Cognitive Learning Theory and Knowledge Construction

what are the 6 principles of cognitive learning theory 

1. learning and development depends on our experiences 

2. we want our experiences to make sense

3. to make sense of our experiences we construct knowledge 

4. we construct knowledge based on what we already know 

5. acquiring long-term knowledge and skill is largely dependent on practice 

6. social interaction facilitates learning 

what did the national science foundation find in 2014?

• found that 1 in 4 Americans believe the sun revolves around the earth

• identify as many principles of cognitive learning theory as possible that helps us understand why people might hold this belief

• we want our experiences to make sense: the sun appears to revolve around the earth, so believing it does make sense to the believers 

• peoples’s experiences with revolving objects suggests that when an object appears to revolve around another object, it does ‘

• so people construct the idea that the sun revolves around the earth 

• to make sense of our experiences we construct knowledge

  • people obviously haven’t been taught this belief 

  • they likely haven’t been reinforce for it 

  • it hasn’t been modeled for them  

sample conclusions for kids

• the general direction of the Alps is straight up 

• most of the houses in France are made of Plaster of Paris 

• Iron was discovered because someone smelt it 

• blood circulate through the body by flowing down one leg and up the other 

• how does these conclusions originate? 

  • students constructed them 

  • students constructed them because they made sense to the students 

  • the students likely had some experiences and background knowledge that contributed to the conclusions 

what is the foundation of knowledge construction?

the need to make sense of our experiences is the foundation of knowledge construction

the need to make sense of our experiences?

• the need to make sense of our experiences is at the core of knowledge construction, and its nearly limitless 

• for example

  • the flat earth society is alive and well, a flat earth make sense to these people 

  • a fast food company unsuccessfully marketed a 1/3 pound burger, which was less expensive than a quarter pound burger because the latter made more sense to consumers despite being smaller in size.

knowledge construction

• constructivism 

• cognitive constructivism 

constructivism

• a view of learning that says learners don’t acquire knowledge directly from others — that is, they don’t behave as recording devices, as we saw earlier; rather they construct it for themselves 

• posits that learning involves the active creation of mental structures, rather than the passive internalization of information acquired from others or from the environment 

• historically, theorists haven’t completely agreed on the process of knowledge construction 

• initially, researchers focused on what is commonly called cognitive constructivism

cognitive constructivism 

• is a view of knowledge construction that describes the process as an individual, internal process 
  grounded in Piaget’s view of knowledge construction 

• it emphasizes individuals’ efforts to make sense of their experiences as they interact with the environment and continually test and modify their schemes 

• an alternate view that focuses more strongly on social processes in knowledge construction is: social constructivism

social constructivism

• suggests that learners first construct knowledge in a social context and then individually internalizes it

• grounded in Vygotsky’s view of knowledge construction 

• is the view of knowledge construction that is the primary framework for guiding instruction in schools 

what are the three features of social constructivist classroom environments

1. sociocultural learning theory

2. the classroom as a community of learners

3. cognitive apprenticeships 

sociocultural learning theory

• emphasizes the social dimensions of learning, places greater emphasis on the larger cultural contexts in which learning occurs 

• patterns of interaction in different homes illustrate this emphasis 

• for instance, in some cultures children are not viewed as legitimate partners in conversation 

• as a result, they may be reluctant to raise their hands to volunteer to our questions   

the classroom as a community of learners

a learning community is a classroom culture in which the teacher and students all work together to help everyone learn  

cognitive apprenticeship 

social learning process that occur when less-skilled learners work alongside experts in developing cognitive skills, such as reading comprehension, writing, or problem solving 

cognitive apprenticeships focus in developing thinking, and include the following components 

• modeling, scaffolding, verbalization and increasing complexity 

modeling

teachers, or other more knowledgeable students, demonstrate skills, such as solutions to problems, and they simultaneously model their thinking by describing it out loud 

scaffolding

as students perform tasks, teachers ask questions an provide support, decreasing the amount of support as students’ proficiency increases

verbalization

students are encouraged to express their developing understanding in words, which allows teachers to asses their developing thinking

increasing complexity

as students; proficiency increase, teachers present them with more challenging tasks and problems 

why is learner diversity important in the process of knowledge construction?

