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The Use of Cognitive Learning Theory

May 16, 2023

in the 20th century, Swiss educational psychologist, Jean Piaget, worked at the Binet Institute where he was the one who translated English intelligence questions to French. In his years at Binet Institute, Piaget became obsessed with the fact that certain children answered logically incorrectly, while others answered the answers right.

Behaviorism was the dominant theory behind this; psychologists judged children's ability to respond to these types of questions based on the way they interact with their environments.

The year 1936 was the time that Piaget advocated for a different theory -- he suggested that the internal processes of a child's brain decide what they do when it comes to logic questions. His theories on intelligence included:

  • Children's thinking develops in stages and their behaviours alter to reflect these mental developments.
  • Children's intelligence differs from adults' quality-wise (not in terms of quantity). The reason for this is that children perceive the world in different ways than adults.
  • Children don't just communicate with their surroundings but they also record details about their world and how they respond to problems that require logical thinking

Jean Piaget termed his line of thought as "cognitive learning theory". Over the years, educators all over the world have utilized techniques for cognitive learning that have helped their students to become better learners.

Check it out to find out:

What is Cognitive Learning?

"Cognitive Learning" is derived from cognition, which refers to the mental process of processing and retention information through senses, thought and experiences. Learning through cognitive processes, as a whole, is a style of learning that involves effectively maximising the brain's capabilities.

Remember your school days in high school. There was a topic that you simply loved? You found it easy to comprehend because it simply clicked for you? Did you find a notion or topic that you were difficult to understand no matter how hard you attempted?

According to Piaget's cognitive learning theory, the ability of you to understand (or not comprehend something is dependent on the way your brain mentally processes information related to that topic. But with techniques for cognitive learning that you can tackle topics that are 'naturally difficult to understand. These strategies allow you to easily make connections between new information and existing concepts, which enhances your ability to keep and recall the information.

The present day the theory of cognitive learning is divided into two categories:

  • Social cognitive theory is the notion that aspects that people are exposed to as well as the behavior they observe affect their behavior as well as how quickly their brains develop cognitionally. In other words, a child's behaviour can be affected by how they look at their teachers or peers. This is why teachers are urged to model their behavior.
  • Cognitive behavioral theory: This is the idea that how the person feels, thinks, and behaves are all interconnected, and could influence their capacity to learn. For example, if students believe that they're inept at Physics and believes they'll never comprehend it, regardless of the way it's explained, they'll likely feel frustrated and irritated during an Physics course, that can lead to low performances.

Cognitive learning strategies aim to break down barriers in learning, and provide alternatives (and more individualized) ways learners can learn. Mastering the elements will make you a better (and faster) learner and will increase your chances of excelling at everything you commit your brain to.

What are the elements of cognitive Learning?

For anyone seeking to improve something (or two), here are some essential components of cognitive learning to be aware of:

Comprehension

Memory

The practice of rushing information to remember it is an ineffective way to learn, and the cognitive methods of learning discourage the process. In the process of learning through cognitive processes, your objective is to develop a deep understanding of the topic so that you can relate concepts that are new to you with previous knowledge.

Application

The cognitive learning methods help you think about the content of your lesson or course and think out how to apply it in real-world situations. Learning this way helps you build sophisticated critical thinking abilities in problem-solving, as well as leadership traits 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 that were cognitivism and constructivism. The two concepts are similar in the sense that both concentrate on the cognitive processes that play a role in learning as opposed to only externally observable behavior. However, cognitivism and constructivism are different.

With cognitivism, people are seen as beings who are able to think and analyze the new information, without needing to actively participate in it. So rather than just being able to respond to stimuli externally and internalizing them through conditioning, learners can passively analyze the information and save it in their brains.

One of the best examples of cognitivist learning is lectures. When they are in lectures, all the students need to do is sit down in their chairs (or in front of their laptops) and listen to the teacher explaining certain notions. While note-taking can be beneficial, the learners can passively take in the information that the instructor imparts to them without taking notes.

