Cognitive Theories of Learning (Entry 3)

As soon as I hear, taste, see, feel, or smell something, my brain/mind immediately begins to make sense of what it is experiencing. Ultimately, Slavin (2020) refers to “the human mind [as] a meaning maker” (p. 127). The information that I take in either remains in my memory for only a small period of time, or it is stored for a much longer time frame. Irrelevant information can instantly be scrapped from my memory, or information can be remembered for a short time then forgotten. 

Notably, the way in which we absorb information is addressed by cognitive learning theorists, who have coined the information-processing theory. The information-processing theory “...describes the processing, storage, and retrieval of knowledge in the mind” (Slavin, 2020, p. 127). All in all, I feel that I, as an educator, must take into context what all this means for the sake of my students when I present them with content. Whether they learn/retain the material or not is ultimately up to them. My students are in complete control throughout the entire learning process.  

Concerning the context of my classroom, the executive process of the information-processing theory is significant to consider with my students. All day long, my students are taking in information through my lessons, discussions, and educational videos among other ways. They are receiving this information either consciously or unconsciously, depending on their level of interest for the material being presented. If a student is thoroughly interested in what is being taught, there is a very good chance he or she will think hard about the topic, and they will proceed to store it in their long-term memory. When able to store what one has learned in their long-term memory, they should be able to demonstrate mastery on tests and assignments with the material. 

For example, I could conduct a science experiment with my students where I use mentos and a 2-liter coke. We, as a class, will measure how high the coke shoots up per how many mentos we drop into the bottle. We would start the first trial with one mento and keep going until we have dropped in 5 mentos. This hands-on experiment would undoubtedly initiate interest and have students highly engaged. With students taking interest in this activity, they will most likely store what they have learned about measurement in their long-term memory and be able to apply this knowledge to other scenarios in the future. 

To become a better teacher, I can use what I have learned to help students truly think about their learning. Instead of simply providing students with information and hoping they retain it for tests and such, I can teach them specific metacognitive skills beforehand. These skills will help them “assess their own understanding, [figure] out how much time they will need to study something, and [choose] an effective plan of attack to examine or solve problems” (Slavin, 2020, p. 152). With that being said, the skills I teach my students will undoubtedly lead to significant improvement within their academic performance. 

Furthermore, after reading this chapter, I do not have any additional questions that come to mind regarding cognitive theories of learning. I feel that this chapter greatly covered all the questions I had prior. There were several unique, effective practices and skills that I will most definitely utilize within my classroom. When I can get students genuinely thinking about their learning and their thinking, the possibilities will be limitless. They will be able to think critically about their thinking processes and implement effective methods to work through any challenging assignments and such that they encounter. 

References

Slavin, R. E. (2020). Educational psychology: Theory and practice (13th ed.). Pearson

Education.