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Pedagogical Approach

Cognitivism

Also Known As Cognitive Learning Theory
Learning Theory Paradigms
Gear Inside a Head

The pedagogical approach that focuses on what happens inside the mind, drawing on theory about processing facts and cognitive load, so a teacher chunks explanations into small parts and uses worked examples as an effective strategy.

Facts
Central Question
What internal mental processes, plans and strategies does a learner use to make sense of new information? 1
Most Effective For
Well-structured instruction that helps learners build plans and strategies rather than habits, and that accounts for individual differences in cognitive style and prior knowledge. 1
Cognitivism
Filter Results3 entries
FAQs

Is cognitivism only useful for higher education?

No. It fits higher education especially well, but the same source says it still applies to school-age teaching as a way of building learners' own mental processes rather than just their behaviour.

Teaching in a Digital Age argues that cognitive approaches, with their focus on comprehension, analysis, synthesis, evaluation and problem-solving, fit much better with higher education than behaviourism does. The same source adds that a cognitivist approach still has a place in school-age education, where it means teaching learners how to learn and building stronger mental processes for future learning, rather than only shaping their observable behaviour.
Connections

Associated With

Classifies cognitive processes; widely used across pedagogical approaches but rooted in cognitivist thinking about levels of understanding.

Developed By

Jean Piaget, Thinkers
Source Encyclopaedia Britannica

Includes

Allan Paivio, Thinkers
Source Wikipedia: Atkinson-Shiffrin Memory Model
Source Wikipedia
Additional Source UIC Center for the Advancement of Teaching Excellence, Teaching GuidesBloom's Taxonomy guide, cognitive domain
Carol Dweck, Thinkers
Source Cognitive Strategy (Wikipedia)
Source Cognitive Style (Wikipedia)
Source Wikipedia: Concept Learning
Source Conceptual change (Wikipedia)
Source Cumulative Learning (Wikipedia)
Source David Ausubel (Wikipedia)
Source Elaborative Interrogation (Wikipedia)
Source Wikipedia: Epistemic Cognition
Source Wikipedia: Forgetting curve
Source Generation effect (Wikipedia)
Source Goal orientation (Wikipedia)
Source Implicit Learning (Wikipedia)
Source Instructional Theory (Wikipedia)
Source Wikipedia: Intelligent Tutoring System
Jean Piaget, Thinkers
Source Jerome Bruner (Wikipedia)
John Sweller, Thinkers
Source K. Anders Ericsson (1947-2020): The World's Foremost Expert on Expert Performance
Source Melodic Learning (Wikipedia)
Source Mental management (Wikipedia)
Source Wikipedia: Metacognition
Source Wikipedia: Method of loci
Source Peer Learning (Wikipedia)
Additional Source Piaget's theory of cognitive development (Wikipedia)Piaget's theory of cognitive development, lead section
Source Rehearsal (educational psychology) (Wikipedia)
Source Rote Learning (Wikipedia)
Source Science of reading (Wikipedia)
Source Sidney L. Pressey (Wikipedia)
Source Wikipedia: Spaced repetition
Source Spiral approach (Wikipedia)
Source Wikipedia: Subgoal labeling
Source Baddeley's model of working memory (Wikipedia)
Source Writing process (Wikipedia)
Source Wikipedia: Zeigarnik effect
Sources
1. infed, the encyclopedia of pedagogy and informal education
  • The cognitive orientation to learning page
    Where behaviourists looked to the environment, those drawing on Gestalt turned to the individual's mental processes. In other words, they were concerned with cognition, the act or process of knowing.
  • The cognitive orientation to learning page, Hartley's principles
    Learning results from inferences, expectations and making connections. Instead of acquiring habits, learners acquire plans and strategies, and prior knowledge is important.
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Structural Learning, Pedagogy Explained
Structural LearningPedagogy Explained, Five Pedagogical Approaches Explained, Cognitivism
Quote, Pedagogy Explained, Five Pedagogical Approaches Explained, Cognitivism
focuses on what happens inside the mind...chunk their explanations into small parts
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Teaching in a Digital Age
Tony Bates Associates LtdCh 2.4 Cognitivism, section 2.5.3 Applications of cognitivist learning theory
Quote, Ch 2.4 Cognitivism, section 2.5.3 Applications of cognitivist learning theory
Cognitive approaches to learning, with a focus on comprehension, abstraction, analysis, synthesis, generalization, evaluation, decision-making, problem-solving and creative thinking, seem to fit much better with higher education than behaviourism, but even in school/k-12 education, a cognitivist approach would mean for instance focusing on teaching learners how to learn, on developing stronger or new mental processes for future learning, and on developing deeper and constantly changing understanding of concepts and ideas.
View the Source
Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.Developed By: Jean PiagetView the Source
Wikipedia
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Multiple Intelligences Theory, Theory of multiple intelligences article, cognitive framing
Quote, Includes: Multiple Intelligences Theory, Theory of multiple intelligences article, cognitive framing
In 1983, the field of cognitive neuroscience was embryonic, but Gardner was one of the early psychological theorists to describe direct links between brain systems and intelligence.
View the Source
UIC Center for the Advancement of Teaching Excellence, Teaching Guides
Includes: Bloom's Taxonomy, Bloom's Taxonomy guide, cognitive domain
Quote, Includes: Bloom's Taxonomy, Bloom's Taxonomy guide, cognitive domain
The cognitive domain is focused on intellectual skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and creating a knowledge base.
View the Source
Baddeley's model of working memory (Wikipedia)
Includes: Working Memory Model, Lead paragraph
Quote, Includes: Working Memory Model, Lead paragraph
Baddeley's model of working memory is a model of human memory proposed by Alan Baddeley and Graham Hitch in 1974, in an attempt to present a more accurate model of primary memory (often referred to as short-term memory).
