Cognitivism in Practice

This week's focus was on the cognitive perspective and looked at how two instructional strategies from the learning resource correlates with this theory. Dr. Michael Orey noted that the cognitive learning theory revolves around information processing and how students need to build many connections in order to learn new material and retrieve it for future use (Laureate Education, Inc, 2011).

The first instructional strategy that we looked at this week was on Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers. This strategy focuses on "enhancing students' ability to retrieve, use, and organize information about a topic" (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007, p.73). I use this instructional strategy quite often in my classroom because my students need the guided notes and graphic organizers to help them focus their learning. I use KWL charts to help my students at the beginning of a unit to test what knowledge they already know and it also helps me focus my attention on how I can bridge gaps and connect their prior knowledge to new knowledge. Incorporating technology and using word processing programs to help create these graphic organizers and charts, "will help students organize their thoughts around the essential information and get them thinking about what they know about the topic before the teacher has fully begun the lesson"(Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007, p. 76). We also just began using the Webspiration program in our school, which I think is a great tool for students and teachers to help organize information. I enjoy it because it allows me to place visuals with my information so it cues into two different areas for my students. It also allows my students to create their own representation of the information they have just received into a way that best fits their needs.

The second instructional strategy that we look at this week was on summarizing and note taking. This is a skill that I feel many students struggle with and often many teachers neglect in teaching. We want our students to take good notes so they can study for tests, but we never truly model how to take notes. Summarizing and note taking "focuses on enhancing students' ability to synthesize information and distill it into a concise new form" (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007, p. 119). I really liked the summarizing feature in the word processing applications. I had never heard of this before, and really think my students could benefit from this. It also gives them more opportunities to use technology, which could turn a mundane task into something more enjoyable for them. This strategy is critical in the cognitive perspective because it looks at enhancing students knowledge of a particular topic and helps them organize their information to form new connections. Notes are personalized tools for students and I know that I personally need to work on this strategy with my students.

Overall, I feel that the cognitive perspective is very relevant in today's classrooms and can often be one that is neglected the most due to the time consuming note taking and organizing tools. Even so, it is extremely important that students learn how to utilize these tools in order for information processing to occur.


Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011). Program five: Cognitive learning theory [Video webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Retrieved fromhttp://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5700267&CPURL=laureate.ecollege.com&Survey=1&47=2594577&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=0&bhcp=1

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