Cognition, neuroscience, and cross-cultural perspectives on learning

Emotions affect how memories are processed, stored, and retrieved, which also impacts how learning takes place. Perhaps more importantly, emotions impact cognitive processes and learning. Neuroscience shows the ways thoughts are processed depends on one's cultural context and also emotional states. Thinking styles may be also linked to the learning process, as Zhang & Sternberg (2010) point out, and thinking styles are themselves related to cultural variables. The ways people process information therefore has to do with social learning as well as emotional learning and memory. Certain types of emotions may be more conducive to specific types of learning styles or learning behaviors. Emotions can also promote synchronized or chaotic neurological responses. These findings have implications for classroom design and pedagogy.

Wealth means far more than just possession of material goods. As Zhang & Sternberg (2010) point out, capital refers not only to assets in the traditional sense but also to cultural capital, human capital, and social capital. A combination of different types of capital creates the type of "wealth" needed to succeed in a competitive environment. These findings have implications for educational policy and social services, but there is a complex interaction of individual variables and cultural variables in learning.

References

Zhang, L.F. & Sternberg, R.J. (2010). Learning in a cross-cultural perspective. Learning and Cognition.

Week 2

The study described in "Self-Regulated Learning and Social Cognitive Theory" in the text talks about the concept of self-regulation and agency in terms of social cognitive theory. Results show that it is possible to integrate these theories and concepts into classroom learning. Agency refers mainly to the ability to make choices through self will, and refers also to motivational theories. Tied into the Zhang & Sternberg (2010) article, the study on self-regulated learning and social cognitive theory links the way social learning occurs with the ways self-directed learning and motivational theory also work to create optimal learning environments and conditions. Built on the premises of both cognitive psychology and the study of human development, these findings have tremendous implications for creating new pedagogies of diversity.

In terms of how these findings influence my past or current beliefs about knowledge development, I believe that the study simply substantiates what I already intuited. There are a number of different variables that impact learning, among them the social environment and norms in the classroom, the methods used by the teacher to communicate not just knowledge but modes of thinking and approaching problem solving, and also self-directed learning, motivation, and interest.

References

Zhang, L.F. & Sternberg, R.J. (2010). Learning in a cross-cultural perspective. Learning and Cognition.

Week 3

My assigned article was "Memory," and the findings directly relate to my own personal experiences linked with memory, cognition, and learning. These findings offer neuroscientific evidence for the link between memory and learning, showing how learning is linked to memory retrieval and the creation of new memory. Memory is a complex cognitive and neurobiological phenomenon, because there is no one area of the brain in which memory is stored. Rather, memory is a complex array of impulses and signals that are also linked to emotionality. The research findings support my current beliefs that learning is complex, linked to both memory and emotional development. There are several variables about knowledge development about which I was unaware, including the specific neurobiological constructs and variables mentioned.

Based on the information presented in all five articles from the text, it is clear that false memories do occur because of the way the brain works. There are ample studies about how memories can be implanted in people, and that it is easy to mistake false memory for fact. This of course has implications for manifestation of things in the future, as what a person imagines or believes becomes real for the same reason that the memory is real. Intelligence as Sternberg (2010) describes it is inheritable but can also be malleable. I believe that access to intelligence building resources and tools and multiple intelligences also plays into the concept of learning and intelligence.

References

Sternberg (2010)

Text.

Week 4

Self-regulated learning refers to the integration of multiple metacognitive processes, including the assimilation of background information or knowledge, metacognitive regulatory systems, the use of strategy in learning, motivation and even epistemological beliefs (Sperling, Howard, Staley & DuBois, 2004). Therefore, self-regulated learning is a complex phenomenon, helping to explain why human ethical behaviors are rarely cut and dry. Self-regulation does help with learning outcomes because of related issues too, like locus of control, identity, and the evolution of self-efficacy and confidence. Sperling, Howard, Staley & DuBois (2004) indicate that self-regulation occurs in independent and cooperative learning contexts, and that both help to generate the metacognitive structures that are needed for optimal learning. However, developing strong and consistent ethical decision making and behavior also requires self-regulated learning.

Playing the expert in the hypothetical scenario, I would immediately point out the weaknesses in the asynchronous or fully online training program for what is essentially hands-on learning behavior. However, video instruction can be useful in similar contexts, as long as the metacognitive structures are engaged through multiple approaches to instruction including the use of text and verbal instructions, and a learning environment that reflects the principles outlined in Sperling, Howard, Staley & DuBois (2004).

