Bottom of the 3rd - Cognitive Theories of Learning

It seems to make sense to me that the more pathways that can be created to access information learned, the more this information cements itself in long-term memory. The more senses individuals use to take in information, the greater the chances are that the information will remain, waiting for it to be retrieved at a later time. Any time learners take new information, and manipulate it in a way that makes sense to them, they attach more meaning. Making meaningful connections creates more pathways and triggers that will link back to specific details(Laureate, 2007).

The use of advance organizers, questioning, and cues before a given lesson will open doors to what is about to be learned, creating a reason and interest to continue on with a lesson (Pittler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, p.73, 2007). By using such technologies as spread sheet and concept mapping software, students are able to use information learned to either represent data in various ways and create mental maps connecting one idea to another, heightening the level of understanding. Taking students on a virtual field trip (Laureate, 2007) is one of the most interesting ways to step out of the classroom, allowing students to "travel" any where in the world to see real-world applications of what is being learned in class. For example, in my fifth grade social studies class, it is possible to take students to the Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where students can see exhibits and presentations about the details of the Constitution as we study it from our room. It is also possible to take students to a museum to see artifacts from ancient civilizations, all from their seats in class. This may be a way to create episodes, where information is linked to occurrences and emotion, thus placing information into one's episodic memory.

When students take notes in class and are asked to summarize what they have learned, they must actively think about what is being told to them, copy down what is to them the most important details, and construct their notes and summarizing in their own words. Because of this, there has to be some type of in depth thought going on as students complete this task. This follows along with cognitive theories, where learning is seen as information enters the brain, is organized, stored, and is kept there until retrieved when needed (Lever-Duffy & McDonald, p.16, 2008).

Wikis amd blogs are great ways to use technology to help take and synthesize notes from class and also allowing collaboration between students to take place. When students learn from other students, there is more chances for deeper understanding to occur. If class notes are combined with related images in a power point presentation, more cognitive thought has gone into understanding what the notes explain. More meaning is attached to the notes when linked with images creating more pathways to the information for recall later (Pittler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, p.131 and p.135, 2007).

References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Bridging learning, theory, instruction, and technology. [DVD]. Baltimore: Author.

Lever-Duffy, J & McDonald, J. (2008). Theoretical foundations (Laureate Education, Inc., custom ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.