Learning Theory:

Cognitivism

Cognitivism emphasizes the importance of prior knowledge in the learning process. Teachers and designers assist learners in organizing the information in their brains and can use hierarchical relationships and relate new information to prior knowledge, two techniques we used when designing our lessons. We designed our module to give the learner an understanding of why the internet can lag, which is applicable to the learner’s everyday life and will allow the learner to activate their acquired knowledge in a meaningful way. We also used the technique of sizing and sequencing our information in an intuitive way to allow the learner to fully comprehend each section and build on that information in the following sections.

Rationale:

Our group chose cognitivism because our learning outcomes rely on a complex understanding of a complex physical system, ie. the internet. This complex understanding is reflected in the role of memory in a cognitive system which is that “Learning results when information is stored in memory in an organized, meaningful manner”(2013). Cognitivism also states that “Learning is equated with discrete changes between states of knowledge rather than with changes in the probability of response” which works well with our module because it is intended to be part of a larger course where each learner will arrive with a previous knowledge and understanding of the internet and will have that knowledge modified to be closer to a complete knowledge and understanding of the internet.

Learning Design:

Direct Instruction

Direct instruction focuses on the teacher/designer creating a compressive lesson plan that teaches all of the desired learning outcomes in a clear and concise manner that avoids misunderstandings from the students. Skills should be introduced gradually so that the learner completely understands one topic before moving on to the next. A skill or concept should be taught in isolation of the other previous concepts, then integrated in with the previous skills and concepts. Direct instruction focuses on improving the students’ understanding of the area and their self esteem of their knowledge. Direct instruction also insists that attention be given to the level of the learner and the amount of knowledge adjusted accordingly.

Direct instruction is useful for teaching about the internet because many people have some understanding of what the internet is and how it functions, but lack knowledge of the details involved or confidence in their understanding. Our lessons follow the direct instruction philosophy of introducing concepts in isolation, then integrating them into the larger topic. Our lessons are designed with only the necessary information for achieving the learning outcomes and with attention to the level of the learner, who has already completed part of a larger internet course.

References:

Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. J. (2013). Behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism: Comparing critical features from an instructional design perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 26(2), 43-71. Retrieved from https://edtechbooks.org/lidtfoundations/behaviorism_cognitivism_constructivism

Engelmann, S. (2023). Basic Philosophy of Direct Instruction (DI). Retrieved from National Institute for Direct Instruction: https://www.nifdi.org/15/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=52&Itemid=27