References

Sperling, R.A., Howard, B.C., Staley, R. & DuBois, N. (2004). Metacognition and self-regulated learning constructs. Educational Research and Evaluation 10(2): 117-139.

Week 5 Discussion 1

The three areas of language and reading acquisition I found most interesting include the neuroscience of reading, decontextualized language, and the various processes related to reading comprehension, which helps illuminate differences between individuals and their reading comprehension levels. I am also interested in multilingualism and its impact on learning. The neuroscience of learning is related to several theoretical perspectives but obviously draws from biology and neuroscience as well as developmental psychology to show how the brain processes both written and verbal language at different ages (Edwards, n.d.). This research can also help researchers understand the etiology of learning disabilities. Similarly, the issues related to reading comprehension can help show how learning disabilities can affect reading specifically as well as language more generally, but perhaps not math or other types of cognitive processing. Decontextualized language is fascinating because it is more linked with abstract cognitive processing and the theoretical perspectives used in cognitive science.

Language acquisition is an important area for scholars and educators to understand when developing learning opportunities. My own academic success is owed in large part to my strength in language, because learning is heavily dependent on language. We live in a highly verbal society, making people who are less verbally oriented at a disadvantage. I do believe I could improve my communication and language skills.

References

Edwards, S. (n.d.). Reading and the brain. Harvard Medical School. Retrieved online: http://neuro.hms.harvard.edu/harvard-mahoney-neuroscience-institute/brain-newsletter/and-brain-series/reading-and-brain

Week 5 Discussion 2

Working with people with learning disabilities specifically related to language often requires shifts in perspective and pedagogy, as seen in Harris (2013). Because schools are set up for a language-based learning environment, those with language-based learning disabilities are at a critical disadvantage (Harris & Graham, 2013, p. 65). Theoretical viewpoints on early versus late language emergence highlight these concerns. Obviously language acquisition is an important component of learning how to write, and learning how to write is a critical element in academic performance in school.

My own advantages have prepared me for a language-heavy learning environment; I might not have done as well in school without proficiency in language. There are some ethical problems associated with a language-based environment, which can be resolved by making simple adaptations and a more flexible and creative approach to learning. The professional standards of learning and cognition psychology suggest that individual differences demand a less homogenized pedagogy for learning. Writing is a meaningful activity but might be over-emphasized in our culture; if our culture were set up to stress music instead as the cornerstone of learning, or art, or athleticism, then a different group of people would rise to the top in school. As a scholar, I believe that not all fields are language dependence and it is important to move away from an overly verbal society.

References

Harris, K.R. & Graham, S. (2013). "An adjective is a word hanging down from a noun": Learning to write and students with learning disabilities. Annals of Dyslexia 63(1): 65-79.

Week 6

Gender plays a huge role in the learning process and in academic success, with the differences between boy and girl achievement becoming more noticeable as they grow older because of the effects of gender role socialization that occurs not just in school but at home and in social environments (Bigler, Hayes, & Hamilton, 2013). Gender role socialization leads to stereotyping and also leads to individual lack of achievement in areas that are not deemed gender appropriate. Pressures to conform to gendered performativity can be pervasive, and it would require a profoundly resilient individual and/or strong mentoring to overcome some of the socialization issues that lead to gender differences in education.

Organizational learning theories show how political ideologies evolve and develop. An organization's inability to learn means that it becomes stagnant and its individual members may become unwilling to change to reflect the organizational culture. Online training environments can help, but ultimately stagnation impacts performance in adverse ways. Learning needs to take place throughout the life course, as adults capitalize on past experiences. I have capitalized on past learning when reflecting on my own behavior and how I would change it, and I also capitalize on feedback from mentors. According to Stine-Morrow & Parisi (2010), cognition in adult development "arises out of the dynamic interplay of (1) gains in knowledge-based systems, expertise, and skill and (2) losses in speed of processing, working memory capacity, and attentional control processes," (p. 1).

References

Bigler, R., Hayes, A.R. & Hamilton, V. (2013). The role of schools in the early socialization of gender differences. Retrieved online: http://www.child-encyclopedia.com/gender-early-socialization/according-experts/role-schools-early-socialization-gender-differences

Stine-Morrow, E.A.L. & Parisi, J.M. (2010). The adult development of cognition and learning. Elsevier.