Exploring the 7 Aspects of Cognition and Learning: A Comprehensive Guide for Educators

Exploring the 7 Aspects of Cognition and Learning: A Comprehensive Guide for Educators

As educators, it is essential to understand how cognition and learning work. This knowledge can help teachers design effective instructional practices and make better decisions when it comes to student assessment, evaluation, and support.

In this article, we will explore the seven aspects of cognition and learning, a framework developed by Ellis and Bjork (2005), that can aid in understanding how students learn and retain information. We’ll delve into each aspect in detail and provide examples and case studies to illustrate how you can apply this knowledge in the classroom.

Prior knowledge

Prior knowledge refers to the information and experiences that students bring to a learning situation. It is essential to understand students’ prior knowledge because it can either help or hinder their learning. For example, if students have faulty prior knowledge on a topic, it can lead to misconceptions that can be hard to correct.

Educators can scaffold new learning by connecting it to existing knowledge or by addressing misconceptions explicitly. For instance, if students already know how to do multiplication, teachers can help them learn division by discussing the relationship between the two operations.

Cognitive load

Cognitive load refers to the amount of mental effort required to learn something new. There are three types of cognitive load – intrinsic, extraneous, and germane (Sweller, van Merriënboer, and Paas, 1998).

Intrinsic load refers to the inherent complexity of the material. Extraneous load refers to the additional cognitive effort required due to poorly designed instruction. Germane load, on the other hand, refers to the cognitive effort needed to process information that’s important for learning.

Educators can reduce cognitive load by simplifying instruction, designing clear and concise learning objectives, using multimedia, and providing feedback.

Metacognition

Metacognition refers to thinking about one’s thinking. It involves the ability to reflect upon one’s knowledge and regulate one’s learning. Students who are proficient in metacognition can monitor their own learning progress, set goals, and apply learning strategies that suit their learning style.

Educators can support metacognition by promoting reflection, assisting students in setting and monitoring their goals, explicitly teaching learning strategies, and encouraging self-assessment.

Feedback

Feedback is essential to learning and helps students understand how they are progressing and where they need improvement. Effective feedback provides specific information about how students are doing, highlights areas for improvement, and suggests ways to improve.

Feedback can be formal or informal and can come from different sources such as teachers, peers, or self-assessment. When giving feedback, educators should ensure that it’s timely, specific, and actionable.

Transfer

Transfer refers to the ability to apply knowledge and skills learned in one context to another. Transfer is crucial in education because students can encounter problems and situations that they have not been explicitly taught.

Educators can promote transfer by creating situations that demand the use of knowledge and skills in new contexts. They can build connections between the material learned and real-world situations, use analogies and examples, and encourage students to explain their thinking.

Retention

Retention refers to the ability to remember what has been learned. It is essential to assess retention because the goal of education is to create lasting knowledge and skills.

Educators can promote retention by spacing out learning over time, using varied examples, asking students to explain their thinking, and encouraging retrieval practices.

Motivation

Motivation refers to the drive and persistence that students bring to the learning situation. Motivated students are willing to put in the effort and persist through challenges.

Educators can increase student motivation by providing a supportive learning environment, using goal setting, providing meaningful feedback, and fostering a growth mindset.

Conclusion

Understanding the seven aspects of cognition and learning can help educators make sound decisions when it comes to teaching and learning. By considering prior knowledge, cognitive load, metacognition, feedback, transfer, retention, and motivation, educators can design effective instructional practices that lead to improved student outcomes. Remember to use examples and case studies to illustrate how you can apply this knowledge in practice.