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What can you do to use cognitive learning Theory

May 16, 2023

In the 1920s, Swiss educational psychologist, Jean Piaget, worked at the Binet Institute where he was in charge of translating English intelligence questions to French. In his years at Binet Institute, Piaget became obsessed with the fact that the children who were logically challenged got it wrong, and others got correct.

At the time, behaviorism was the most popular theory to explain that; psychologists assessed the capacity of children to answer these questions by their interactions with their external environments.

The year 1936 was the time that Piaget was a proponent of a distinct theory. He believed that the inner workings of a child's brain decide the way they respond to logical questions. His theories on intelligence included:

  • The brain development of children develops through stages and their behaviours shift to reflect these cognitive changes.
  • The intelligence of children differs from that of adults' intelligence in quality (not in terms of quantity). It is due to the fact that children see the world in different ways than adults.
  • Children aren't the only ones to engage with the world around them; they also store information about the world mentally which affects how they tackle issues that require logic.

Jean Piaget termed his line of thought "cognitive theories of learning". Through the years, teachers across the globe have employed techniques for cognitive learning that have helped their pupils to be more effective learners.

Check it out to find out:

What is Cognitive Learning?

"Cognitive learning" comes from cognition which refers to the mental process of absorbing and retaining information using the senses, thinking and experiences. Learning through cognitive processes, as a whole is a type of learning that focuses on making the most of your brain's abilities.

Reminisce about your days in high school. Was there a subject that was something you were drawn to? You found it easy to understand because it just clicked with you? What about a particular concept or subject that you found difficult to grasp no matter how hard you tried?

In Piaget's Cognitive Learning theory, the ability of you to understand -- or not understand the subject is dependent on the way your brain mentally processes details related to the topic. But with techniques for cognitive learning will allow you to take on topics that would be 'naturally hard to grasp. The reason is that these methods allow you to easily create connections between the new information and existing concepts, which improves your ability to retain and remember information.

Today, cognitive learning theory has been broken into two categories:

  • Social cognitive theory is the belief that the things people see around them and their actions impact how their behavior and the speed at which their brains grow cognitively. For example, a student's behavior can be affected when they observe their teachers and their peers. That's why educators are encouraged to lead by example.
  • Cognitive behavior theory: This is the idea that how the person feels, thinks and behaves is all interconnected, and could affect their ability to learn. If, for instance, the student is convinced that they are poor with Physics and that they won't understand it regardless of how they explain it and explained, they'll probably be frustrated and angry in the course of a Physics course, which leads to poor performance.

Strategies for cognitive learning aim to break down barriers to learning by offering different (and more personalized) strategies for students to master. Mastering the elements will make you a better (and quicker) learner, and increase your chances of excelling at anything you set your mind to.

What are the components of cognitive Learning?

As an individual looking to master one skill (or two), here are some essential components of cognitive learning to be aware of:

Comprehension

Memory

Learning by cramming to remember it is not a successful method of learning, and cognitive methods of learning discourage the process. When you learn with cognitive methods, the aim is to gain a thorough understanding of the topic so that you can relate new ideas to previous information.

Application

The cognitive learning methods encourage you to think about the material in your course or lesson and work out ways to apply the material to actual circumstances. Learning this way helps you build advanced thinking and critical thinking skills as well as problem-solving abilities and qualities of leadership that you can employ in school or at work.

What is the difference between cognitivism and constructivism?

Jean Piaget's research in cognition was based on two distinct ideas: cognitivism and constructivism. Both concepts are related in that they both focus on the mental processes that play a role in learning, as opposed to only externally observable behavior. Yet, constructivism and cognitivism differ.

In cognitivism, individuals are treated as beings that can think, analyze and assess new information without having to participate actively in it. Therefore, instead of simply being able to respond to stimuli externally and internalizing them through the process of conditioning, they can evaluate the data and then store it in their brains.

One of the best examples of cognitivist learning is through lectures. With lectures, all learners have to do is sit in their chairs (or in front of their laptops) and listen to teachers explain notions. Although note-taking is great, students can merely process the information the teacher is passing across to them, without having notes.

