Volume 1: The Acquisition of Knowledge
The key to successful teaching, according to Bruer (1993), is in the application of what we know about humans as intelligent, learning, thinking creatures to the classroom context. As college teachers, we can look to cognitive research for links between the acquisition of new knowledge and educational practice. Siegler and Klahr (1982) suggest that the acquisition of new knowledge depends in predictable ways upon the interaction of existing knowledge, encoding processes, and the instructional environment.
I. Existing Knowledge
A central and consistent finding from research in cognitive psychology is that what individuals already know and how that knowledge is organized determines what and how new knowledge will be acquired (Kuhn et al., 1995). Activation of relevant prior knowledge can make learning of new content easier and more efficient (Gagne & Dick, 1983). In order to help students activate prior knowledge, try drawing analogies or suggesting examples that link new content to familiar ideas, taking an inventory of what students know about a concept before beginning instruction, or asking questions that require students to make predictions about the content. In addition to accessing relevant prior knowledge, this process may uncover misconceptions that may actually interfere with learning if left unchallenged.
II. Encoding Processes
A basic assumption of the information processing model is that humans possess a limited capacity for processing information. Miller (1956) originally identified this capacity as seven, plus or minus two. In other words, we are not able to process more than five to nine pieces of information at one time. This implies that limiting the amount of information in a class period helps to avoid cognitive overloading, which students often respond to by tuning out or getting frustrated. We can acknowledge those limits by reorganizing information into fewer, but larger chucks, each containing more information. Try condensing the information presented in each class period ito 3-5 major chunks, with subpoints and supporting material falling within each chunk.
III. Instructional Environment
Bruer suggests that the old emphasis on study skills and critical-thinking skills has been expanded to include metacognitive skills or the ability to monitor and control one's mental processing. Basic metacognitive skills include the ability to monitor one's comprehension (Do I understand this?), one's progress in problem solving toward a solution (Am I getting there?), as well as changing strategies when necessary (This isn't working, what else can I try?). Most students require actual, overt instruction in the use of metacognitive skills that is specific to the domain of knowledge being taught. Metacognitively aware instruction teaches students how to be aware of their own thinking. Try modeling this process for students by "thinking aloud" when complex, expert forms of domain specific knowledge are required in class. This allows students to have access to your more expert patterns of thought. Eventually, they will be able to take on this role for themselves.
References
Bruer, J. (1993). Schools For Thought: A Science of Learning in the Classroom. Cambridge: MIT Press.
Gagne, R., and Dick, W. (1983). Instructional Psychology. In M. Rosenzweig & l. Porter (Eds.), Annual Review of Psychology. Palo Alto, CA: Annual Reviews.
Kuhn, D., Garcia-Mila, M., Zohar, A., and Anderson, C. (1995). Strategies of Knowledge Acquisition. Vol. 60, No. 4. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development.
Miller, G.A. (1956). Human Memory and the Storage of Information. IRE Transactions of Information Today 2-3: 129-137.
Siegler, R.S., and Klahr, D. (1982). When Do Children Learn? The Relationship Between Existing Knowledge and the Acquisition of New Knowledge. In R. Glaser (Ed.), Advances in Instructional Psychology, Vol. 2. New York: Erlbaum.
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