Learning Theorist: Cognitivism By: JaRhonda Davis.

Maria Montessori

Learning Theorist: Cognitivism By: JaRhonda Davis

Maria Montessori was born on the 31st August 1870

in the town of Chiaravalle, Italy (A Biography of Dr. Maria Montessori).

Her father, Alessandro, was an accountant in the civil service, and her mother, Renilde Stoppani, was well educated and had a passion for reading(A Biography of Dr. Maria Montessori).

The Montessori family moved to Rome in 1875, and the following year the young Maria enrolled in the local state school on the Via di San Nicolo da Tolentino(A Biography of Dr. Maria Montessori).

Background Info

From 1886 to 1890 she continued her studies at the

Regio Instituto Tecnico Leonardo da Vinci, which she entered with the intention of becoming an engineer (A Biography of Dr. Maria Montessori).

Upon her graduation, Montessori’s parents encouraged her to take up a career in teaching(A Biography of Dr. Maria Montessori).

In 1890 Montessori enrolled at the University of Rome to study physics, maths and natural sciences, receiving her diploma two years later (A Biography of Dr. Maria Montessori).

Background Info

She became the first woman to enter medical school in

Italy(A Biography of Dr. Maria Montessori). Her time at medical school was not easy. She faced prejudice from her male colleagues and had

to work alone on dissections since these were not allowed to be done in mixed classes(A Biography of Dr. Maria Montessori).

She was a dedicated student, and on the 10th July 1896 became the first woman to qualify as a doctor in Italy, and with this distinction also became known across the country(A Biography of Dr. Maria Montessori).

Background Info

In 1897 she volunteered to join a research program at the psychiatric clinic of the University of Rome, and it was here that she worked alongside Giusseppe Montesano(A Biography of Dr. Maria Montessori).

As part of her work at the clinic she would visit Rome’s asylums for the insane, seeking patients for treatment at the clinic. She relates how, on one such visit, the caretaker of a children’s asylum told her with disgust how the children grabbed crumbs off the floor after their meal. Montessori realized that in such a bare, unfurnished room the children were desperate for sensorial stimulation and activities for their hands, and that this deprivation was contributing to their condition (A Biography of Dr. Maria Montessori).

Background Info

She began to read all she could on the subject of mentally retarded children, and in particular she studied the groundbreaking work of two early 19th century Frenchmen, Jean-Marc Itard, who had made his name working with the ‘wild boy of Aveyron’, and Edouard Séguin, his student(A Biography of Dr. Maria Montessori).

During the 1897-98 University terms she sought to expand her knowledge of education by attending courses in pedagogy, studying the works of Rousseau, Pestalozzi and Froebel(A Biography of Dr. Maria Montessori).

Background Info

In 1898 Montessori’s work with the asylum children began to receive more prominence(A Biography of Dr. Maria Montessori).

The 28-year-old Montessori was asked to address the National Medical Congress in Turin, where she advocated the controversial theory that the lack of adequate provision for retarded and disturbed children was a cause of their delinquency(A Biography of Dr. Maria Montessori).

Montessori’s involvement with the National League for the Education of Retarded Children led to her appointment as co-director, with Guisseppe Montesano, of a new institution called the Orthophrenic School(A Biography of Dr. Maria Montessori).

Background Info

The school took children with a broad spectrum of disorders and proved to be a turning point in Montessori’s life, marking a shift in her professional identity from physician to educator(A Biography of Dr. Maria Montessori).

Until now her ideas about the development of children were only theories, but the small school, set up along the lines of a teaching hospital, allowed her to put these ideas into practice(A Biography of Dr. Maria Montessori).

In 1901 Montessori left the Orthophrenic School and immersed herself in her own studies of educational philosophy and anthropology(A Biography of Dr. Maria Montessori).

Background Info

The school took children with a broad spectrum of disorders and proved to be a turning point in Montessori’s life, marking a shift in her professional identity from physician to educator(A Biography of Dr. Maria Montessori).

Until now her ideas about the development of children were only theories, but the small school, set up along the lines of a teaching hospital, allowed her to put these ideas into practice(A Biography of Dr. Maria Montessori).

In 1901 Montessori left the Orthophrenic School and immersed herself in her own studies of educational philosophy and anthropology; which helped her embark on her on journey about cognitivism(A Biography of Dr. Maria Montessori).

Background Info

Cognitivism is a theory which attempts to

answer how and why people learn by attributing the process to cognitive activity. This theory followed the behaviorist school of thought (Campbell).

