Cognitivism & Connectivism

Overview

Cognitivism holds that learning is a complex, internal process that must be fomented and guided - similar to constructivism, understanding is built by the learner by tying concepts together and constantly increasing the sophistication of that interweaving in his/her mind. The 'system of the mind' starts out (in youth, or at the beginning of a learning journey) somewhat discordant, with disconnected pieces, unsophisticated process around acquiring new knowledge, and plenty of room for building structure (Berkeley Graduate Division, n.d.).

Connectivism addresses how learning takes place in an era of constantly growing knowledge, the resultant shifting foundations of truth and expertise, and what role technology plays in learning. It complements other learning theories, filling a gap in what sources feed knowledge in addition to how knowledge is created or internalized by the learner. There is more informal learning than ever, more freely accessible potential sources, and more capacity for social (yet disconnected) learning thanks to online networks (Siemens, 2004).

A Learning Experience

When I participated in the Agile Fundamentals course at my workplace a few years ago, the facilitators used some behaviorist techniques (vocabulary, quizzes) as well as constructivist (discussions guided by facilitators respecting where learners were at with their knowledge). They also incorporated cognitivism and connectivism via games that forced us to apply the concepts we heard about in simple scenarios, with the idea that we could assimilate the gameified concepts into our existing mental models to help build new models. They also talked about examples of agility outside of software development, demonstrating how the concepts can apply in many industries and at home, as a way of guiding us to connect seemingly disparate ideas together.

There were also many discussions, allowing us to build a network within the class itself of different examples of agility in practice, each of us offering our own experiences and benefiting from the experiences of others. Sources for the information presented were provided so we could judge quality of the sources.

Agility itself is a framework that encourages learning to learn - when a person adopts an agile mindset, then in theory, he or she is preparing him- or herself for the constant pace of change in the world today. Not only were we applying the concepts in the classroom, but also building the basics of continuing to be open to learning and changing back in "the real world".

Unfortunately, while my interest was relatively high, most learners who have participated in the course have done so because their managers required it, which is not a great motivator. Most learners choose to make the best of it anyway, but it can create less of a quality experience for all when some learners in the "network" are disengaged and therefore not contributing as high of a quality as what they may be taking away themselves.

References

Berkeley Graduate Division (n.d.). Cognitive Constructivism. Teaching Guide for GSIs at Berkeley. Retrieved from http://gsi.berkeley.edu/gsi-guide-contents/learning-theory-research/cognitive-constructivism/

Siemens, G. (2004, December 12). Connectivism: a learning theory for the digital age. Retrieved from http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm

Smith, M.K. (2002). Jerome Bruner and the process of education. The encyclopedia of informal education. Retrieved from http://infed.org/mobi/jerome-bruner-and-the-process-of-education