Cognitive Model of Learning

Express Version
!1

Brain Research
!
The brain is a highly complex set of networks that are interconnected. The brain grows and changes through life. This is called plasticity. This means that learning can happen at any age. Change is always possible. New networks are formed when learning takes place. This means the network of connections grow more complex. Your brain is like a muscle. Work it and it physically develops. The greater the complexity, the more able we are to see the relationships in the world. This is called Schema. Many times in life people can't figure out problems because they don't see the connections. For example, let's say a person understands the concept of stress and understands the concept of tiredness. This is good. However, a person who understands the connection between stress and tiredness has a more complex network.

!2

Stress

Immune System

Premature Aging

Cancer

We want our student to make connections.

!3

Tiredness

The connections made during learning form a complex web of relationships.

!4

Learning is a system of mental processes

Input, connecting, processing and use of strategies is important. Working, short term & long term memory play important roles. Words like schema, strategies, processing, and automaticity play a major role. Learning is conscious, process oriented. Learning is strategy-based, and it can be topdown or bottom up. The goal is automaticity. This means we easily access knowledge or ability without much effort. Being able to automatically use knowledge makes it easy to do or learn new concepts. Driving a car is a good example. Experienced drivers can text and drive at the same time because driving is an automatic process. This means driving uses no cognitive functions because it is automatized, and leaves all brain processing available for texting. This would not be true for a new driver because the new driver needs to think about driving, which uses up valuable brain processing.
!5

A Visual Representation

!6

How does it work?

Teacher creates stimuli Students notice and begin processing. Students start connecting the incoming stimuli to previous learning to help make sense of it. Teacher creates activities to help students process new input. This is called building knowledge. Teacher creates opportunity for thinking and scaffold them when confused. Confusion is normal. After new ideas begin to make sense, they make it way to the working memory and the short term memory. Learning strategies help move new concepts through the system. After repeated, meaningful activities concepts make it to the long term memory, which can be defined as learning. More practice creates automaticity. Output is made possible by learning which is also called academic performance.
!7

What kind of activities are cognitive?

Any activity that creates thinking and deeper processing. Analyzing, comparing, contrasting, evaluating, synthesizing, making generalizations, creating, reflecting, discovering, solving problems... Games, puzzles, graphic organizers, experiments, worksheets, vocabulary activities.

!8

Cognitive activities common at the college

!

Use of tables to organize information

!

Graphic organizers Brainstorming activities Reading strategies like predicting, paraphrasing, guessing words in context, choosing key words, summarizing a text. Vocabulary action sheet Creation of videos Reflection activities Being aware of your grammatical mistakes Creating posters.
!9

Summary
Learning is viewed as a process that is based on how the brain processes input, with an emphasis on input, processing, strategy use, higher order thinking skills all being used to connect new experiences to previous experiences: schema Learning is achieved when students have a physical change in the structure of the brain and students can automatically and forever access the learning for application: This means new input becomes Schema, which helps them learn new ideas in the future. The process starts over again.
!10

Questions
!

What key words are associated with the cognitive model? What is the metaphor that helps us visualize this model? Does this way of looking at the learning make sense to you? Can you draw a picture of it?

!11