1-20-10 Cognitivism in Practice

Cognitive Learning is described by Dr. Orey as the way information is processed, with three stages. The sensory registering, short term and long term memory (Orey, 2009), which is where we as educators wish to end up. Most educators use the visual presentations coupled with auditory presentations to teach our class topics, but with the use of technology we can enhance and enrich the experiences our students crave and increase their understanding and reach that long term memory goal.
We do need to understand, as educators, that there is a limit to how much information can be processed, so the chunking is highly recommended. With my gifted classes I use this strategy more often, making time for more application activities, though now the activities are more technology oriented.
The concept mapping strategy we are currently working on is especially great for cognitive learning as it helps the students make the needed connections of the ideas we are covering in our classes. The visual imaging and the labeling used in concept mapping are examples of the Dual Coding Hypothesis (Orey, 2009) which help the students make the connection between the concept and the image. But Dr. Orey did warn that the images need to be connected to the topic and text, not just a cute picture to make the students laugh or the page interesting or colorful. In science classes this is easily done, as my topic of life science is rich with imagery to use and high interest to seventh grade students. The hands-on of laboratory activities also helps with the coding, to have the student experience the content, smell the lab, and put the content into every day context that will lead to the long term memory. Everyone remembers what they dissected and when!
In science classes I also do Elaborations (Orey, 2009), connecting or associating information to help recall the original. My students now know that the DNA nitrogen bases are paired with the A to T, as straight letters, and C to G, as curvy letters. Even the gender determining chromosome pairs are easy for the students to remember, if you have a y, you are a guy! If I can make the learning fun, more information is likely to make it to the long term memory bank. I do love it when they come back to me for a visit and tell me that they were thinking of me and what we had learned in the seventh grade while in their 9th or 10th grade biology class.

Orey, D. M. (2009, March). Instructional theory vs. learning theory. Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology . Baltimore, MD: Laureate Education, Inc.