Constructivism is, on contrary, encapsulates the idea that people are able to process and interpret information based on prior knowledge and experience. This means that people are actively creating their own understanding that shapes their perspective on the world around them. According to the constructivists, in order in order for knowledge to be retained students must be able to participate in the learning process.

So instead of lectures instructors who are constructivist are more in favor of conducting interactive group activities, giving students problems to solve as well as experiments to run and real-life situations to make use of their learning.

Cognitive learning examples

There are various kinds of cognitive learning. Here are 10 types of cognitive learning.

Learning implicitly

Did you learn something you didn't intend to? If so, you've been through an implicit learning. With implicit learning, you're usually not aware of the entire learning process until you suddenly realize you have the ability or know-how previously you did not possess.

Examples of things you can be taught are walking, talking or even typing quickly without looking at your keyboard.

Learning explicit

Explicit learning happens when you intentionally seek knowledge. Contrary to implicit learning education requires you to focus and dedicate the time to be proficient in what you're learning. Examples of explicit learning are the online courses you can take for learning about content marketing or re-entering school to obtain a fresh degree.

Cooperative or collaborative learning

This kind of education comprises four components, including:

  • Responsibility for each individual: Although people are working together in groups, everyone is expected to have their own responsibilities. personal accountable for.
  • Simultaneous interaction: All members of the group ought to be able engage in discussion about the topic they're learning and how they're each applying their knowledge.
  • Positive interdependence: Each person in the group should have the responsibility for their individual, they should also be able of obtaining help from one another whenever they require it.
  • Participation equal: When it comes to collaborative learning, every member of the group has equal rights. No one holds more status or is considered to be more superior than other members.

Discovery the learning

When you actively seek the latest information through studies on the latest concepts, ideas or subjects, you're engaged in discovery learning. In the case of, for instance, you're writing an essay that requires a tool like Hemingway Editor to edit and proofread it, you'll be learning more about the editing software by observing.

Meaningful learning

The process of learning that makes sense is in the context of relating recent experiences to their previous ones. It is often the case that this leads to the transfer of skills which can be applied in other fields of life like education and job. A good example of a meaningful education can be when you are working in the field of marketing, and you enroll in an online course on marketing strategies to deepen your understanding of the topic.

Emotional learning

Learning to manage emotions involves learning how to control their emotions, comprehend other people's emotions and enhance their emotional intelligence. Whatever you are doing for work, high emotional intelligence plays an important aspect in your ability to show compassion, interact with other people as well as manage interactions with colleagues and other people.

In particular, learning to be emotionally aware helps you to interact positively with extroverts and introverts alike whatever situation you're in. If you're in customer service, being able to deal with your emotions as well as recognize the emotions of other customers helps you handle customer interactions.

Learning through experience

Experience, they say, is the best teacher. Learning through experience allows the person to discern and learn important life lessons learned through your interactions with others. What you can learn in these encounters is dependent on your interpretation of them.

It means that two individuals could have the exact similar experience and learn distinct learnings from it. As an example, if you shadow your CEO in the workplace, you could discover the value of leading by examples. But someone who is not in your job position could learn how to hold an effective board meeting.

The value of your experience depends on how well you reflect on it and relate it to current or previous events.

Learning by observation

Learning through observation involves mimicking people who possess the qualities and skills that you would like to possess. Although this kind of learning is commonly found in kids (as they mimic adults) however, adults may utilize it in specific contexts. You can, for instance, develop your leadership abilities by mimicking your boss in the office. Also, you can learn how to become a more effective team member by imitating the behavior of successful teammates you work with.

Learning that is receptive

If you study during lectures where a teacher is in center of the room and talks about a subject while you are able to listen, you're practicing receptive learning. Learning this way requires participants to be active in asking questions and taking down notes.

Receptive learning is when your school or work invites professionals to teach your class or team in a class, hall, or workshop in a workshop.

Non-associative education

Non-associative learning involves adapting to the new situation or object by re-encountering it. This kind of learning can be separated into two groups: habituation and sensitization.

