Understanding Learning: The Role of Information Processing

Cognitive theories of learning highlight how we handle information, which makes learning better. Information processing is how we organize, keep, and get back information. Instead of just looking at what someone does (like behaviorist theories), cognitive theories look at what happens in our minds.

Breaking Down Information Processing

1. Stages of Information Processing:

   • Encoding: This is the first step when we change what we see or hear into something we can understand. It’s important because 90% of what we get from the world is forgotten quickly! We need good encoding techniques to remember important stuff.

   • Storage: Here, we keep information either in short-term memory (STM) or long-term memory (LTM). Short-term memory can hold about 5 to 9 pieces of information at a time. To remember better, we can use chunking, which means breaking information into smaller parts. For example, we write phone numbers in chunks.

   • Retrieval: This is when we go back and find the information we stored. Research shows that having good retrieval cues—like hints or connections to what we’ve learned—can help us remember much better. Practicing to recall information can help us remember 75% more compared to just looking over notes passively.

2. How This Affects Learning:

   • Cognitive load theory suggests that we can only handle a certain amount of information at once. If we balance this load well, we can learn better. For example, if we have to focus on too many things at once, understanding goes down. Mixing pictures and words together can help improve understanding by 50%.

   • Studies show that when we actively work with information—like by explaining it to someone else or summarizing it—we remember it better. According to some research by Hattie (2009), practices that make us think more deeply about what we learn can greatly boost our learning progress.

Learning with Constructivist Approaches

Constructivism works well with cognitive theories. It suggests that we learn by building knowledge through our experiences. Here are some key points:

1. Active Learning:

   • Active learning methods, such as solving problems or doing experiments, help students mix new ideas with what they already know. A study by Freeman et al. (2014) found that students using active learning did 6% better on tests than those who only listened to lectures.

2. Social Constructivism:

   • Vygotsky's theory tells us that learning is a social activity, and working with others helps us learn. This theory says that we understand better when we team up. Research shows that students working in small groups can learn about 20% more than those working alone.

3. Scaffolding:

   • Scaffolding means teachers give temporary help to support learning. Studies show that with the right support, students can tackle harder tasks and understand them better. This leads to more knowledge and better memory.

Wrapping Up

In summary, how we process information is key to learning better. Using effective ways to encode, store, and retrieve information greatly helps our learning. Combining cognitive theories and constructivist ideas gives us a clear way to see how we learn. When we actively engage, work together, and get structured support, we can process information much more deeply, leading to improved learning results. Knowing and using these ideas in education can really help students remember more, perform better, and understand what they learn.