Cognitivism

 

This theory was founded by father Jean Piaget and it’s based on the thought process behind the behaviour. Changes in behaviour are observed, and used as indicators as to what is happening inside the learner's mind. Cognitive theory describes how learners think and process content and learning experiences. Following an information processing model of instruction, cognitive centers on concepts like attention, cognitive load, encoding and schemata. Cognitive seeks to identify ways to minimize the cognitive load of learners and assist them in encoding what they study Content is presented in chunks which facilitates comprehension and memorization. In Cognitive theory, learners are encouraged to apply principles of the content to real world examples, and to critique relevant viewpoints, principles and tenets.Cognitive theorists recognize that much learning involves associations established through contiguity and repetition just like the behaviorist do. They also acknowledge the importance of reinforcement, although they stress its role in providing feedback about the correctness of responses over its role as a motivator. However, even while accepting such behaviorist concepts, cognitive theorists view learning as involving the acquisition or reorganization of the cognitive structures through which humans process and store information. Gestalt views of learning have been incorporated into what have come to be labeled cognitive theories. Two key assumptions underlie this cognitive approach: (1) that the memory system is an active organized processor of information and (2) that prior knowledge plays an important role in learning. Cognitive theories look beyond behaviour to explain brain-based learning. Cognitivists consider how human memory works to promote learning. For example, the physiological processes of sorting and encoding information and events into short term and long term memory are important to educators working under the cognitive theory. The major difference between Gestaltists and behaviorists is the locus of control over the learning activity: the individual learner is more key to gestaltists than the environment that behaviorists emphasize The advantage of this approach is that the learner in this approach reflects and obtains a reason for doing a particular thing and actually takes part in the operation thus gaining experience. Why the disadvantage is that the memory of the child is over worked upon.

Benjamin Bloom, became one of the most influential theorists to promote mastery learning and higher level thinking. The epitome of Bloom’s work was intentionally focused on organizing educational objectives according to their cognitive complexity. Bloom was interested in providing a useful practical tool that was congruent with what was understood about the features of the higher mental processes. Thus, he created Blooms Taxonomy. He discovered that the higher order thinking was dependent on the level that preceded it. In other words, students needed to be able to recall information to then comprehend, to analyze, then to apply it, and so on. Bloom discovered that the goal of teaching needed to be geared toward the designing of tasks so students were led to the realization of the objectives vs. given the objectives for recall. Recently, Bloom's Taxonomy has been revisited and revised after determining that Synthesis was a higher thinking process than evaluation. It was also revised to show "verbs" instead of "nouns."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jt3-PIC2nCs :
Learn about the stages and developmental milestones in Piaget's theory of cognitive development.