cognitive strategies for virtual learning environments

8/14/2019 Cognitive Strategies for Virtual Learning Environments

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COGNITIVE STRATEGIES FOR VIRTUAL

LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

Bruno Carvalho Castrobrunoc@solar

Regina F. F. de A. Bolzan,

regina@led

Janae G. Martins,

janae@eps

Alejandro M. Rodrig

martins@eps

Federal University of Santa Catarina; Post-Graduating Program in ProductioEngineering,

Technological CenterCampusTrindade, P.O Box 476ZIP Code 880Florianopolis, SC, Brazil.

University of Vale do ItajaItaja, SC, Brasil.University of Braslia, UNEBBraslia, Brasil.

OverviewLearning can be considered as a conjunction of a number of factors,

internal and external origins. This paper offers a reconcilement of these factor

interdependent unity, building a total learning environment, adding up em

sensorial, motivational and intellectual aspects. It also approaches the use reconcilement in virtual learning environments, seeking for technological tool

permanent and renewing quest of knowledge, in contrast with the behaviorist mrepetition of content and stimulus-response conditioning.

Key words: Virtual Learning, knowledge, Cognitive Strategies.


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IntroductionHistorically, the educational process has always been linked to the social ev

of humanity itself (Gadotti, 1999). Therefore, to understand it in its plenitude, it wnecessary a detailed analysis of the cultural, social, economic, technological and paspects, present in society. This is not the intention of this paper. Rather, the focuthe interactions between the individual-pupil and the possible technological l

environments, analyzing the factors that influence the efficiency of such learnsuggesting alternatives to improve the effectiveness of the process. Thereforimperative to acknowledge some cognitive learning strategies, including some

environments and the interactions between apprentice and master.

Cognitive Learning Strategies

The history of the psychology of learning retraces, pertaining to the squestion, to the IV century a.C., specifically to the school of philosophy establiPlato to spread out the ideas of Socrates. In the book VII of "the Republic", Plato dthe myth of the cave, an alegory according to which the world that we know is notha shade in a wall of the cave of reality projected by the pure ideas that are planted

birth, in our soul. In other words, knowledge is always the projection of our inna(Pozo, 1999). This doctrine resurged in the racionalist and idealistic thouDescartes, Leibniz or Kant, being revisited by authors representing the current cogmovement, like Fodor and Chomsky. Aristotle, disciple of Plato, developed

doctrine: the tabula rasa, according to which the knowledge comes from the senendow the mind with pictures, interlinked according to three laws: proximity, simand contrast. Aristotles influence will be felt in the psychology of learning throconsequences in both the estruturalism and, mainly, in the behaviorism of SRegarding behaviorism, it is a form of response to subjectivism. For the behaviorstudy of higher mental processes for the understanding of human behavior is unnec

one learns through conditioning and repetition (Pozo, 1999). The impulse given byexternal factors to psychology, especially the technological evolution, the new the

communication, linguistics and cybernetics, brought a new paradigm, represeninformation processing, that enables the study of the mental processes den

behaviorism. These new studies, supported in technological bases and searcinterdisciplinarity in such fields as philosophy, computer science, medicine and psyitself, had generated the cognitive school. The relevance of these two doctrineslearning process is significant. Historically, as well as in the present, ther

predominance of the behaviorist approach in educational methodologies used in schpractically all levels. Theorists like Chi and Rees (1983), Gagne Glaser (1987), M(1985), Shuell (1986), among others, support that there are reasons enough to bethe possibility that the cognitive approach may be adopted as the model of learninear future. Actually, some experiments are already being carried out in such direct

they are embryonic studies and do not really represent a clear movement towa


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CONDUCTS

Unified elementsthrough syntactic rules

Correspondencebetween learning andexternal environment

Stimuli, species andindividuals are equipotent

Passive Subject

AntimentalistReductionism

ExtAmbie

Anomalies due tolack of organizationHumes Problem.

Anomalies due toincapacity of

signification acquire.Contends Problem.

LEARNING

THEORIES

(Stimulus-Response)

Figure 1: behaviorism as a scientific research program. Source: Pozo (1999)

One of the main criticisms to behaviorism is its incapacity to produce

theoretical responses. As a consequence, new programs are being elaborated, whodifference consists of a release of the behaviorist conceptual core, eliminating, mairejection of cognitive processes and increasing information gathering (Pozo, 199central concept of cognitive psychology, the basis of this new program, is broader t

concept of information processing itself. According to Rivi`re (1987), "the most and ordinary things we can say of Cognitive Psychology refers to the explanabehavior, mental entities, states, processes and definitions of mental nature, aldemand an unique level of speech". This means, therefore, that the actionsindividual are determined by his mental representations, according to some authPiaget and Vigotsky. Fig. 2, counter-pointing fig. 1, shows the strategy of s

research according to cognitive psychology.


