answer.Metacognition:Thinking about thinkingUnderstanding your own learningOccurs in working memoryTwo types:Knowing your abilities, knowing your cognition (knowing what to do)Monitoring and regulating cognition, activities you should engage yourself in while performing cognitive task. (doing it)BIG PICTURELearners are actively involved in learningTo learn and remember something, learners must give it undivided attentionMeaningful leanring is usually more effective than role larningRepetition over long run has greater benefits than repetition in the short runLong term memory has as much capacity as learners could ever need.Constructivism:Term emphasizes “the learners contribution to meaning and learning through both individual and social activity”.Two forms: physiological (individual) and socialSome people believe in Radical Constructivism:No individuals viewpoint thus constructed should be viewed as less correct than others, so 2+2 can equal 5.Learners construct their own understandingInstead of direct instruction, you would always make up a project to have students figure out and construct their own knowledge through group learning. The teacher simply guides them to their own knowledgeNew learning depends on current understandingStresses prior knowledgeLearning is facilitated by social interactionEmphasizes the social interaction, learning communities encourage students to take their own responsibility when it comes to their own learning and others learningMeaningful learning occurs within authentic learning tasksSimulate the real worldTransfer:The influence of previously learned material on new material.Positive: learned skill or knowledge helps with learning or solving a new problemNear transfer- occurs when situations are similarFar transfer- transfer of learning to a situation that is very different from the one in which initial learning took place (geometry to architecture)Negative: earlier information/skills interfered with new learning or problem solving.Promote Transfer:Teach skills thoroughlyProvide opportunities for students to apply knowledgeGive practice applying skills or ideas in a variety of situationsAlert students to circumstances of negative transferHelp students understand why something is being taught and is applicableSocial Constructivism:Emphasizes the social contexts of learning and that knowledge is mutually built and constructedSituated cognition- thinking is located (situated) in social and physical contextsScaffolding- changing the level of support over the course of a teaching sessionCognitive apprenticeship- expert stretches and supports a novices understanding of and use of the cultures skillsTutoring-involved a cognitive apprenticeship between an expert and a novicePeer tutoringBrain Based Theory:Not an actual “theory”Looks biochemistry of brain and how brain functionsMatches learning settings and instruction to what is known about how the brain workUses what is known about memory to focus instruction toward meaningful learningPhysical changes during learning:New dendrites are formedConnections increase complexityFirings of the same neurons create stronger connectionsParts of the Brain:Hippocampus – associated with declarative memories.Amygdala – associated with unconscious behavioral/emotional (procedural) memoriesThalamus – associated with transmission of sensory information to the cerebral cortex.Optimal Learning Occurs:In environments that are enriched and safeWhen there is an emotional connectionWhen there is active engagementConnections are made to previously stored informationCOGNITIVE LEARNING THEORY 11/03/2014Cognitive Learning Theories:-Focus on acquisition of knowledge and knowledge structures-Behavior is the result of learning-Focus on changing the learner, not the environmentINFORMATION PROCESSING THEORY-Assumptions:oPeople are active participants in the learning processoPeople get to decide what they put in their memory and learnoYou interpret the meaning of things based on previous experience, not just on how you say it. oWe can draw inferences through observation-THREE MAIN PROCCESSES:oEncoding: process of gathering and representing informationoStorage: process of putting new information in memoryoRetrieval: remembering previously stored informationSHORT TERM-Where info is held until its processed-Limited capacity 5-9