The Cognitive Approach in Education

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Table of Contents

Cognitivism in Education
Methods
Benjamin Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Goals
Robert Gagnier’s Theory of Learning Conditions
John Sweller’s Cognitive Load Theory
A Critique of Cognitive Psychology in Learning
References

Cognitivism in Education

Today’s researchers argue that educators need to know how the human brain works. Then it is easier to teach in such a way that students really learn it. However, this idea is not new, and the cognitive approach to learning is proof of that. Cognitivism is a branch of psychology and an approach to learning that focuses on thought processes. Cognitivists believe that learning is determined by how our minds perceive, process, store, and then reproduce and use information. Therefore, they view learning as an internal process involving memory, thinking, reflection, abstraction, motivation, and metacognition. According to the cognitivist approach, the mind is like a computer; it functions on algorithms that are developed to process information and make decisions. The brain stores knowledge in long-term memory in the form of circuits – mental structures, combining related concepts and notions into them.

The cognitive approach became widespread in the fifties and sixties. The influence of cognitive theories on psychology and education was so great that it led to the emergence of an entire intellectual movement. It has gone down in history as the “cognitive revolution” (Sweller, 2020). Although the boom of interest in cognitivism occurred in the middle of the last century, the first studies in this field began many decades before that.

Methods

The main goals of the cognitive approach are to understand and explain how all of these thought processes work and function. In the context of education, this means creating strategies that allow the student to apply new information in different contexts. The teacher presents new information in a way that connects it to the student’s existing knowledge, that is, to create or modify or expand existing mental schemata. One of the main strengths of cognitivism is the wide scope for its practical application. Theories and approaches to learning are emerging from the numerous works of cognitivists. They explain how to construct a process in order to take into account the peculiarities of thinking processes.

Benjamin Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Goals

It is based on the idea that learning goals can be divided and ranked according to difficulty. The taxonomy helps educators and facilitators correctly identify learning objectives and design both individual lessons and whole programs, and tailor the objectives and assessment tools for each stage of learning.

Robert Gagnier’s Theory of Learning Conditions

It is based on a model of nine stages (or events) of teaching, which help to facilitate and stimulate the internal processes of learning for students. The more independent students are, the more teaching events they will take on themselves. Gagne’s nine stages help structure lessons, articulate learning objectives in clear language, and avoid cognitive distortions in assessing student work.

John Sweller’s Cognitive Load Theory

According to Sweller’s theory, curricula should be designed so that they do not overload students’ brains. This requirement is related to the way memory works: the amount of information that can be retained in short-term (working) memory at a single moment is limited. Researchers have found that excessive cognitive load can interfere with the acquisition of new knowledge. Sweller’s theory helps to understand what factors influence the learning of educational material, what its complexity should be, and how to distribute and present information effectively.

Different theories have some common features. Usually they have one common goal – to make new knowledge meaningful for a student. He or she needs help to “organize” this information and to connect it with what is already known. To put it simply – to arrange the new knowledge in the shelves. Memory plays one of the key roles in the learning process. Cognitive scientists believe that students learn successfully when information is stored in memory and the brain can retrieve it when necessary. Therefore, when designing lessons or curricula, we need to consider how memory works and how information is stored in it.

A Critique of Cognitive Psychology in Learning

The cognitive approach is popular in pedagogical circles, but there are still complaints about it. The Norwegian psychologist and professor of cognitive psychology at the University of Oslo Geir Øverskade noted that cognitivists do not consider the role of emotions in learning, and generally ignore any reasons other than cognitive ones to explain human behavior. For example, cognitive theories do not take into account students’ genetic, cultural or social characteristics (Kirshner & Whitson, 2021). In addition, explained the scientist, cognitivism refers to processes that cannot be directly observed. Simply put, so far the theories are largely based on observations and inferences, so it is difficult to assess the actual results. However, neurobiologists are now actively correcting this by studying how the brain works.

This is also, where another claim arises – the lack of ecological validity. Scientists use this term to refer to the degree to which the experimental conditions correspond to the reality under study. Critics point out that cognitivists often conduct their research in an artificial environment that does not correspond to the real world. For example, part of a memory study might be testing students in a classroom. However, if they are under more pressure there (e.g., because of inflated expectations), their memory will perform worse than, for example, at home. Lack of environmental validity can lead to less representative of real-life results. Outside of the experimental environment, they simply will not be applicable.

References

Kirshner, D., & Whitson, J. A. (2021). Editors’ introduction to situated cognition: Social, semiotic, and psychological perspectives. In Situated Cognition (pp. 1-16). Routledge.

Sweller, J. (2020). Cognitive load theory and educational technology. Educational Technology Research and Development, 68(1), 1-16.

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