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Conceptual change (Wikipedia)
WikipediaIncludes: Conceptual Change, Lead paragraph
Quote, Includes: Conceptual Change, Lead paragraph
Research in four different fields, cognitive psychology, cognitive developmental psychology, science education, and history and philosophy of science - has sought to understand this process.
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Cognitive Style (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Cognitive Style, Lead paragraph
Quote, Includes: Cognitive Style, Lead paragraph
Cognitive style or thinking style is a concept used in cognitive psychology to describe the way individuals think, perceive and remember information.
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Rehearsal (educational psychology) (Wikipedia)
Includes: Rehearsal (Educational Psychology), Lead paragraph
Quote, Includes: Rehearsal (Educational Psychology), Lead paragraph
A person can do this by saying aloud or thinking of material repeatably until it becomes a part of the working memory.
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Spiral approach (Wikipedia)
Includes: Spiral approach, Lead paragraph
Quote, Includes: Spiral approach, Lead paragraph
Throughout instruction, both the initial basic facts and the relationships to later details are repeatedly emphasized to help enter into long-term memory.
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Peer Learning (Wikipedia)
Includes: Peer Learning, Lead paragraph
Quote, Includes: Peer Learning, Lead paragraph
One of the most visible approaches to peer learning comes out of cognitive psychology, and is applied within a "mainstream" educational framework: "Peer learning is an educational practice in which students interact with other students to attain educational goals." Other authors including David Boud describe peer learning as a way of moving beyond independent to interdependent or mutual learning among peers.
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Mental management (Wikipedia)
Includes: Mental Management, Lead paragraph
Quote, Includes: Mental Management, Lead paragraph
Mental management is a concept in the field of cognitive psychology that explores the cognitive, cerebral or thought-based processes in their different forms.
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Wikipedia: Subgoal labeling
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Subgoal Labeling, Lead paragraph
Quote, Includes: Subgoal Labeling, Lead paragraph
This concept is used in the fields of cognitive science and educational psychology.
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Implicit Learning (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Implicit Learning, Lead paragraph
Quote, Includes: Implicit Learning, Lead paragraph
Implicit learning may require a certain minimal amount of attention and may depend on attentional and working memory mechanisms.
View the Source
Wikipedia: Spaced repetition
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Spaced Repetition, Lead paragraph
Quote, Includes: Spaced Repetition, Lead paragraph
The testing effect and spaced repetition can be combined to improve long-term memory.
View the Source
Science of reading (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Science of Reading, Lead paragraph
Quote, Includes: Science of Reading, Lead paragraph
Research in cognitive science and neuroscience has made significant progress in reading.
View the Source
Wikipedia: Intelligent Tutoring System
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Intelligent Tutoring System, Lead paragraph
Quote, Includes: Intelligent Tutoring System, Lead paragraph
There is a close relationship between intelligent tutoring, cognitive learning theories and design; and there is ongoing research to improve the effectiveness of ITS.
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Goal orientation (Wikipedia)
WikipediaIncludes: Goal Orientation, Lead paragraph
Quote, Includes: Goal Orientation, Lead paragraph
Developed within a social-cognitive framework, the orientation goal theory proposes that students' motivation and achievement-related behaviors can be understood by considering the reasons or purposes they adopt while engaged in academic work.
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Wikipedia: Metacognition
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Metacognition, Lead paragraph, in-approach
Quote, Includes: Metacognition, Lead paragraph, in-approach
Metacognition is an awareness of one's thought processes and an understanding of the patterns behind them.
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Generation effect (Wikipedia)
WikipediaIncludes: Generation Effect, Lead paragraph, in-approach
Quote, Includes: Generation Effect, Lead paragraph, in-approach
The generation effect is a psychological phenomenon whereby information is better remembered if it is generated from one's own mind rather than simply read.
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Wikipedia: Concept Learning
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Concept Learning, Lead paragraph, in-approach
Quote, Includes: Concept Learning, Lead paragraph, in-approach
More simply put, concepts are the mental categories that help us classify objects, events, or ideas, building on the understanding that each object, event, or idea has a set of common relevant features.
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Melodic Learning (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Melodic Learning, Lead paragraph, in-approach
Quote, Includes: Melodic Learning, Lead paragraph, in-approach
Melodic Learning is a multimodal learning method that uses the defining elements of singing (pitch, rhythm and rhyme) to facilitate the capture, storage and retrieval of information.
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Wikipedia: Epistemic Cognition
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Epistemic Cognition, Lead paragraph, in-approach
Quote, Includes: Epistemic Cognition, Lead paragraph, in-approach
