Cognitive learning theory focuses on how people think and process information. Key aspects include that learning is an active process where learners construct their own understanding, and that mental processes like observing and categorizing are important. Theorists discussed include Piaget, who identified stages of cognitive development, Bruner, who described modes of thinking, and Ausubel, who emphasized meaningful learning by relating new concepts to prior knowledge. The theory emphasizes giving learners opportunities to actively engage with and make sense of new information.

1. COGNITIVE LEARNING THEORY

2.  Cognitive School
– Information Theorists
– Constructivists
 Constructivist View – individuals are
actively involved in constructing their
personal understanding of their experiences,
more concerned with learning processes
than content

3.  Main Assumption – Learning results from
internal mental activity and not on externally
imposed stimuli
 Focus: the mental processes involved in
learning – observing, categorizing, making
generalizations to make sense of the input /
to work out how the language system works

4.  Role of learner: - Active participant in the
learning process, using various strategies to
process information

5. Jean Piaget
 Renowned for his model of child
development and learning. He identified 4
developmental stages and the cognitive
processes associated with each of them

6. Developmental Stages
 Sensori-motor - makes sense of his
environment through the basic senses
 Intuitive /Pre-operational - Thoughts more
flexible, memory and imagination begin to
play a part in learning, capable of more
creativity

7.  Concrete Operational – Can go beyond the
basic information given, but still dependent
on concrete material and examples to
support reasoning
 Formal Operational – Abstract reasoning
becomes increasingly possible

8. Assimilation, Accommodation and
Equilibration
 Accommodation – The process by which we
modify what we already know to take into
account the new information
 Assimilation – The process by which new
knowledge is changed / modified / merged in
our minds to fit into what we already know

9.  Equilibration – the balance between what is
known and what is currently being
processed, mastery of the new material
 Learning is the process of relating new
information with what was previously learnt
 Learning is cumulative

10. Jerome Bruner
 View of Learning
– Development of conceptual understanding,
cognitive skills and learning strategies rather than
the acquisition of knowledge
– Learners must be encouraged to discover
solutions via appropriate tasks which require the
application of relevant critical thinking skills

11. Bruner – Modes of Thinking
 Extended aspects of Piaget’s theory. He
identified three ways in which learners make
sense of input
 Enactive Level – learning takes place via
direct manipulation of objects and materials
 Iconic Level – Objects are represented by
visual images and are recognized for what
they represent

12.  Symbolic Level – Learning can take place
using symbols, objects and mental images.
Language is used to represent thoughts and
experiences

13. Application in the Classroom
 The importance of providing opportunities for
learners to be actively engaged in making
sense of the language input through
meaningful tasks
 Providing opportunities for learners to
develop the ability to analyze the language,
make generalizations about rules, take risks

14. in trying the language, and to learn from
errors
 Catering for interaction of learner with
curriculum material and the learning
environment
 Catering for the three modes of thinking
(Bruner)

15.  The need to organize and structure learning
activities. The requirements of the task must
be appropriate to the developmental stage
(Piaget, Bruner) and the conceptual stage
(Bloom) of the learner
 The cumulative nature of learning requires
frequent opportunities for reviewing
previously learnt material

16. David Ausubel
 Stressed the importance of active mental
participation in meaningful learning tasks
 Learning must be meaningful to be effective
and permanent
 Makes a distinction between meaningful
learning and rote learning

17.  Meaningful Learning – relatable to what
one already knows so it can be easily
integrated in one’s existing cognitive
structure
 Rote Learning – the material to be learnt is
not integrated / subsumed into an existing
cognitive structure but learnt as isolated
pieces of information

18. Implications for Classroom
 Teacher has to enhance the meaningfulness
of new material to increase the chances of its
being anchored to what is already known
 New material must be organized to be easily
relatable to what is already known
 New material must be appropriately
sequenced to facilitate integration

19.  Use of advance organizers. These facilitate
the learning process by providing ideas to
which the new knowledge can be attached
– Introductory material presented in advance of the
new material
– Information that activates relevant background
knowledge

20. – Material that orients learners to the subject matter
and relates new learning to what is already known
– Can take the form of textual material, pictures,
titles, topic summaries, questions