Cognitivist approaches focused on what exactly happens in the brain between stimulus and response. Like behaviourism, cognitivism is prescriptive and cognitive theorists believe that human behaviour and thought processes are predictable. The role of the instructional designer then, is to figure out which stimulus will lead to a desired outcome or response. In other words, cogntitivists believe that they can control the learning processing to achieve learning outcomes. The cognitivist theorist, Gagne, attempted to outline a theory of instruction and identified a taxonomy of learning outcomes and events of instruction.
Information processing theory has had a strong influence on educational technology, and is largely connected with technologies such as intelligent tutoring systems (ITS) and artificial intelligence (AI).
In the previous two sections we have covered some good background information on Information Processing Theory. In the first section we reviewed the key concepts of the theory including the three stages of information processing and some key ideas that could impact lesson planning. Moving to the second major section of our blog we introduced you to influential theorists associated with the theory whose work is the basis for the model as it stands today.
Our next step is to take that information presented in the key concepts constructed by the theorists and put it to use in designing lesson material. Often educators use techniques that hit on key principles of the Information Processing Theory in the classroom, but how does this translate into an online environment? Below is a combination of information presented by W. Huitt in the paper “The information processing approach to Cognition” (Huitt, 2003). Huitt’s paper focused on the classroom experience. In order to demonstrate how the principles presented by Huitt transfer to online learning the classroom examples given by Huitt are included. The third column contained additional information from Alonso et al.’ s paper “An instructional model for web-based e-learning education with a blended learning process approach” has been incorporated to make the connection with the design of online learning materials (Alonso et al. 2005. P 228.). Additional examples, links, and tools have been added into the final column to provide educators with real world examples that can be implemented.
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USING THE INFORMATION PROCESSING APPROACH |
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Huitt’s Principles |
Huitt’s Examples |
Alonso’s Examples |
Tools, concepts and links that could be used to illustrate examples |
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1. Gain the students’ attention. |
Use cues to signal when you are ready to begin. Move around the room and use voice inflections. |
Visual formats, texts, fonts colours.
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Complementary colour scheme, clear easy to read font. |
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2. Bring to mind relevant prior learning. |
Review previous day’s lesson. Have a discussion about previously covered content. |
Language, Vocabulary Questions
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Create an infographic on previously presented information |
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3. Point out important information. |
Provide handouts. Write on the board or use transparencies. |
Text incrusted in pictures and audio |
Provide links to videos that reinforce important information Add annotations to youtube videos to reinforce important points. |
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4. Present information in an organized manner. |
Show a logical sequence to concepts and skills. Go from simple to complex when presenting new material. |
Remove Ornamental materials Presentation as text and pictures |
A webquest is a practical way to have students build from a simple concept to a more complex one following a step by step process. |
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5. Show students how to categorize (chunk) related information. |
Present information in categories. Teach inductive reasoning. |
Knowledge organisers (indices, objectives preliminary questions) Conceptual maps Process Diagrams |
Have student create Glogs to create an interactive online poster of their understanding of a topic area Students can use a program, such as mindjet, to create a concept map and present to other students. |
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6. Provide opportunities for students to elaborate on new information. |
Connect new information to something already known. Look for similarities and differences among concepts. |
Forums and dialogues with tutors and fellow students |
Use an online forum where students can post their ideas and have other students comment on them. |
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7. Show students how to use coding when memorizing lists. |
Make up silly sentence with first letter of each word in the list. Use mental imagery techniques such as the keyword method. |
Checklists Questions and sentences aimed at the thought process |
Use popular and appropriate memes to have students associate keywords with concepts. |
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8. Provide for repetition of learning. |
State important principles several times in different ways during presentation of information (STM). Have items on each day’s lesson from previous lesson (LTM). Schedule periodic reviews of previously learned concepts and skills (LTM). |
Encourage distributed and extensive practice Simulations |
Online simulations, such as second life, could be used to create online role playing exercises. |
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9. Provide opportunities for overlearning of fundamental concepts and skills. |
Use daily drills for arithmetic facts. Play form of trivial pursuit with content related to class |
Encourage distributed and extensive practice |
Create online trivia games that allow students to review key facts. Encourage the exploration of concepts through educational games (such as this one exploring the concept of relativity) |
Alonso, F., Lopez, G., Manirique, D., & Vines, J. (2005). An instructional model for web-based e-learning education withe a blended learning process approach. British Journal of Education Technology, 36(2), 217-235. Retrieved from:http://aulatika.net/app/download/1629822702/An+instructional+model+for+web-based+e-learning+education.pdf.
Harasim, L. (2011). Learning Theory and Online Technology: How New Technologies are Transforming Learning Opportunities. New York: Routledge Press.
Huitt, W. (2003). The information processing approach to cognition. Educational Psychology Interactive. Valdosta, GA: Valdosta State University. Retrieved [date] from, http://www.edpsycinteractive.org/topics/cognition/infoproc.html
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