#3 Cognitive Theories of Learning

 

Description

What is learning and how do we learn?  What process does our brain go through for us to retain information in the long-term? Does our knowledge about how we retain information help with our teaching practices? Research about how our brain processes information can be used to help teachers choose effective strategies to help students make meaning of content.

Analysis

Learning is a process that includes utilizing our background knowledge to focus on important details and getting rid of what is not important (Slavin, 2018). Continuing research on human memory has led to information processing theory. Our executive functioning is controlled exclusively by the learner, ourselves (Slavin, 2018). Our brain is constantly receiving stimuli through our senses known as sensory register (Slavin, 2018). These are all the little observations that we make through our senses such as how something sounds, feels, looks, etc. We do not remember all of this unless we pay attention, or it is associated with something that is significant. Our perception is a mental interpretation of stimuli based on our knowledge, motivations, and/or past experiences (Slavin, 2018). Teachers can spark students’ limited attention span by using cues, such as vary our voice, gestures, the power of surprise, or even novelty (Slavin, 2018). This sensory register is filtered into our working memory for a few seconds and includes our thoughts. The longer these thoughts are in our working memory the greater the chance they will move to our long-term memory. Our working memory can hold 5-9 pieces of information at a time, so if the information is not moving to long-term memory, it is discarded (Slavin, 2018). Our previous knowledge/background knowledge can help determine what transferred to long-term memory.

Long-term memory keeps information for a long period of time, some say forever (Slavin, 2018). It depends on having access to the information and not whether the information is there. There are three types of long-term memory, episodic memory refers to our personal experiences and is unique to each one of us (Slavin, 2018). Semantic memory is what we know, these would include facts, concepts, and problem-solving experience, etc (Slavin, 2018). Procedural memory is knowing how to do something, such as driving, riding a bike, and keyboarding (Slavin, 2018). This could even be referred to as muscle memory; it is done without really thinking about it.  The levels of processing theory refers to how much processing an experience receives as to whether we remember it (Slavin, 2018). It is determined by how deeply or shallow an experience has been processed, or how long it was in our working memory (Slavin, 2018).  The dual code theory refers to information that is stored as visual and verbal memory (Slavin, 2018). Our brain’s capacity or ability to retain information is not set at birth, so this is great news for teaching. Our environment has a big impact on our learning, especially our learning/school environment (Slavin, 2018). Automaticity comes after an extended amount of practice, even beyond just the amount needed to remember.  E.g., as readers become proficient with decoding, it become effortless, and they can concentrate on comprehension (Slavin, 2018).

Research has shown that both brain hemispheres work together for most cognitive tasks (Slavin, 2018). Not all learning is equal and because the brain develops over time, our ability to comprehend tasks also develop over time, much like John Dewey or Piaget’s theories (Slavin, 2018). Different regions of the brain work together to allow us to synthesis information, problem solve, and develop rational thinking (Slavin, 2018). There are some myths about our brain that are important for educators, such as, students are either left or right brained, we only use 10% of our brain, and people learn better with a particular learning style (Slavin, 2018). These are not true, but it is important to take what we know about memory and how it is stored in our long-term memories. We should give students opportunities to practice information by discussing concepts and thinking about them, visual and verbal graphics when introducing new concepts, and even allowing students the time to act our concepts (Slavin, 2018).

When we think of forgetting, we are referring to not being able to access information or not having transferred information from working to long-term memory (Slavin, 2018). Interference, retroactive inhibition, proactive inhibition all pertains to the ability to screen what is important and retain information (Slavin, 2018). Our focus can be blocked by what we think we know. To remember, we need to keep in mind facilitation, primacy and recency effects, automaticity, and practice. The more we work with information, how similar it is to something we already know, or if it is first or last in a series, it is easier to remember (Slavin, 2018). Teachers can use how we remember to determine strategies to encourage retention of information, such as massed practice, distributed practice, enactment, and generation (Slavin, 2018). All these strategies can lead students to store information in their long-term memories. 

Other strategies that are used by teachers to aid students in learning valuable information are paired-associate learning, serial learning, free-recall learning, pegword method, and initial letter strategies (Slavin, 2018). These strategies deal with associations with one member in a pair, learning in a particular order or not, and using known information (rhymes or initial sounds) to help memory (Slavin, 2018).  When we make meaning out of our learning or bridge what we know with new information, we are more likely to learn and/or remember information. Inert knowledge is when students do not transfer knowledge to various situations, it is almost wasted because it does not reach its potential. I like to think of it as being “book smart”, students who can not transfer information to apply it to other situations. Effective teaching is meaningful and allows students to apply knowledge is many different situations. I refer to this as common sense. 

Students who have experiences and/or background knowledge have an easier time remembering new information. They can take information and fit it into their existing knowledge to remember or they may “rearrange” their knowledge to add to it (Slavin, 2018). This is commonly referred to schema theory (Slavin, 2018). Teacher who can help students link new learning are the most effective. Metacognition skills are ways that students think and study (Slavin, 2018). Some of the strategies are practice tests, note taking, underlining, summarizing, writing to learn, outlining/concept maps, and PQ4R (Slavin, 2018). All these strategies can help students link new information with existing knowledge and be able to transfer information from working memory to long-term memory.

Reflection

Now I understand why, when I look up at a blue sky with fluffy clouds, I can still smell the ocean and remember how happy I was to go to the beach over 45 years ago. Our brain’s ability to remember important events is amazing.

This week’s reading really helped me make sense of why certain strategies are considered best practices. It is important for me to remember how information is remembered long-term. I need to be conscious of how much time I give my students to process information. I feel like I am finally able to understand that no matter how engaging my lessons are, if my students do not have time to “mull” the information over, they will have a hard time remembering or making meaning of the information. This is what I feel I need to be most aware of in the future. I need to slow down and make sure students are enacting, thinking about, and practices new concepts (Slavin, 2018). They need time to be able to make meaning of new concepts.

I especially like the idea of practice tests. I give my students weekly quizzes to access how well they remembered the weekly concepts, but I need to also make sure they are true “practice” for the summative tests. This way, students can get a preview of what is considered important, and they will be able to filter all the information. I want to make sure I make my lessons culturally relevant, so my students can connect what they know or experience with new information to make meaning of it. One way I can do this would be to bring in more examples of Black scientists who have made advances in science. This will help my students with motivation by wanting to learn about new concepts because they see it matters to them. Although, I feel I give my students time to discuss and collaborate during science class, I want to also give them more time to investigate what is important to them. I will encourage them to ask questions about the concepts because it will show they are thinking about the concepts and working it out in their minds. This thinking and struggle with new concepts will allow the transfer of concepts from working memory to long-term memory and hopefully more meaningful learning.

References

Slavin, R. E. (2018). Educational Psychology: Theory and Practice (12th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education.