The cognitive learning theory is, in simple terms, information processing. It is taking new information from short-term memory to long-term memory. This can be accomplished by using the instructional strategy's in this weeks assigned reading from Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works.
The first strategy was "Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers. I already use these for most of my lessons in the form of presenting a summary of what we will be learning, using BrainPopJr, UnitedStreaming, graphic organizers, and power point presentations as advance organizers to introduce the lesson. These techniques have all helped my students make connections, process information, and store the information in their long-term memory. I have worked with concept maps using the activboard and the Promethean Planet resources. I just didn't know it was called "concept mapping". It's nice to be able to manipulate and move the organizers around the interactive white board.
The second strategy was "Summarizing and Note-Taking. These excellent strategies to help students organize and process information. While summarizing and note-taking work for most students, I can not help but think of one particular student who had the most amazing, detailed notes but struggled with the test that came directly from their notes. The student could tell me word-for-word what was in the notes but could not get the information back on the paper due to how their brain processed information. This was extremely frustrating for both of us. I found when they added pictures, doodles, or symbols to the notes, their ability to recall the information significantly improved. For this reason, it is important to individualize our instruction to meet every students' cognitive learning needs.
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6 months ago
Every student has their own way that they learn and process information. I always encourage my students to do what they need to, to be able to remember what I am teaching. Whether it is to come up with a wacky saying or link it to something that may have happened in their life. I agree that we need to individualize instruction to be able to meet each students needs. At times it may seem difficult to do, but that is why it is so important to get to know our students and how they learn best.
ReplyDeleteThat is a great example of your student not getting the information through on the test only with notes, but that pictures were needed. It supports the use of advanced organizers and concept maps. Connecting information to pictures help students make a connection to the lesson, especially if it is meaningful to the students.
ReplyDeleteJennifer McClure
I'm impressed by the way that you use technology for "cues, questions, & organizers". It seems that you have already explored many resources and are comfortable using them regularly. Although I do utilize organizers and questioning within my lessons, I need to explore more opportunities to integrate technology.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I have found that students really find notes to be helpful in learning the material. It is interesting that you have that student who can commit the notes to rote memory, but not be able to retrieve and interpret those memories appropriately. It's great that you were able to identify his/her issue and find a way to work around it!
When I was in college, note taking was a very difficult task for me because I felt like I had to write down everything the teacher was saying in order to be able to remember everything. Just like your student though, I could remember what was in my notes but had difficulty processing it and using it on a test or writing a paper. In order for this to be a little easier process and since I am a visual learner, I did draw pictures or doodle to help me remember the information. With this being such a difficult task for me in school, I keep this in mind as I am teaching and try to vary my learning styles and individualize as much as I can.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading your post about your student's note-taking ability and their testing ability I immediately thought about visuals and illustrations; I was happy to see that you already thought about that idea! We sometimes forget that we need to adapt lessons, activities, and ideas for our students no matter the situation. We want our students to succeed and not fail based on how we "want them to learn". Good choice!
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