Archive for February, 2007
Distributed Cognition (DCog)
Summary: Distributed cognition is a branch of cognitive science that proposes cognition and knowledge are not confined to an individual; rather, it is distributed across objects, individuals, artefacts, and tools in the environment.
Originators: Edwin Hutchins in the 1990s.
Key Terms: Cognition in the Wild, mind in the world, artefacts, environment, representational media
View details of this theory >>
Problem-Based Learning (PBL)
Summary: Problem-Based Learning (PBL) is an instructional method of hands-on, active learning centered on the investigation and resolution of messy, real-world problems.
Originators: Late 1960s at the medical school at McMaster University in Canada.
Key Terms: open-ended problems, self-directed learners, teacher as facilitator, student as problem solver
View details of this theory >>
Experiential Learning (Kolb)
Summary: A four-stage cyclical theory of learning, Kolb’s experiential learning theory is a holistic perspective that combines experience, perception, cognition, and behavior.
Originators: David A. Kolb (1939-)
Key Terms: Learning cycles, learning styles, concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, active experimentation
View details of this theory >>
Social Learning Theory (Bandura)
Summary: Bandura’s Social Learning Theory posits that people learn from one another, via observation, imitation, and modeling. The theory has often been called a bridge between behaviorist and cognitive learning theories because it encompasses attention, memory, and motivation.
Originator: Albert Bandura
Key Terms: Modeling, reciprocal determinism
View details of this theory >>
