How does the way students organize knowledge affect their learning?

D. Bonnycastle

Aug. 2011

Definition

Learning results in a permanent change in:

student’s behaviour cognitive patterns.

Learning depends on the

transformation of information

into knowledge -Dr. F. Papa

Learners come in many types

http://youtu.be/HZEmxby8g8A

Cognitive Patterns Lucy

Cognitive Patterns Schroeder

Cognitive Patterns Linus

Example of an illness pattern

Teacher’s Problem

You have complex, integrated patterns built up over time that can be retrieved from memory automatically. For you, answers to problems based on your patterns are obvious and quick to retrieve.

Student’s Problem

• Something that sounds familiar does not equal knowing

• Something memorized may not be a pattern

• Content memorized for multiple choice exams is not easily accessible later

Teacher’s Role

• Make your thinking process explicit (Intentional Role Modeling)

• Help students learn to organize content into explicit patterns.

Making Implicit Explicitfrom http://www.bmj.com/content/336/7646/718.full

How do you make

your thinking process

explicit?

How do you help students learn to organize content

into explicit patterns?