Epistemic cognition, sometimes known as epistemological beliefs, or personal epistemology, is "cognition about knowledge and knowing", an area of research in the learning sciences and educational psychology.
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Wikipedia: Zeigarnik effect
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Zeigarnik Effect, Lead paragraph, in-approach
Quote, Includes: Zeigarnik Effect, Lead paragraph, in-approach
In Gestalt psychology, the Zeigarnik effect has been used to demonstrate the general presence of Gestalt phenomena: not just appearing as perceptual effects, but also present in cognition.
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Wikipedia: Forgetting curve
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Forgetting Curve, Lead paragraph, in-approach
Quote, Includes: Forgetting Curve, Lead paragraph, in-approach
The Ebbinghaus forgetting curve measures the decline of memory retention across time, showing how information is lost when there is no attempt to retain it.
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Wikipedia: Method of loci
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Method of Loci, Lead paragraph, in-approach
Quote, Includes: Method of Loci, Lead paragraph, in-approach
The method of loci is a mnemonic technique that uses visual imagination and spatial memory to organize and recall information.
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Cumulative Learning (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Cumulative Learning, Lead paragraph, in-approach
Quote, Includes: Cumulative Learning, Lead paragraph, in-approach
Cumulative learning is the cognitive process by which we accumulate and improve knowledge and abilities that serve as building blocks for subsequent cognitive development.
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Wikipedia: Atkinson-Shiffrin Memory Model
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Atkinson-Shiffrin Memory Model, Lead paragraph, in-approach
Quote, Includes: Atkinson-Shiffrin Memory Model, Lead paragraph, in-approach
The Atkinson-Shiffrin model (also known as the multi-store model or modal model) is a model of memory proposed in 1968 by Richard Atkinson and Richard Shiffrin.
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Cognitive Strategy (Wikipedia)
WikipediaIncludes: Cognitive Strategy, Lead paragraph, in-approach
Quote, Includes: Cognitive Strategy, Lead paragraph, in-approach
Cognitive strategies are the specific methods that people use to solve problems and/or exploit opportunities, including all sorts of reasoning, planning, arithmetic, etc.
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Rote Learning (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Rote Learning, Lead paragraph, in-approach
Quote, Includes: Rote Learning, Lead paragraph, in-approach
The method rests on the premise that the recall of repeated material becomes faster the more one repeats it.
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Writing process (Wikipedia)
Includes: Writing Process, Lead paragraph, in-approach
Quote, Includes: Writing Process, Lead paragraph, in-approach
A writing process is a set of mental and physical steps that someone takes to create any type of text.
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K. Anders Ericsson (1947-2020): The World's Foremost Expert on Expert Performance
Includes: K. Anders Ericsson
Quote, Includes: K. Anders Ericsson
putting FSU's Psychology Department on the map for cognitive psychology, with the emphasis on expert performance and skill acquisition
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Jerome Bruner (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Jerome Bruner, Lead section
Quote, Includes: Jerome Bruner, Lead section
Jerome Seymour Bruner (October 1, 1915, June 5, 2016) was an American psychologist who made significant contributions to human cognitive psychology and cognitive learning theory in educational psychology.
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Sidney L. Pressey (Wikipedia)
Includes: Sidney L. Pressey, Lead section
Quote, Includes: Sidney L. Pressey, Lead section
He was a cognitive psychologist who "rejected a view of learning as an accumulation of responses governed by environmental stimuli in favor of one governed by meaning, intention, and purpose".
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Elaborative Interrogation (Wikipedia)
Includes: Elaborative Interrogation, Lead section
Quote, Includes: Elaborative Interrogation, Lead section
Elaborative Interrogation is a cognitive learning strategy that enhances comprehension and retention by prompting learners to generate explanations for why certain facts or concepts are true.
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Piaget's theory of cognitive development (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Piaget's Stages of Cognitive Development, Piaget's theory of cognitive development, lead section
Quote, Includes: Piaget's Stages of Cognitive Development, Piaget's theory of cognitive development, lead section
To Piaget, cognitive development was a progressive reorganisation of mental processes resulting from biological maturation and environmental experience.
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David Ausubel (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: David Ausubel, Lead
Quote, Includes: David Ausubel, Lead
His most significant contribution to the fields of educational psychology, cognitive science, and science education learning was on the development and research on "advance organizers" (see below) since 1960.
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Instructional Theory (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Instructional Theory, Body
Quote, Includes: Instructional Theory, Body
Originating in the United States in the late 1970s, instructional theory is influenced by three basic theories in educational thought: behaviorism, the theory that helps us understand how people conform to predetermined standards; cognitivism, the theory that learning occurs through mental associations; and constructivism, the theory explores the value of human activity as a critical function of gaining knowledge.
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