Week 8: On Being Mental

So today we started discussing cognitive learning theory.  I thought I understood, but then my understanding turned to mush in class when I tried to apply what I read.  Apparently "it' in there", finding it is the issue. 

About today's class and cognitive instructional strategies. 

1. Tiffany typically uses questions to have us apply what we've learned, and to INFER if learn has occurred.  Tonight was no difference.  
2. Periodically through out class she would ask us to define "learning" from a cognitive theory perspective to help us internalize the definition of learning for cognitivists.   
3. While reviewing famous cognitive theorists, she asked us to supply key terms and ideas for each theorist, and provided cues to help us supply the terms she wanted.  
4. While discussing perception, she went to a website where we looked at several images that were specifically designed to be interpeted in two ways.  This was a concrete and fun example to illustrate that perception is in the eye of the observer.
5. Several activities fostered deeper learning
1. the learning strategies exercise that we did in small groups
2. the exercise where we practiced applying cognitive concepts to one of three practice learning situation
3. after each group activity, she had us summarize what our groups discussed or created
6. Her powerpoint presentation served as way to organize some of the cognitive information we have read.
7. Scaffolded our learning about how to create instructional strategies by starting with an overview of the 9 point model for cognitive learning, then asked us what cognitive instruction is trying to achieve, then introduce Gagne' 9 events of instruction as a cognitive instructional theory, which applies the 9 point model for cognitive learning to instruction.

That's all I can retrieve for now.