Reflections on Cognitivism

Cognitivism is a teaching approach that is teacher-centered. The learner recieves the information, stores it in short-term memory, and with fluency practice can transfer knowledge into long-term memory. This approach focuses on students memorizing lower level facts. These lower level facts are the foundation for learning higher-level skills.

Cognitivism differs from behaviorism in that cognitive psychology focuses on the internal processes that take place in the mind during learning. Behaviorism is strictly based upon a student's response to stimuli. Also, cognitivism tries to help develop instructional strategies that will help the student with recall and to use knowledge already learned in a different application or context.

Strategies that can help students learn and better understand the material can be graphic organizers, mnemonic devices, metaphors, chunking of information, and organizing instructional materials from simple to complex.  The computer is a great way to help with these strategies. The computer can act as a tutor to teach the new material. In this way, students can work at their own pace through the computer program and they can revisit portions of the  program when needed for reinforcement.  The computer can also offer simulations that help the student apply the new material to real-life situations. Computer games can also be used to promote group interaction and collaboration. Problem-solving programs engage students to use higher-level thinking skills such as logic, reasoning, pattern recognition, and strategies.  This differs from computer programs that are behaviorist in that they require students to do more than just memorize.

I have learned that cognitivism is one step up from behavorism. The cognitivist approach still simply transfers new material to the student, but also it helps the students create strategies for remembering the material. Just like with behaviorism, I never would have thought that I used cognitivist strategies in my teaching, but after reading the various ways we can use this approach, I realize I was using them all along. This approach certainly has its place in the classroom, especially when technology is used. What a boring class it would be if the teacher simply lectured to her students all day just to have them regurgitate it back on a test. With technology, you can make learning more interesting and fun for the students as well as helping them relate the material to real-life simulations and incorporate higher-level thinking skills. Cognitivist approaches, when used with other pedagogies can certainly be an asset in any curriculum.