Learning as a Constructive Process: Reese Lachner by Reese Lachner

Cognitive Processes Influence What is Learned.

lachner_r — 2014-09-13 19:15:37 UTC

This specific component, in my mind, is the general idea on the rest of the chapter. That is, the things that people do mentally as they attempt to interpret and remember what they see, hear, and study. When participating in the twelve words activity, I found myself trying to memorize the order that the words were listed in. I have also taken these tests before, and remember attempting this memorization in the same fashion. Furthermore, I always noticed I never did particularly well on these miniature exams of the cognitive process, and could not entirely understand how other students were memorizing all of the words, while I personally would only remember a few more than half. In other words I felt my encoding technique was simply not as developed as other students. As I continued to read about how most students organize the information into groups, I attempted a separate word test on the internet and noticed dramatic improvement. Attempting to memorize the words in the order they are displayed was my natural cognitive process, however after realizing that it was not entirely effective, I was able to switch my techniques and immediately see results. Relating this to teaching I will have to keep things like the cognitive process in mind; if I see a student struggling on a concept, I can ask how he or she is attempting to memorize the information, and offer an alternative strategy to understanding the material, which correlates directly with differentiating instruction.

Learners Must be Selective on What They Focus on and Learn

lachner_r — 2014-09-13 19:35:44 UTC

The main key taken from this section of the book is that an effective learner focuses on what he or she thinks is important, and ignore almost everything else. This is something I feel gets better as one grows in their educational career. I feel the analogy to "junk mail" was very affective when grasping the concept of being selective, however from personal experiences I feel that sometimes it is easier said than done. If you happen to have a class in which you have no prior knowledge of (common with electives) it is hard to separate the necessary information from the unnecessary. In other words, if the teacher is giving a lecture all of the information spoken seems important, which leads to a student frantically trying to keep up with his or her notes. There is no doubt that it is important to master this technique of being selective, however I believe it is on the teacher to assist his or her students by bringing attention to key points of information, versus additional information that isn't exactly necessary to memorize.

Learners Actively Create Much of What They Know and Believe About the World

lachner_r — 2014-09-13 19:56:16 UTC

As one gets older, the process of construction becomes much more intellectual due to the fact that you are further along in your educational career, and are able to understand things logically. This does not mean that young kids do not believe they are being logical, it simply means they do not have the educated background to explain things in a way that are logical to adults. Much like the child at the beginning of the chapter, I definitely remember trying to give reason to how things worked, and with no surprise also being wildly wrong. Now as an adult I am able to use my prior knowledge to make sense of things. The three faces exercise was simple for me, as I am assuming it was for most people because we can determine the features of a specific sex even if some things are missing. I found it very interesting to contemplate the fact that once you construct an idea, or a visual image, it is nearly impossible not to see it in that light again. It is almost as if your mind naturally will not let you be fooled on the same thing twice, which only adds onto the amazing things ones mind can accomplish if applied correctly.

Learners Use What They Already Know and Believe to Help Them Make Sense of New Experiences

lachner_r — 2014-09-13 20:16:04 UTC

As a math major I feel that this is the most important component to Learning as a Constructive Process. Everything you do in math cumulates to the next topic. This happens within a class, and even when moving to a different class that is a completely different style of mathematics. Little techniques, strategies, and theories continuously appear even at my capstone level. It is the process of remembering that information that can facilitate grasping a new topic tremendously. When thinking about real world applications of prior knowledge, much like "how mountains are made" it is interesting to see the variety of answers that are based off of their own personal environments. One can see this more with younger students, but if the topic is rather new to everyone involved, any age can give a unique answer in attempt to make sense of the information.