"To instruct someone… is not a matter of getting him to commit results to mind. Rather, it is to teach him to participate in the process that makes possible the establishment of knowledge. Knowing is a process not a product. "  Jerome Bruner (1966: 72)

 

Cognitivism is difficult to neatly define because the theories of Social Cognitivism and Cognitive Load are intricately intertwined. Connectivism, however, is more easily definable. The following brief summaries will focus on their distinctives, strengths, weaknesses, and applications for teaching and learning.

 

COGNITIVISM is a learning theory that focuses on how the mind gets, processes, and stores information. Information comes in as an input, the mind processes that information, and then it is stored until it is needed to be referenced later. Learning is a very structured and orderly process, and learners are active participants in the learning process. Teachers can utilize this approach effectively by structuring lessons in an orderly fashion, and by chunking content into small units. 

 

SOCIAL COGNITIVISM, also known as Social Learning Theory, asserts that a person learns both internally and by observing others (models) within social contexts and imitation. One teaching application is to include opportunities for social collaboration, mentoring, and practical demonstrations. 

 

COGNITIVE LOAD declares that a learner's brain processes incoming information through their immediate environment in their sensory memory, which moves to working memory, and finally to long-term memory. The brain can only hold and process a finite amount of information in the working memory at one time. Therefore, it is imperative to design learning experiences that focus on the main points, eliminate extraneous distractions/activities, and chunk content into bite-sized units.  

 

CONNECTIVISM is a learning theory that asserts that "knowledge is a networked product. In a networked world, learning is a network-forming process" (Siemens, retrieved 9/15/17 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yx5VHpaW8sQ). Knowledge is out in the world, outside the learner, and so the learner must make connections between informational inputs to create knowledge. These connections form a learning network. A strength of this theory is that knowledge exists in a variety of spaces that can be easily accessed (peers, technology). However, this may also be considered a weakness since finding reliable, trusted, credible sources of information can be time-consuming and challenging.

 

 

A learning scenario comparing COGNITIVISM & CONNECTIVISM: I work in a higher education setting and am responsible for conducting faculty workshops. The objective is to equip and develop our faculty in teaching techniques and educational technology tools. Using a Cognitivism learning approach, I could facilitate an organized and structured training, ensure that main topics are broken down into smaller units (chunking), and design the learning experience in such a way that minimizes unnecessary information in order to allow learners to adequately process the information being taken in to avoid cognitive overload. I could also include a social aspect to the training and model a particular behavior or skill that the learners could imitate and practice. Peer mentoring or group discussions and collaboration could also be effective examples of the social cognitive learning theory. A Connectivist learning approach could include giving a broad overview of the topic, and then allowing the learners to collaborate with one another to build their knowledge network. The learners could also use external resources such as the internet and literature to build their knowledge bases on the subject area. As the learners come into contact with other sources of information, they form their own connections to create new knowledge.

 

CITATION

Bruner, J. S. (1966) Toward a Theory of Instruction, Cambridge, Mass.: Belkapp Press. 

Siemens, G. (2014, January 21). Supporting and advancing learning and teaching [Video file]. Retrieved

             from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yx5VHpaW8sQ