This week's class focused on how cognitive structure is applied to the classroom settings. This is a very useful class and I would have been very sorry if I had missed it. Even I had a hunch I might have misunderstood some message due to the language barrier, there are so many points I find very useful in terms of application to the real life I face everyday.
First, Dr. Andy made us figure out the keyword about how the cognitive structure can help out the struggling students. As the title of the reading " Helping the struggling students learn" One of our friends came up with a technical sentence "The more the students struggle, the more suffeing they are". The point actually is helping students construct "Cognitive structure" is possible in everyone (except those people are vegetables like Dr.Andy told a story) and will help the students leverage their learning. For example, instead of talking to kids, giving them rules and theories to remember by heart, giving kids choices to solve the problem would be better off and even the best thing to make students remember and the most important of all, perceive the concepts in their own ways. Such perceiving can be leveraged into a skill where students can process the information in their own ways and translate those into their learning styles. Speaking of which, this can help students figure out how to manage their learning behaviours and become proactive in enforcing their own learning skills.
Then,there was a question if cognitive skill is a common thing all people have, why can't we teach all students to learn alike, Dr. Andy suggested it's just because "We haven't figured out how to reach the kids yet", which is a classic problem that need teacher's ethical responsibility and attention. The point is, we have to find a point to connect with the students first, then we can go abstract. We have to help students find patters to flowthrough for students to generalize. This skill can help students figure out things in their lives. (Dr. Andy also raised examples about a teacher who uses old pencils in class to teach classification and grouping) Also, there was a very interesting point about using textbook as an end point or starting point.
Last but not least, I think this week's class is a real food for thought. Dr. Andy's method of having the students talk among ourselves, gathering ideas is, in my opininon, the great example of how to implement the cognitive structure provoking activities in class.
Nuchy, you beat me to that :) You said pretty much exactly what I wanted to say :) Anyways, we talk about cognitive structure - how people make sense of information. We talk about how different people have different cognitive structure and that it is important for us, teacher, to know that, otherwise we won't be able to help our student to reach their full potential.
There are plenty possible application of this in a class.
Just like Nuchy said, do not give the students the rules directly, try to make their own rules using their own cognitive structure. If the students come up with the rule themselves, they will be more likely to remember it and follow it. As a mathematics teacher I always try to lead my students to the rule, but I like them to come up with the rule themselves. Now, if I give them a rule, they will just memorize it (maybe) and most probably forget or won't follow as they will not understand it. When they come up with the rule themselves, they will remember it as they will use their cognitive structure to remember it (yeah, it sounds confusing :))
I should also remember that it is never to learn to develop cognitive structure, it is never too late to learn.
Everyone has cognitive structure, everyone can make sense of the information they receive. Even for slower kids, they have their won cognitive structure, maybe they are a bit slower and can learn less, still they have it and it is our job to help them to learn how to learn, to help them discover it.
Nuchy asked a question if it is possible for someone to have no cognitive skills at all. Dr. Andy said that unless someone had an accident it is pretty much impossible and I agree with that. Everyone has their own ways to remember, to learn. We as teachers should help them to discover it.
there were so many useful things in the class that it is really difficult to put it in a few sentences here :)
Anyways, the class was great and I really learned a lot and will surely use the knowledge in my class.
Name: Nimol Title: Cognitive Structures: What They are and Why They Matter
Dear Dr.Andy,
Cognitive structure is the mental process of knowing, including aspects such as perception, reasoning and judgment. The students' cognitive process might be different because of their environment background and their culture. Teacher should know about the Cognitive Structures. So their strategies should include with this. Because the top students never care about how teacher teach them the lesson but it is suffer for struggle students if the teacher never know about the cognitive structure. Such as one sentence that the class rises up is "The more struggle students are, the more suffer without cognitive structure". Teacher should design the lesson in a way that supports students to interpret and especially let them give their own meaning to the events and facts to develop their thinking abilities. Moreover, Dr. Andy gave very nice example that related to the real such as one student took the ruler from their friend so that teacher went to take paper or pen from that student. Then that student would know about that feeling. Then ask students to set the rule. When the rules were set up by them, they are hard to forget it.
There are some strategies that teacher can help students develop their cognitive structures: 1. Encourage students to be reflectively responsive. 2. Encourage students to use their imaginations to visualize. 3. Encourage students to ask questions and to wonder. 4. Instead of "telling" use open-ended prompts and questions.
