On How Cognitive Structures Influence Each Other

Proceedings of the VIIth IOSTE Symposium for Central and Eastern Europe „Development of Science and Technology Education in the Central and Eastern Europe, 2009

The constructivist perspective is becoming a dominant paradigm in the field of the science education. While a great deal has been written in recent years about constructivist learning theories and their applications to elementary and secondary school classrooms, much less has been said about these implications of these ideas and practices for teacher education. This approach in the initial science teacher training is not still too common at many European teacher training institutions. It is a reason why a group of science teacher ...

— This article focuses on the research associated with the influence of Experimental Laboratory Skills and Simulation on the cognitive learning aspects that occurs through using a simulator or participation in a real implementation exercise. A theoretical analysis along with a statistical study is explored in this paper. The theoretical and statistical results confirm that the integration of simulation (computer software) into traditional practical work efficiently, enhances the performance of the students in terms of the learning cognitive indicators.

2012

An emphasis on self-development in the military community has highlighted the need for adaptive computer-based tutoring systems (CBTS) to support point-of-need training in environments where human tutors are either unavailable or impractical. Effective human tutors ask questions, tailor feedback, provide opportunities for reflection, and change the content, direction, pace, and challenge level of instruction to optimize learning (e.g., acquisition of knowledge or skills). Adaptive CBTS also attempt to select optimal instructional strategies to meet the specific learning needs of individuals or teams. To make these optimal instructional strategy decisions, the adaptive CBTS assesses trainee attributes (e.g., progress, behaviors or physiology), uses these attributes to classify states and predict learning outcomes (e.g., performance, skill acquisition, retention), and then adapts the instruction to influence learning. A truly adaptive CBTS must have a suitable trainee model, a repertoire of instructional strategies, and a methodology for selecting the best strategy. Significant challenges in the design and development of adaptive CBTS include methodologies to: assess the influence of trainee attributes that inform positive/ negative learning states (e.g., confusion, boredom, frustration, and pleasure); and assess the influence of specific instructional strategies on learning given the learner's state and the training context (e.g., tasks, conditions, and learning objectives). This paper considers a modular tutoring system framework to support the authoring and assessment of adaptive tutoring capabilities. The Generalized Intelligent Framework for Tutoring (GIFT) supports authoring standards and allows users to manipulate models, libraries, and domain-specific content to empirically determine the influence of variables of interest (e.g., learning style, sensor data, feedback modes, and stress) on learning. The framework supports a variety of experimental views, including ablative tutor studies, tutor vs. traditional classroom training comparisons; evaluation of intervention vs. non-intervention strategies; pedagogical model comparisons; and tutor vs. tutor comparisons.

Computers & Education, 2009

more entertaining a game is, the less effective it is as a learning tool; the converse is also true. In fact, the quintessential combination of entertainment and learning seems almost impossible to achieve. This ideal scenario comes from a natural mixture of both learning and game content. However, it is not easy to determine the intrinsic balance where both learning and gaming happen simultaneously. This has continued to be a contentious issue in the development of educational computer games.

2014

Cognitive enhancement therapy (CET) is a performance-based, developmental intervention approach to remediation and rehabilitation in the areas of social, attention, memory and problem-solving neuropsychological cognitive deficits. While from the perspective of a therapeutic schedule a specific intervention module ostensibly focuses on one of these areas of cognitive deficit, it must be understood that neurologically there is no single, distinct arena of cognitive function, but rather a considerable integration of cognitive processes involved in any function, and intervention addressing all four traditionally perceived arenas of neurocognition are required to achieve the most efficacious outcomes; as an example, an attention deficit will co-occur with a severe memory deficit, as a deficit in memory impairs attention, and both memory and attention deficits disturb social interaction, etc. CET was developed from an evolving process by a team of researchers led by Gerard E. Hogarty, MSW, stemming from the work in intervention in the problems in cognitive functioning and social integration of patients with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder by Hogarty and Dr. Samuel Flesher at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (Pittsburgh, PA, USA) in the early 1990s. In addition to the contribution of the principal members of the team at that time (Hogarty, Flesher, Mary Carter and Deborah Greenwald), the methods, training modules, approaches, and concepts from leading researchers around the world contributed to the constantly evolving intervention program. Among one of the most pivotal contributions was an approach known as integrated psychological therapy (IPT), developed by the Swiss researcher H. D. Brenner (Brenner et al. 1994), and further extended by William Spaulding (Spaulding and Reed 1989; Spaulding et al. 1999). The contribution of IPT led to Hogarty’s seminal work on personal therapy or PT (Hogarty 2002), which became the foundation for the development of CET in its current form.

"The utilization of information and communication technology (ICT) has gained a prominent role in teaching and learning. ICT has been proposed to enhance students’ learning in a Problem Based Learning (PBL) environment. This study explored the use of ICT in a PBL Medical curriculum and investigated students’ feedback on this effort. The data were gathered from ten first year medical students through the use of questionnaire, group and individual interviews. The findings show that the provision and facilitation for the use of ICT increased their interest in PBL, helped recall information, enabled better interaction with group members and enhanced their learning. The paper discusses the implications of the findings on meaningful learning. Keywords: Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Problem Based Learning (PBL), Medical pedagogy"

International Journal of …, 2009

Theories and technologies are needed to understand and integrate the knowledge of student affect (e.g., frustration, motivation and self-confidence) into learning models. Our goals are to redress the cognitive versus affective imbalance in teaching systems, develop tools that model student affect and build tutors that elicit, measure and respond to student affect. This article describes our broad approach towards this goal and our three main objectives: develop tools for affect recognition, interventions in response to student affect, and emotionally animated agents.

Technology and globalisation has shaped the experiences and expectations of adult learners in the 21st century. How adults learn and what they want to learn is highly influenced by the world they live in at any given time. The need for customisation, extending traditional learning experiences into new learning experiences will address the quality and value of higher education learning in South Africa. Restructuring of current programmes to be more flexible, accessible, interactive, that supports collaboration of learning activities and accommodates different learning styles, will enrich the adult learners’ learning experience and quality of learning. In suggesting the use of an alternative learning strategy, the use of a hybrid study approach (HSA) has been suggested and investigated. Limited research has been conducted in the use of a hybrid study approach (HSA) and more on what has been said was conducted on pure online learning, therefore this study focused on managing the quality of learning in higher education through a hybrid study approach (HSA). Since the researcher’s interest was to gain insight and understanding of learners’, tutors’ and institutional managements’ perceptions, understanding, concerns and experiences in their real world conditions when using a hybrid study approach (HSA), the qualitative research method was applied. The researcher focused on the micro-level of managing quality of learning by assessing the ‘learning’ when learning with technology. The study adhered to ethical principles and techniques to enhance the validity of the findings. The study found that a need for redress and reform of training and education in South Africa, especially with the integration of technology in higher education, extending into a hybrid study approach (HSA), which is in harmony with international standards of academic quality, knowledge, expertise and skills is needed in a changing global economy. A one-for-all learning approach was found not well suited for the needs of society today and does not foster an all-inclusive learning approach. The move to a knowledge society where learners are interconnected and where information circulate around the world faster than ever, it is evident that much learning occurs in a social environment and does not happen in splendid isolation. It was found evident that life demands and other different roles adult learners need to fulfill, adults intentionally search for educational settings that support their way of learning. © University of South Africa 2010 KEY TERMS Education management; Quality learning; Technology learning; Online learning; Blended learning; New learning in the 21st century; Higher education; Adult learning; Globalisation; Learning experiences and expectations.