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Cognitive View of Learning - Coggle Diagram
Cognitive View of Learning
Main ideas
Learning is an active mental process of acquiring, storing and retrieving knowledge
Cognitive structures change when learners connect new knowledge to what they already know
Meta-cognition supports deeper learning and self-regulation
Key Principles
Learning depends on how mind process and organize information
Prior knowledge matters- new ideas stick better when connected to existing schemas
Learners benefit from active strategies: concept mapping, retrieval practice and guided discovery
Most Surprising Principle: prior knowledge can be both HELP and HINDER- misconceptions can block new learning unless teacher shapes them.
Important Theorists & a Key Contribution/Study
Jean Piaget- Stages of cognitive development: classic conversation tasks showing how children's thinking changes qualitatively with age
Jerome Bruner- Scaffolding and Spiral Curriculum: emphasized discovery and representation modes
George A. Miller: Limits of Working Memory( the "7 +_ 2" idea)- highlights the need to chunk information
One Classroom Example
Teacher activates prior knowledge by asking students what they already know about food chains
Students then create a concept map showing producers, consumers and decomposers.
This helps them organize and connect new information into their existing schemas
Strengths of the theory
Explains how learning happens inside mind and give actionable strategies that reliably improve comprehension and retention
Limitations/Criticisms
Internal mental processes are harder to observe/measure, so it can be difficult to prove exactly what's happening
Link to my Experience
As an intern in a Grade 7 science class
Teacher began each unit with a concept map activity and short think-alouds
Students who had answers fragmented before produced clearer, structured explanations after two weeks
weaker students showed especially noticeable gains when used worked examples and stepwise scaffolds
My Question for Class
How can we design a lesson that activates student's prior knowledge without reinforcing their misconceptions, especially in mixed-ability classes?