Activity Eight
The adult learning theory that I wish to look at is the theory of cognitivist orientation. Merriam & Cafella (1991) describes the orientation in the following context: “Learning involves the reorganisation of experiences in order to make sense of stimuli from the environment”.
One of the strategies that I identified was to use models to help make sense of the concepts that are being presented. This is the idea of creating a metaphoric model to represent what is happening.
This utilises the cognitive features of obtaining perception, insight and meaning, since in IT we are introducing unfamiliar concepts to the learner on a very frequent basis. These concepts often exist in a virtual environment and therefore cannot be observed and often don’t relate to everyday experiences of the learner. Therefore using metaphoric models, to explain “how things work” and to better understand relationships within computer systems, will assist learners to understand.
Metaphors are mainly used for enhancing cognitive processes in learning and provide a way for learners to conceptualise what is being taught. MacCormac (1990) states “To describe the unknown, we must resort to concepts that we know and understand, and that is the essence of a metaphor -- an unusual juxtaposition of the familiar with the unfamiliar.”
One of the concepts I want to apply this strategy to is to model how a traditional office environment demonstrates the processes within a computer system.
This allows me to explore the existing knowledge of the learners of a traditional office environment. What do we normally find in an office environment; a chair, a desk, a filing cabinet, a person, in/out trays, files. Then we are able to explore the processes that they already know about within the traditional office environment. If a person wants to process some files then the person needs to get the files from the filing cabinet and lay the files out on the desk. The person can then process the files while they are logically arranged on the desk and make the necessary adjustments. The files are then arranged back into the filing cabinet for future use.
By saying that a CPU is like a person, computer files are like files, RAM is like a desk, hard drive is like a filing cabinet we can then gain an understanding of how a computer system works. If a CPU wants to process some files then the CPU needs to get the files from the hard drive and lay the files out in the RAM. The CPU can then process the files while they are logically arranged in the RAM and make the necessary adjustments. The files are then arranged back into the hard drive for future use.
We have therefore taken a concept that the learners already knew about and used that concept to explain an abstract concept which is new to the learners. We can then continue to utilise the model to examine the processes more deeply on a one by one basis. This helps to put the learning in context. We can later on use the “in/out trays” to introduce input/output devices, and further utilise the metaphor to help explain some computer upgrade issues.
Provided that the students have enough prior knowledge to be able to apply the metaphoric model then it is a useful way to learn new concepts, especially the abstract concepts that we present in IT.
MacCormac, E. (1990) A Cognitive Theory of Metaphor. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Merriam, S. and Caffarella (1991, 1998) Learning in Adulthood. A comprehensive guide, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
A very good description Hamish, and I really like the idea of the metaphor and a simulated office environment to demonstrate a computer system. Have a talk to the business school – you might be able to set up a visual metaphor using images captured from their simulated office. How does this appeal?
ReplyDeleteYou could also integrate strategies for reflective practice (e.g., the journal) into the cognitivist orientation and "making sense" approach. According to Boud, Keogh & Walker (1985), we can only really learn from an experience when we can make sense of it reflecting in a meaningful way (taking notice, acknowledging feelings and emotions, and evaluating and re-evaluating, figuring out how to act on the learning).