Definition of Cognitivism

A view of learning that focuses on learners’ thought processes, which may or may not result in immediate change in behavior (Paul Eggen, 2012).

Learning and development depend on learners’

experiences (Campbell). People want their experiences to make sense

(Campbell). People construct knowledge in order to make

sense of their experiences (Campbell). Social interaction and the use of language

facilitate knowledge construction (Campbell). Learning requires practice and feedback

(Campbell). Learning is enhanced when learning experiences

are connected to the real world (Campbell).

Characteristics of Cognitivism

Examples Of Cognitivism

Learning and development depend on learners’ experiences You have learned to drive vehicles with automatic

transmissions, and you can comfortably drive in a variety of situations. One day a friend of yours asks you to help him move. He drives a moving truck to the new location and asks you to drive his car. It has a stick shift, however, and you struggle with driving it, repeatedly killing the motor. Finally, with jerks and lurches, you’re able to get to your destination. After a few trips, though, your driving improves significantly, and by the last trip you are actually quite comfortable with the stick shitf (Campbell).


Learning and development depend on learners’ experiences explanation……. You initially had driving experiences that were

limited to vehicles with automatic transmissions. However, then you had the experience of being forced to drive a vehicle with a stick shift. As a result of this experience , your ability to drive is now more fully developed; you are able to comfortably drive vehicles with both automatic transmissions and stick shifts. Without this new experience, your driving ability wouldn’t have advanced (Campbell) .


People construct knowledge in order to make sense of their experiences People in general and students in particular don’t behave

like tape recorders; we mentally organize the information in ways that make sense to us and store it in that organized form. This helps us understand how students come up with statements such as the following:

It’s warmer in the summer than in the winter because we are closer to the sun

Coats keep us warm by generating heat, like a fire Trousers is an uncommon noun because it is singular at the top and

plural at the bottom Note: all the above statements were said by actual students

(Campbell).


People construct knowledge in order to make sense of their experiences explanation…..

Some of the statements are cut and seemingly off the wall such as “Trousers is an uncommon noun because it is singular at the top and plural at the bottom.” however, in making them the students for the most part aren't trying to be funny. To them the statements make sense, and they construct the statements because they make sense (Campbell).


Social interaction and the use of language facilitate knowledge construction A student (John) is not understanding why the

teacher said that birds can’t fly at the beginning stages of their lives. He says he has believed that all birds fly all their lives.

The teacher tries to explain to John in various other ways, but he is still not understanding the concept that birds don’t fly at the beginning of their life.


Social interaction and the use of language facilitate knowledge construction explanation….. Now Johns classmates proceed in talking and socializing

with him to help him to try to understand. His friend says man did you just know how to ride a bike when you got your first bike. Birds beginning life cycle is like that they have to learn to fly just like you had to learn how to ride a bike. After the social interaction and use of language his peers used in talking with John he understood the concept of birds not begin able to fly all of their lives.

This shows that social interaction and the use of language can indeed facilitate knowledge construction


Learning requires practice and feedback

A teacher wants her students to write in cursive. However, the students have no knowledge of how to write in cursive. So, the teacher says everyone just write how you think cursive writing should be written and then I will give you some feed back.

None of the students were able to write in cursive. However, the teacher did give students feed back on their thoughts. So, now the teacher proceeds to teach her students the correct way to write in cursive


Learning requires practice and feedback explanation….. The previous example displays how learning

requires practice and feedback. The students did not know how to write in cursive so, practice and feedback from the teacher helped the students to engage in learning how to write in cursive.

I will use in classroom instruction by actually

trying the Cognitivism learning theory and I would discuss with my students the details on Cognitivism learning.

I would also give them a project to do: students would come up with a lesson plan for the three little pigs to do based upon the characteristics of Cognitivism learning theory.

How I will use in classroom

A Biography of Dr. Maria Montessori. (n.d.).

Retrieved Novemember 21, 2011, from Montessori Australia: http://montessori.org.au/montessori/biography.htm

Campbell, M. J. (n.d.). Cognitivism A Theory of Learning. Retrieved November 26, 2012, from Cognitivism and Constructivism: http://www.coe.fau.edu/faculty/cafolla/courses/eme6051/cognitivism.htm

Paul Eggen, D. K. (2012). Strategies and Models for Teachers: Teaching Content and Thinking Skills. Boston: Pearson Education.

References


People want their experiences to make sense

Learning Theorist: Cognitivism By: JaRhonda Davis.

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Transcript of Learning Theorist: Cognitivism By: JaRhonda Davis.