Constructivism is, on the other hand, perpetuates the notion that we take in and interpret new information on the basis of the previous experience and knowledge. That is, they actively make their own knowledge that shapes their perspective of reality. The constructivists think that for knowledge to stay with us, learners have to actively participate in the learning process.

Therefore, instead of lecture classes, constructivist teachers tend to prefer organizing interactive group activities and teaching students how to tackle problems as well as experiments to run as well as real-world situations for them to use their skills in.

Examples of cognitive learning

There are different kinds of cognitive training. Here are 10 types of cognitive learning.

Learning implicitly

Did you learn something new, but didn't really intend to? If so, you've had the experience of the process of implicit learning. When you learn implicitly typically, you're not conscious of the entire process until you suddenly realize you have a new ability/knowledge that you didn't have before.

Things you can be taught include talking, walking and even typing fast even without having to glance at your keyboard.

Exaggerated learning

Learning is explicit when you deliberately seek to learn. In contrast to implicit learning, explicit learning requires you to continually pay attention and put in the time to be proficient in what you're learning. Some examples of explicitly learning are enrolling in an online course to learn content marketing or returning to college to get a new qualification.

Cooperative or collaborative learning

This form of learning is made up of four parts, such as:

  • Individual responsibility: Although people work together as an organization, every person should have duties they are personally responsible for.
  • Simultaneous interaction: All members of the group should be able engage in discussion about the topic they're learning and how they're each utilizing their learning.
  • Positive interdependence Each person within the group must have the responsibility for their individual, they should also be able of obtaining help from one another when they need it.
  • The equal participation in the collaborative learning environment, all members in the group is equally. Nobody is more privileged or ranks above other members.

Discovery the learning

When you continuously seek out for new information by conducting research on new concepts, ideas or subjects, you're engaged in a process of discovery. In the case of, for instance, you write an article and need tools like Hemingway Editor to edit and proofread the article, you'll wind up discovering more information about the editing software it self through exploration.

Learner-centered

Meaningful learning happens in the context of relating new information to past experiences. The result is usually transferable skills that can be used in different fields of life like the workplace and school. One example of learning that is meaningful is when you're working in marketing and you take an education in marketing strategy to increase your knowledge of the topic.

Learning to be emotionally

The process of learning about emotions helps people learn how to control their emotions, comprehend the feelings of other people and enhance their emotional intelligence. In whatever you do for work, high emotional intelligence plays a crucial part in the way you display the ability to communicate, show empathy and manage interpersonal and professional relationships.

As an example, emotional training can help you interact favorably with both introverts and extroverts whatever situation you're in. If you're in customer service, being able to deal with your emotions as well as understand other people's feelings will help you navigate customer interactions.

Learning through experience

Experience, they say, is the most effective teacher. Experience allows the person to discern and learn important life lessons learned by interacting with people. But, the information you gain in these encounters is dependent on your interpretation of them.

It means that two individuals can have the identical experience but take distinct learnings from it. As an example, if you are a CEO's shadow on the job, you might be taught the value of leadership through examples. Someone else in your position may discover how to run a productive board meeting instead.

The value you get from your experience depends on the way you think about the experience and how you relate it to present/past events.

Learning by observation

Observational learning involves imitating people with the skills or traits that you would like to possess. While this type of learning is commonly found among children (as they imitate adults) however, adults may also use it in certain contexts. You can, for instance, develop your leadership abilities by imitating your boss at the workplace. You can also learn to become a stronger team member by imitating the behavior of successful team players you collaborate with.

Learning that is receptive

If you learn during lectures where a teacher sits in the front of the class and explains a topic while the students listen, you're practicing receptive teaching. Learning this way requires participants to be active in making inquiries and recording notes.

A good example of learning through receptive is when a school or work invites professionals to instruct your students or team in a classroom room, hall or workshop in a workshop.