The term "habituation" refers to learning through the habit of doing something. This means that your reaction to a stimulus (or circumstance) diminishes as you are exposed to it. In the case of, for instance, you're new to an apartment near the railway station, you could be irritated by the sound of trains moving through for a while. As you get used to living there, it won't bother you as much because you'd learn to ignore it.

Sensitization is, however, means that your reaction to an event (or circumstance) is enhanced with time exposure to it. For instance, if you newly take a job as a receptionist may notice immediately when the office telephone starts to ring. But as you stay longer at your job as a receptionist, your ears become more tuned to the sound of the phone.

Benefits from Cognitive Learning

If you'd like to test some cognitive-learning methods, here are a few advantages you can reap:

Improved comprehension

The process of learning through cognition requires the students to put what they learn into action. An approach that is hands-on to learning can improve a student's understanding of the subject matter and the way they can apply it in real-life situations.

Improved problem-solving abilities

Cognitive learning equips people with the necessary skills to solve difficult problems quickly and effectively. These abilities are essential for any position of leadership, regardless of the setting.

Continuous learning habits

Learning through cognitive methods fosters a passion of learning, by making learning new knowledge fun and invigorating. Instead of passively listening to the latest information the cognitive process lets you apply your learning, and make connections between what you're learning and what you already have learned.

Enhanced confidence

When you get a better comprehension of the new subject matter via cognitive learning and practice, you'll improve your skill set and gain greater confidence when carrying out assignments.

Faster learning

When you acquire new information via cognitive learning and other learning methods, you'll be able to identify some methods that work great for your needs. After you've discovered these strategies that you can use, you'll master new skills much more quickly later on.

Cognitive Learning Strategies and how to apply it within the Education Industry

Repetition/spaced learning

However, the difference is that each of the three classes will be on the same topic, but in three different methods. The initial learning session could be a video of a teacher giving an explanation of the subject. A second learning period could be a test that tests students' knowledge of the explanations in the first period. And the last period might involve applying new knowledge to solve a problem or assignment.

Ten minutes of breaks between each lesson prevent the overload of information that can be a problem to students. But, breaks do not have to be a time for idleness and you could incorporate distraction tasks like remembering words or performing a physical activity in a way that doesn't relate to the content you're teaching.

Research shows the fact that the concept of spaced learning is a highly effective method of learning which produces excellent results in tests as well as long-term memory retention.

Reflection

Learning through reflection is when students record what they learned in the class, as well as the things they did not understand and what they feel that the teacher could help them to understand the lesson better.

Although this method of learning typically is done at the end of a classroom session it is possible to incorporate a reflection activity at the end of each section you cover within your online class. It will help students understand where they're excelling and where they're failing, which means they'll have the opportunity to revisit challenging topics. The students will also make use of that time to establish connections between their new and their prior knowledge.

Let your students email your reflections to you via email. This is important because they demonstrate to you:

  • How are your students getting the concept
  • How effective your method of teaching style(s) can be?
  • Which topic(s) you didn't explain effectively?

Once you've this information, you'll be able to update your course accordingly and assist your students to achieve higher grades.

Graphic organizers

Graphic organizers are visual representations which show connections between ideas, information, and ideas. Examples of graphic organizers include pie charts, bar charts, flow charts mind maps and spider diagrams.

These organizers allow students to:

  • Consider the subject
  • Visualize processes and procedures
  • Make sure they organize your thoughts
  • Make connections between the latest knowledge and the things they've already learned in the past

Use these mental tools in your course to communicate information and assist students improve their thinking skills. Arranging their ideas into comprehensive structures can help students develop an comprehension of the subject.

Note-taking

Note-taking is among the most efficient methods for students to increase their active listening skills and comprehension of the subject as well as memory retention. Therefore, encourage pupils to note down salient points as they move throughout your class.

Not only do notes on the purpose and meaning of concepts make them more readable, but note-takers are able to have a reference that they can refer to anytime if they forget something.

Integrate cognitive-learning strategies into your online course