Cognitive Learning Theories support the belief that the
brain is the most complex and powerful tool that we use to gather, evaluate,
create and share knowledge. Our brains take in everything that we see, hear,
touch, taste, smell and experience with amazing speed and accuracy. However, it is up to the learner to decipher
that information and make sense of what is being processed. Dr. Orey (Laureate
Education, n.d.) states that to optimize our learning one must make multiple
connections in our brains to store information in our long-term memories. In this weeks’ readings, “Cues, Questions and
Advance Organizers” and “Summarizing and Note Taking”, Pitzer, et al. (2012) discuss
the importance of using cues, questions, and note taking skills to help
students focus their attention on the important aspects of a lesson. This is critical
for the students that are not sure how to interpret vital information from
unessential parts of the lesson. This also helps students to learn how to focus
on the relevant information needed for completing assignments.
Dr. Orey discusses the Dual Coding Hypothesis by Paivio
(Laureate Education, n.d.). This hypothesis explains the idea that people can
remember images and even smells better than they can remember text alone.
Educators can use this knowledge to reinforce their lessons by guiding their
students not only to vital information but also help students store the
information in their long-term memory. Using teaching strategies that include
the multiple intelligences will help students recall information easier since
they will be able to recall them from their network of brain connections as
described by Dr. Orey, (Laureate Education, n.d.).
Note taking and advance organizers are extremely important
for the Cognitive Learning Theories. These skills and tools are essential for
helping students to organize their thoughts and knowledge. Educators must teach
students how to organize the information they have received in class and a very
useful cognitive tool is the concept map. Students are able to use these maps
to explain the connections between information and organize what they know and
what they need to investigate further as stated by Dr. Orey, (Laureate
Education, n.d.).
Using more advanced tools like Power Point can summarize
students’ notes and help students’ progress to higher levels of thinking
instead of being occupied with simple tasks. This can help the student increase
their cognitive skills and achieve more in class.
When students can easily make multiple connections with
their knowledge the information is easier to recall and less likely to be
forgotten. This is what we want for our students to have the knowledge at the
ready and be able to build on it with the next lesson. The Cognitive Learning
Theory is a very important part of the classroom and should be utilized to an
educators’ advantage.
Laureate Education (Producer). (n.d.). Cognitive learning
theories [Video file].
Retrieved
from https://class.waldenu.edu
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E. R., & Kuhn, M. (2012). Using
technology with classroom
instruction
that works (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
You mentioned the importance of students having the ability to decipher what information is note worthy. Do you take notes as a class or do you find it is better to have the students take notes on their own? If you have the students take notes on their own, have you ever provided them with a guide to make sure they do in fact make note of the information they will be responsible for in the future? I have created organizers and guides for my classes in the past to guide their reading and learning when there is a lot of information to cover. The only down fall I have found, is there are a few students who do not read the entire article and skim to simply fill in the blanks of the organizer. I found this resource to be helpful, these could be beneficial while teaching students how to take notes, paraphrase, highlight, and pin point important parts of the article.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson322.shtml
Leah,
DeleteThank you for your comment. I teach level 1 French. We do not cover any history in level 1 and we cover a small amount of culture per chapter. Most of the notes my students take are vocabulary terms and grammar rules. My students take notes for themselves on Quizlet by making flashcards. I will review their flashcards and give them verbal directions on words they forgot or things they need to change. In class as we use new phrases my students will add them to their working dictionaries in their notes and I will write them on the board for them to copy. I have saved the resource you gave me for future use. Thanks!
Corrie Kociscin
Corrie (Madame Kociscin)
DeleteThe process of note taking and review is great using Quizlet. I am more familiar with a similar program called Study Blue (www.studyblue.com) which you can view and make a comparison. I like the fact that technology can make even note taking fun and interactive. Have you consider using penpals or connecting with another class using Edmodo? (www.edmoodo.com) Another possibility is using penpalschool (https://penpalschools.com) which uses language exchange.
Ray,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the suggestion of Study Blue- I will definitely look into it. No, I have not used Edmodo or pen pals yet. Personally, I am a little wary of doing that since I could not monitor all of the interactions between the students. I teach 8th grade and my principal is very concerned with keeping our students safe while online. The high school just started incorporating pen pals in level 4 and 5 French, so hopefully when it trickles down from the high school my principal will be more willing to let us try it.
Corrie Kociscin