Cognitive Tools

This week the class was asked to examine provided resources and how they compare to the principles of cognitive learning.   

First, what is cognitive learning?  It is the process of learning something new by performing a task/using your senses, storing the new material into short term memory, and making connections with already known material to allow it to enter into long term memory through the said connection (Laureate, 2011).  The brain consists of tons of connections, and it is through these connections (pathways) that we build off known knowledge to begin to develop a deeper understand of new information.  

With cognitive learning, one learns by doing.  In today’s society ‘doing’ often means with the assistance of technology (Orey, 2011).   For example, cognitive learning is not about reproducing the formula for volume of a cylinder, but it is using technology to model how the volume of a cylinder and cone are and are not alike.    

In our materials this week the idea of graphic organizers continued to occur.  Graphic organizers are an excellent way to collect thoughts about any topic.  It also is a great visual, thus an important cognitive learning tool.  On a side note - at the beginning of the school year faculty members were asked to implement more graphic organizers, not only to assist with ACT/SAT visual skills, but also to continue to grow and develop our students reasoning skills.  Even in Algebra I and geometry, we have found many ways to use them in assessing student understanding of topics. It was listed in Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007), but I too realized it early in the year, you must teach and show students how to use graphic organizers in order for them to benefit from using them. 

Also mentioned was the process of taking notes.  Note taking is a skill I found I must take time to teach and reteach to my freshman and sophomore students in my math classes.  I have students who want to write every word I say down and then become mad if I move onto another slide, but on the other hand, I have some students who take no notes at all – not because they are lazy, but because they are not sure what is important.  Three years ago I did begin giving notes pages almost daily to my students.  They allow the students to focus more on the content, and not writing every word and problem down.  My notes pages already have the problems written out (not worked out), as well as most definitions written down with the key words missing.  As the year progresses I begin to have the students take more of their own notes, still giving them pages, but it is designed where they must write more of the concepts in.  I never take away the actual practice problems we work in class, as students have voiced they like to have those already written to insure they have the correct problems written down.  Note taking is a skill that develops over time, and must be age appropriate to be effective. 

Continuing with visuals, the ability that Word has strikethrough deletions is one of the neatest things I have seen in a long time!  How powerful would it be for students to peer review papers with group mates while sitting in their own houses, or peer review on computers instead of using different color pens?  I know there are Google Docs and such, but something about visually seeing the strikethrough really appeals to me.   

One visual assistance I use in my geometry classes is are highlighters and color pencils to enhance the side, angles, or arc we are asked to find the length or degree of.  Even the idea of highlighting all the congruent sides the same color visually shows the students that yes, or no, the polygon can be a parallelogram.  The highlighter and color pencils are not only skilsl I use with my students during lecture, but also during tests and quizzes as well.   

Another concept I use with my students is visual vocabulary and theorem/postulate cards.  During every chapter in geometry, my students are to write the definitions for each vocabulary word and provide a picture or visual representation.   They also must write every theorem and postulate onto notecards, to later use as flashcards.  On the back of these flashcards students are to draw a pictorial view of when the concept could be used in a proof, or to solve for a variable. 

Overall, cognitive tools assist student learning.  You learn more when you do something.  After all, many people do not know how to change a tire until they actually must need to change it themselves.  They learned, they make connections to previous knowledge, and they become successful.  Cognitive learning makes students think and learn on a deeper level, as compared to only recalling facts (Orey, 2001). 

References: 

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

Orey, M. (Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Main_Page

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