Cognitivism Learning Theory

The theory of cognitivism in learning originates in the early twentieth century. The shift from behaviorism to cognitivism occurred because behaviorism could not explain how individuals make sense of and process information, i.e., how mental processes work. The limitations of behaviorism led to the development of the cognitive movement. Many psychologists, dissatisfied with behaviorism's focus on observable behavior, challenged its basic assumptions. They argued that prior knowledge and mental processes play a more significant role than stimuli in shaping behavior and also intervene between a stimulus and response. It is suggested that people do not respond to environmental stimuli in the same way as machines or animals.

Cognitivism is not based on the works of a single theorist or a unified group of theorists. Instead, it is informed by several theorists' contributions and is quite multifaceted. The following theorists and accompanying theories have contributed to the continuous growth of cognitive theories: Piaget's theory of individual cognitive development, Vygotsky's theory of social cognitive growth or zone of proximal development, Festinger's cognitive dissonance theory, Spiro's cognitive flexibility theory, Sweller's cognitive load theory, Bruner's cognitive constructivist learning theory, and Tolman's theory of sign learning as a bridge between behaviorism and cognitive theory.

Teaching methods based on some principles of cognitive learning theory include:

• Cognitive apprenticeship

• Reciprocal teaching

• Anchored instruction

• Inquiry learning

• Discovery learning

• Problem-based learning

The implications of cognitivism for classroom practices suggest that instructional approaches should prioritize authenticity and real-world relevance. Educators are tasked with fostering a dynamic classroom environment that promotes active engagement with instructional materials, empowering students to construct their own knowledge. Tailoring teaching methods to accommodate the diverse needs, interests, and backgrounds of students is paramount. From a cognitive perspective, as students learn through receiving, storing, and retrieving information, educators are encouraged to meticulously analyze instructional materials, appropriate tasks, and pertinent learner characteristics to facilitate effective and efficient information processing (McLeod, 2003).

Instructional materials should encompass demonstrations, illustrative examples, and constructive feedback to enable students to internalize mental models. Given that instructional material is initially processed by working memory, instructional design should aim to reduce working memory load and facilitate changes in long-term memory related to schema acquisition (Sweller, 1988). To activate and utilize schema for learning, Barton suggests that learners should be made aware of their background knowledge and exposed to strategies for bridging from prerequisite skills to learning objectives (McLeod, 2003).

Educators are also expected to possess a range of schemata for instructional activities to adeptly manage interactions between diverse goals and activities. These schemata encompass structures at varying levels of generality, including those for global activities such as checking homework and smaller units of activity such as distributing materials to the class (Leinhardt and Greeno, 1986). Employing advanced organizer techniques, educators assist students in comprehending and organizing ideas, concepts, themes, issues, and principles (Marzano, 1998). Students are encouraged to utilize metacognitive strategies such as goal specification, process specification, process monitoring, and disposition monitoring (Marzano, 1998, 127).

To help students process information effectively and efficiently, the teacher needs to employ the following strategies and principles when teaching their subject. The implications of cognitivism for classroom practices suggest that instruction should be authentic and real. Teachers are expected to create a rich classroom environment that encourages students to explore instructional materials and become active constructors of their own knowledge. Teaching should be tailored to the needs, interests, and backgrounds of students. From the cognitive perspective, because students learn by receiving, storing, and retrieving information, the teacher is urged to thoroughly analyze and consider the instructional materials, proper tasks, and relevant learner characteristics to help learners effectively and efficiently process the information received (McLeod, 2003).