4: cognitive learning

What are the essential skills and/or learning outcomes you want your students to know and be able to do that relate to cognitive learning?

While I think my personal theory of learning leads more to constructivism and social cognitive theory, there are still some aspects of the cognitive theory of learning that I want to implement in my classroom.

First is the thought that children construct knowledge rather than absorbing it.  I want my students to be active and engaged participants in their learning. It wouldn't be very interesting for any of us to listen to me talk all day. I think that this constructive idea would add ownership for the kids, which could assist interest and motivation.

Piaget's cognitive learning theory explains that "interactions with one's physical and social environments are essential for cognitive development". For the social aspect- want my students to be interactive and work together. I believe that kids can sometimes learn better from each other than they can from a teacher. Beyond just that, I think these interactions would help students mature and develop socially.  These encounters can teach children about understanding different perspectives, patience, and being socially considerate. For the physical aspect of Piaget's theory, I want my students to be able to have hands-on learning experiences to bring a deeper level of understanding to the content. I also want to provide opportunities for authentic learning so the students can transfer their knowledge into real world situations.

This is a link to an article on the livestrong website. The article quickly explains the basics of cognitive learning, its relation to memory (next blog post!), and discusses application.
http://www.livestrong.com/article/151537-cognitive-learning-in-children/

This link goes to an article about the importance of cognitive learning, what cognitive skills look like, and how to identify and adjust these skills.
http://www.learningrx.com/cognitive-learning-styles.htm