The Brain and Learning, Information Processing Theory, and Problem-Solving Methods During the Learning Process.

MS in Instructional Design and Technology Online Learning
 

This week, our class focused on brain development and it's functioning, theories of information processing, and cognitive processing problem-solving methods during the learning process. Last week’s readings and course assignments involved exploring the historical perspectives and theories of learning, analyzing our own process(es) for learning and explaining why it is important for an instructional designer to understand the learning theory of their clients and students. In addition, we participated in a professional learning community by searching for and evaluating instructional design blogs and resources, and designing an instructional and informational blog.

In this week’s phase of my course progression, our task was to locate internet resources (web sites and/or online journals), using search engines and the Walden Library databases. My review and comment of this week’s learning and sources is as follows:

 

In the name of "Life-long Learning", have a great week!

 

Winfred
 

Brain Development and its Functioning – Structural and functional brain development and its relation to cognitive development (PDF article): http://ac.els-cdn.com/S0301051100000582/1-s2.0-S0301051100000582-main.pdf?_tid=0329113a-1e67-11e3-b8e6-00000aab0f02&acdnat=1379291533_56906d10fee33ed75f863a60e1c94fe2

This article focuses on “magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies of structural and functional changes in developing human brains”; that is, in children and adolescents. The studies are largely limited to the development of pre-fontal (cortex) functioning, which covers conscious “human” thinking, including language, attention, reasoning decision making, planning, self-regulation, learning strategies, problem-solving, conscious movements, and interpretation of others’ behaviors,” (Ormrod, Schunk, & Gredler, 2009).
 

Reference:
 

Casey, B., Giedd, J., Thomas, K. (2000). Structural and functional brain development and its relation to cognitive development. Biological Psychology. Retrieved from

http://ac.els-cdn.com/S0301051100000582/1-s2.0-S0301051100000582-main.pdf?_tid=0329113a-1e67-11e3-b8e6-00000aab0f02&acdnat=1379291533_56906d10fee33ed75f863a60e1c94fe2

 

Theories of Information Processing – Information Processing:

http://www.simplypsychology.org/information-processing.html

 The author of this web article discusses the validity of cognitive psychology and its practitioners’ comparison of the human mind to computers. These comparisons include “basic assumptions” of “attention, perceptions, and short-term memory”, “an analogy of human processing” and attention, and “evaluation serial and parallel processing”.
 

Reference:
 

McLeod, S. (2008). Information Processing. Retrieved from

http://www.simplypsychology.org/information-processing.html

 

 

These teaching resources can be used in the class to help students from lower primary to secondary grades build problem-solving skills using cognitive strategies. Teachers can model theses resources, or have students work individually or in groups.
 

Reference:

 

TeachersFirst. (2013). [Search box] Problem solving. Retrieved from http://www.teachersfirst.com/search_action.cfm?searchtext=problem+solving+articles&grade_low=0&grade_high=12&searchtype=all&searchtype=all