• a principle of cognitive learning theory says that learning and development depend on experience, and learners bring a variety of different experiences to school 

• learners’ beliefs influence knowledge construction, and learners bring widely varying beliefs to their learning experiences 

• learners’ backgrounds also influence their motivations and the way they respond to feedback 

• it is important that we respect learners’ backgrounds and beliefs, whether or not we agree with them   

misconception

• understandings that are inconsistent with evidence or commonly accepted explanations

• explains how principles of cognitive learning theory help us understand the origin misconception   

  • we construct misconception

  • the misconceptions we construct make sense to us  

  • the misconceptions we construct often are consistent with our prior knowledge and experience 

consider the conclusion that “most house in France are made of Plaster Paris” and explain it using principles of cognitive learning theory

• students have played with plaster of Paris 

• they learn about France, and they learn that Paris is a city in France 

• they put this information together and conclude that houses in France are made of Plaster of Paris 

• students constructed this idea based on their background knowledge and experience

• these conclusions are cute and funny to us, but they make perfect sense to the students  

first misconception about teaching and learning

• the most effective way of helping students understand a topic is to explain it to them

• what is the most likely reason for this misconception?

  • evidence indicates that learning is a social process, and explaining is a one-way transmission of information 

  • however, the majority of our experiences in classes, and particularly in high schools and universities, involve lecture as the primary mode of instruction 

  • so, based on the background experience, it makes sense that we could construct the idea that explaining is the most effective way to promote learning  

second misconception about teaching and learning 

• knowledge of content, such as math, english, or history is all that’s needed to be an effective teacher 

• knowledge of content is essential, but knowing how students learn, and how to represent content in ways that make sense to them is essential 

• why does this misconception exist?

  • many politicians, policy leaders, and university faculty outside colleges of education, believe and express this misconception

  • also, it’s concrete and easy to understand

  • understanding how to guide students’ knowledge constructions is much more abstract and sophisticated

third misconception about teaching and learning

• learning styles, students’ preferred approaches to thinking and problem solving, involves another common teaching misconception

• according ti learning style enthusiasts, students learn more if their teachers’ instruction matches their learning style

• however, research doesn’t support conception

how do teachers eliminate misconceptions?

• to eliminate misconceptions, teachers typically try to correct students’ misunderstandings by providing evidence that contradicts their explanations 

• however, this approach often fails because students’ misconceptions make sense to them, and they may retain them despite our explanations 

use principles of cognitive learning theory and Piaget’s theory of cognitive development to explain why people are reluctant to change their misconceptions 

• the misconception we construct make sense to us 

  • we want our experiences to make sense 

• we have experience that contributes to the misconception, for instance, lecture is the teaching method with which we have the most experience 

  • we construct knowledge based on what we already know 

• an idea/belief that makes sense to us puts us at equilibrium 

  • changing the belief requires accommodation — a change in thinking — which is disequilibrating

  • retaining the existing idea/belief is much easier

provide students with experiences that promote deep understanding

• the experiences we provide are what students use to construct their knowledge

• these experiences parallel the kinds of experiences students have in the natural world

• most commonly, these experiences involve the use of high-quality examples, examples that ideally include all the information students need to understand the topic we want them to understand 

make interaction an integral part of instruction

• high-quality experiences, alone, won’t necessarily produce deep conceptual understanding, because learners may not focus on the salient aspects of the experience 

• or they may misperceive the information in the experience 

  • these factors help us understand why learning is substantively a social process

• without interaction, students may misinterpret the examples or fail to recognize the features of the examples that are essential for constructing a valid understanding of the topic 

interaction contribute to learning in three ways 

1. it encourages students to become cognitively active; they must think about what they’re saying or going to say 

2. interaction makes students’ thinking visible, which allows us to informally asses their learning progress and address misconceptions

3. connecting content to the real world also makes the content more meaningful   

connect content to the real world 

• connecting content to the real world provides experiences similar to the experiences they have in the natural world outside of school 

• connecting content to the real world also makes the content more meaningful 

promote learning with assessment

• why is assessment so essential in the teaching-learning process?

• we know that learners construct knowledge that makes sense to them, and knowledge that makes sense to them may include misconception or incomplete understanding 

• teachers have classes of 30 students to sometimes more than 50 students 

• its difficult for a teacher with that many students to know whether or not students understand an idea without careful assessment