Cognitivism in Practice

This week we were asked to continue our reading in Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works. We were asked to focus on the strategies of “Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers” along with “Summarizing and Note Taking.” Each of these strategies worked in correlation with the cognitive learning theories that Dr. Orey presented in the video Cognitive Learning Theories. This week we explored how students process information and what helps them bring ideas into long-term memory.

The idea of primary information process, also referred to as the network model, states that there are three stages that information must progress through. The first is the “sensory registers” this is the basic understanding of the concepts (Laureate, 2008). This is where it is important to use a variety of means to present the information. From there the concepts enter in the “short term memory, it is good to chunk information for it to enter here” (Laureate, 2008). Finally the information then enters the “long term memory” if the information is explained well enough and in enough varying means (Laureate, 2008). With this in mind I am going to take a look at the two concepts that we were asked to explore.

The first is the idea of “Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers.” Cues are defined as “explicit reminders or hints about what students are about to experience” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski p. 73). Cues can be straightforward or just gradual hints to get the students moving in the right direction. Questions are used to trigger “students’ memories and help them to access prior knowledge” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski p. 73). These strategies work well with the idea of networking. With the use of advanced organizers that teacher is using visual and written aids to help the students access the information. They are allowing the students to work with things that are hands on and can be physically seen. If a student were given a blank graphic organizer during a test it would often trigger them to think about how they filled it in and what they were working on at the time. This strategy works very well with visual learners because it accesses their dual coding or “ability to remember images and text” (Laureate, 2008). The students associate the graphic organizer with the information and are able to combine the two for better understanding.

The second idea is “Summarizing and Note Taking.” This concept focuses on “enhancing students’ ability to synthesize information and distill it into a concise new form” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski p. 119). Through the use of note taking, students are able to break down the information into more understandable chunks, making the information easier to store in the short-term and long-term memories (Laureate, 2008). Instead of focusing on all the knowledge they have things broken into smaller more concise and understandable concepts. The students can also use graphic displays to help them understand and chunk the concepts, again using the dual coding idea.

I personally love to use the idea of cues with my students. In my district we have the learning focused curriculum that has concept maps that we show the students at the beginning of each unit of study. The students are cued about what is to come in the lesson. As Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski state “Although it is common to think that cues should be subtle or ambiguous-like hints-in the classroom, a direct approach is most effective. Simply tell the students what content they are about to learn” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski p. 77). IF the students have a preview of what is to come they will be better be able understand when it is presented in the classroom. Along with cues I like to help the students with summarizing and note taking as much as I can. Prior to this week I was not aware the word had an application that allowed you to summarize information. This idea will be very beneficial to my students because they are all learning support students that often have trouble reading text books for complete comprehension of everything. This will allow me to help them pick out the main ideas and concepts form the reading. Eventually they will be able to use the tools and complete this task on their own.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). Program five: Cognitive learning theories. [DVD]. In Walden University: Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology. Baltimore: Author.

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