4 comments:
This week's class focused on how cognitive structure is applied to the classroom settings. This is a very useful class and I would have been very sorry if I had missed it. Even I had a hunch I might have misunderstood some message due to the language barrier, there are so many points I find very useful in terms of application to the real life I face everyday.
First, Dr. Andy made us figure out the keyword about how the cognitive structure can help out the struggling students. As the title of the reading " Helping the struggling students learn" One of our friends came up with a technical sentence "The more the students struggle, the more suffeing they are". The point actually is helping students construct "Cognitive structure" is possible in everyone (except those people are vegetables like Dr.Andy told a story) and will help the students leverage their learning. For example, instead of talking to kids, giving them rules and theories to remember by heart, giving kids choices to solve the problem would be better off and even the best thing to make students remember and the most important of all, perceive the concepts in their own ways. Such perceiving can be leveraged into a skill where students can process the information in their own ways and translate those into their learning styles. Speaking of which, this can help students figure out how to manage their learning behaviours and become proactive in enforcing their own learning skills.
Then,there was a question if cognitive skill is a common thing all people have, why can't we teach all students to learn alike, Dr. Andy suggested it's just because "We haven't figured out how to reach the kids yet", which is a classic problem that need teacher's ethical responsibility and attention.
The point is, we have to find a point to connect with the students first, then we can go abstract. We have to help students find patters to flowthrough for students to generalize. This skill can help students figure out things in their lives. (Dr. Andy also raised examples about a teacher who uses old pencils in class to teach classification and grouping)
Also, there was a very interesting point about using textbook as an end point or starting point.
Last but not least, I think this week's class is a real food for thought. Dr. Andy's method of having the students talk among ourselves, gathering ideas is, in my opininon, the great example of how to implement the cognitive structure provoking activities in class.
Thank you kha Dr. Andy....
Nuchy, you beat me to that :) You said pretty much exactly what I wanted to say :)
Anyways, we talk about cognitive structure - how people make sense of information. We talk about how different people have different cognitive structure and that it is important for us, teacher, to know that, otherwise we won't be able to help our student to reach their full potential.
There are plenty possible application of this in a class.
Just like Nuchy said, do not give the students the rules directly, try to make their own rules using their own cognitive structure. If the students come up with the rule themselves, they will be more likely to remember it and follow it. As a mathematics teacher I always try to lead my students to the rule, but I like them to come up with the rule themselves. Now, if I give them a rule, they will just memorize it (maybe) and most probably forget or won't follow as they will not understand it. When they come up with the rule themselves, they will remember it as they will use their cognitive structure to remember it (yeah, it sounds confusing :))
I should also remember that it is never to learn to develop cognitive structure, it is never too late to learn.
Everyone has cognitive structure, everyone can make sense of the information they receive. Even for slower kids, they have their won cognitive structure, maybe they are a bit slower and can learn less, still they have it and it is our job to help them to learn how to learn, to help them discover it.
Nuchy asked a question if it is possible for someone to have no cognitive skills at all. Dr. Andy said that unless someone had an accident it is pretty much impossible and I agree with that. Everyone has their own ways to remember, to learn. We as teachers should help them to discover it.
there were so many useful things in the class that it is really difficult to put it in a few sentences here :)
Anyways, the class was great and I really learned a lot and will surely use the knowledge in my class.
These are both very powerful and well thought out reflections!
Name: Nimol
Title: Cognitive Structures: What They are and Why They Matter
Dear Dr.Andy,
Cognitive structure is the mental process of knowing, including aspects such as perception, reasoning and judgment. The students' cognitive process might be different because of their environment background and their culture. Teacher should know about the Cognitive Structures. So their strategies should include with this. Because the top students never care about how teacher teach them the lesson but it is suffer for struggle students if the teacher never know about the cognitive structure. Such as one sentence that the class rises up is "The more struggle students are, the more suffer without cognitive structure". Teacher should design the lesson in a way that supports students to interpret and especially let them give their own meaning to the events and facts to develop their thinking abilities. Moreover, Dr. Andy gave very nice example that related to the real such as one student took the ruler from their friend so that teacher went to take paper or pen from that student. Then that student would know about that feeling. Then ask students to set the rule. When the rules were set up by them, they are hard to forget it.
There are some strategies that teacher can help students develop their cognitive structures:
1. Encourage students to be reflectively responsive.
2. Encourage students to use their imaginations to visualize.
3. Encourage students to ask questions and to wonder.
4. Instead of "telling" use open-ended prompts and questions.
Thanks,
Nimol
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