Non-associative learning

The process of learning that does not involve associative learning is the one where you have to adapt the new situation or object through repeated exposure. The type of learning that is separated into two groups that are habituation and sensitization.

It's the process of learning that you do by the habit of doing something. This means that your reaction to an object (or the situation) diminishes as you are exposed to the stimulus. In the case of, for instance, you're moving into a house near a railway station, you could be disturbed by the sounds of trains whizzing on the other side for a while. But the longer you live 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 the situation) increases with repeated exposure to it. In the case of a are just starting a new position as a receptionist, you will notice right away when your office phone rings. But as you stay longer in your position, you become more attuned to the sound of the phone.

Benefits of Cognitive Learning

If you want to try some cognitive learning techniques, here are a few benefits you stand to gain:

Improved comprehension

Learning through cognitive processes requires that students put what they learn into practice. A hands-on approach to learning helps students understand the nuances of the subject matter and their ability to use it in their daily lives.

Improved problem-solving abilities

Cognitive learning equips people with the necessary skills to tackle difficult issues efficiently and quickly. These skills are important at any level of leadership regardless of the context.

Learning habits that continue to improve

The process of cognitive learning encourages the enjoyment of learning by making learning new knowledge fun and invigorating. Instead of merely listening to the latest information it allows you to use your knowledge and link the information you're learning and that you already have learned.

Increased confidence

As you develop a deeper knowledge of new subjects through cognitive learning, you'll enhance your skill set and gain greater confidence when carrying out the tasks.

Faster learning

As you gain new knowledge by using cognitive learning techniques, you'll find some learning strategies that will benefit you. When you've figured out these techniques, you'll be able to learn things much faster in the future.

Cognitive Learning Strategies and Strategies to Implement It to the Education Industry

Spaced learning/repetition

What is different is that each of the three classes are based on the same topic, but in different ways. For example, the first learning period might be the video of a professor explaining the topic. The second can be a quiz testing learners their understanding of the information in the first period. And the last period might be a case of applying knowledge gained in order to tackle a task.

Ten minutes of breaks between each learning period prevent an overload of information to students. These breaks don't have to be a time for idleness; you can incorporate distractor activities like memorizing words or working out in a way that doesn't relate to the subject the subject you're presenting.

Research shows that the concept of spaced learning is an extremely effective method of learning which produces excellent results in tests as well as longer-lasting memory retention.

Reflection

In learning, reflection is when students record what they've learned from the class, as well as their lack of understanding, and how they think they can assist their teacher more effectively.

While this learning method usually is done at the end of a classroom session You can also include a reflective activity after each subject you're teaching in your online course. They'll help your students know where they're excelling and where they're not, and they'll be able to revisit difficult topics. The students will also make use of that moment to make connections between new information and previous knowledge.

Instruct your students to send their reflections activities to you by emails. This is vital because it will demonstrate to your

  • How your students are comprehending the topic
  • How effective is your method of teaching style(s) are
  • Which topic(s) you couldn't explicate clearly

If you've got this data, you'll be able to update your course accordingly and assist your students to achieve more effective results.

Graphic organizers

Graphic organizers are diagrams which show connections between ideas, information as well as ideas. Common examples of graphic organizers include pie charts, bar chart, flow charts mind maps, and spider diagrams.

The organizers let students to:

  • Take a deep look at an issue
  • Visualize procedures and processes
  • Organise your thoughts
  • Connect new knowledge and the things they've already learned previously

You can use these cognitive tools to present information and help learners improve their thinking processes. Arranging their ideas into comprehensive structures can help students develop an understanding of the topic.

Note-taking

Note-taking is among the most effective methods for students to increase their active listening skills and comprehension of the subject and retention of information. Encourage your pupils to note down important points while they progress through your course.

Not only do notes on the meaning and application of concepts make them more readable, but note-takers end up having a resource that they are able to revisit anytime if they do not remember something.

Incorporate cognitive learning strategies into your online course