Thursday, July 16, 2009
Cognitivism in Practice
I do not remember exactly where I read this, and I did not find it when I went looking. The general idea was that when we are learning something new, it must have some connection to what was already known in order for it to really stick. This is a key for me as a teacher. Where students need, I must help to provide those links to prior knowledge. Using concept mapping or rubrics helps students create a framework to manage new material. It makes it easier to “interact with information in order to acquire, synthesize, create, and share new knowledge,” Robertson, B., Elliot, L., & Robinson, D. (2007).
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Douglas,
ReplyDeleteYour are right, cognitivism is all about the connections in knowledge. One thing that I have found is that I am always more than willing to go into the connections about the content, but I will have students ask "Is that going to be on the test?" or they will flat out tell me they don't care where a formula comes from or science applications to a property. Students are seemingly ready to just take in and forget information rather than really learning it.
Have you run into this too?
Tyler
No doubt that connections are key to student learning. I have found that when students are able to really see connections being made and that their learning is more focused in something like a concept map, they are more willing to participate in class discussions. They seem to be more confident in knowing things about a particular topic that they can tie in with it.
ReplyDeleteMagan
Doug,
ReplyDeleteI also agree that making connections is a vital pat of helping students find a ‘place’ in their memory for what we are teaching them. One question I run into quite often is “when are we ever going to use this?” Quite honestly some of the things I have to teach my students they will only use in school and will never use in their ‘real-life’. Of course I cannot tell them that so I find myself searching for ways for them to connect the information to something they can relate to. Sometimes subject matter makes it tough to connect, but I keep looking. Hopefully concept mapping will be something I can use in class for students to connect their learning. As a math teacher, I stress to my students how one concept builds and leads to the next, concept mapping may be a way for them to see the connections.
~Leilani
Doug,
ReplyDeleteI always try to get the student's interest by asking them about prior experiences with whatever subject we are talking about. They might not have any examples at first, but once others start giving examples, the next thing I know, we have talked all class hour about the one subject. The students respond much more positively when they can relate to the material, and are much more engaged with the class. Good luck with making connections,
Mike