What Stood out most in Michael Orey’s discussion of cognitive learning theory was his explanation of Paivio’s dual coding hypothesis (Laureate Education Inc., 2010). When someone reads the word “boat” the brain doesn’t simply store that information as the letters, but as the letters of the word and whatever image of a boat came to the readers mind. The brain stores text and images, not simply text. Orey also described elaboration, or making connections to information, as the primary mechanism for taking information from short-term memory and storing it into long-term memory. Concept maps, advance organizers, summarizing, and note taking are all strategies that can help students make connections and meaning when processing new information.
Often text is meaningless to students because is a mass of information that they cannot make any connections with. Concept maps can take a great deal of information and organize it in a pattern where connections and importance are visually represented. Orey stated that students’ short-term memory is limited to about 7 pieces of new information at a time, so it is essential that they be able to make connections and store information into long-term memory. Having students summarize and take notes helps in this process. The PowerPoint combination notes described in Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works lets students use images, sounds, and text that have meaning for them to make connections to new information.
Getting students to recall previous information can sometimes be a challenge because students have forgotten information. Orey explains that we don’t actually lose knowledge when we forget something, we simply have lost the connection to that information and therefore can no longer retrieve it. Strategies such as cues and advance organizers can help activate prior knowledge and lay the groundwork for making connections to new information. As many of the organizers listed in Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works incorporate images, graphs, and charts, as well as text, students should have an easier time processing and storing the information according to Paivio’s dual coding hypothesis.
Sources:
Laureate Education Inc. (2009). Program five. Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology. [DVD]. Cognitive Learning Theory. Baltimore: Author.
Pittler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoskie, K. (2007). Usning technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
The lady I tutor in citizenship and reading makes a comment almost every week that the information we previously studied is no longer in her brain. I have been trying to help her make some connections to help her "trap" it in her thinking, but she has not really grasped the concept itself. Obviously, teachers cannot always be present to provide cues and organizers, so we must teach our students these skills so they can do it for themselves. Do you think the authors of Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works had that in mind when they were discussing the benefits of note taking and summarizing? By teaching students to incorporate images and cues into note taking and summaries, aren't we helping them to learn the basic skills necessary for creating connections?
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Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Dr. Orey’s discussion of dual coding also struck me as being a very powerful tool for teachers and student learning. The brains ability to store pictures with text gives students more connections for recalling or finding that information later. The increased brain connections in turn make it easier for students to build upon their learning when new concepts are added. As you stated, “text is meaningless…if they cannot make any connections”. When using cognitive strategies such as you have described, teacher can create meaningful learning experiences that build the essential brain connections critical for learning – not just memorizing. Good insights!
ReplyDeleteIt seems so basic that I am surprised I have never thought about dual coding before. When I read the word, "boat", I picture the fishing boat that I work on during summers. When I read or hear the words, "national park", I think of Olympic National Park because my father worked as a ranger there when I was growing up. We don't just remember "things", we remember our connection to these things. The question, which I think Margaret is getting at, is how do we help our students make this connection? As it is personal, it is different for everyone. Then, after the connection is made, different learners will need different cues to recall those connections. I really wish that the rest of society was able to understand the "there is no one size that fits all" problem as well as teachers are forced to.
ReplyDeleteI think most of learning is all about making connections. I think a student or even myself learns things they are not necessarily sure of something but they are able to make connections and relate to that topic. Being able to have a student relate to what you are talking about is the best way to deliever our information to them and more importantly have them process and restore that information.
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