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Organization?Significationacquisition?

CAUSA

COGNITI

PROCESSREPRESENTATIONS

Same potentiality?Correspondence?

Recursive Decomposition.Elements united due to

syntactic rules.

Subject as anactive data

processing unit

Interaction ofvariables:

subject and task

MEMORY

THEORY

Figure 2: Information processing as a program of scientific inquiry. Source: Pozo (

Thus, learning capacity would be determined by the way that the inrepresents his knowledge, together with his memory capabilities and his causal coprocesses. To acquire these representations, the human being uses his mechanassimilation as channels, understood here "as a broad sense of an integration

previous structures" (Piaget, 1967) and uses, therefore, his senses as a door towa

perception of the external world together with the mental processes of infohandling. The greater or minor effectiveness of this assimilation depends on factors, varying from person to person, and constituting learning strategies.strategies take in account emotional, motivational, sensorial, and intellectual factusing a computer era terminology, logical-mathematical factors).

Emotional FactorsGoleman (1995), places the issue of emotional intelligence as a new type of

requiring a development of aptitudes natural to the "human heart". His theory appthe context of a society with a rising increase of violence in practically all its forms

suicides, drug abuse and other indicators of social distress); individualism, evconsequence of social pressures, reaches an unprecedented exaggeration, ctherefore, a growing competitiveness, mainly in the job market and academic fieldconjunction of factors brings the isolation and deterioration of social relations, gena slow disintegration of community life and the need for self-confidence.

Placing this scenario under a learning perspective, it is inferred that emeducation - or, in other words, emotional learning - urgently needs to be rethoughuman brain has mechanisms to deal with emotions, but such mechanisms come

biolo ical evolution that oes back to the ori in of life itself Pinker, 1998 . Our


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energy was caused to keep the vulnerable human beings in sadness statethey remained close to home, where they felt safer."1

This emotional diversity shown by Goleman demonstrates that there are mand situations that propitiate more effective learning. An educational methodolo

would provoke a feeling of happiness, or, at the very least, respect moments of sadanger, would have better conditions to form new mental structures2 and to more ef

relate all acquired knowledge.

Motivational FactorsMotivation brings inlaid the concept of impulse for action and the mainten

such action. Schank (1995) states that learning is a natural process that happenform of a " waterfall": first, the apprentice creates a goal, then generates a questi

finally, answers the question. This process brings implicitly the importance of motivfactors in learning: when there is a desire to learn to ride a bicycle, for example, a gcreated. During the process of "riding a bicycle", the apprentice will fall, loose balfeel foolish, and all this will make him question exactly, even if internally, what he wrong - why can't he succeed in riding a bicycle? He will then look for answers

questioning, and will learn.However, Schank doesn't expose the initial motivational role: why would so

want to ride a bicycle? Also, following the same reasoning, why didnt the apprentup when he fell for the first time? This motivation "to continue trying" is a consequ

the internal pressures generated by curiosity or challenge, both feelings of inadequafor the learning to occur entirely, a constant stimulation of the student's motivnecessary.

To successfully keep the motivation, researchers develop new eduproposals, like self-orientation and personal effectiveness as educational goals

1995). This way, the students can make their own learning decisions, cultivaexisting desire in all human beings: independence (Goodlad, 1984). Another immotivational factor is the relevance of learning. Students learn more effectively wh

they are being taught has direct relation with their reality, offering them a chabecome agents of their own lives (Freire, 1996). "When professors add new inform

the previous knowledge of the student, they activate his interest and curiosity, antheir teachings with a sense of intention" (Presseisen, 1995). It is not enough, theresimply adopt the "natural waterfall" proposed by Schank. The teacher needs to sh

student that it is good to get your feet wet, "to climb the waterfall".

Sensorial FactorsSenses are open doors to information in the world. All our knowledge

directly from the mechanisms that we possess to absorb reality and to represent

biological phenomenon, a human being has systems of perception capable of stim


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guarantee the adaptation3 of the species. The quality of this perception varies fromto person, and from culture to culture. "To perceive is to know, through the objects and situations (...) the act of perceiving can also be characterized by the limof information. It is perceived according to a perspective. The possibility of appreh

the totality of the object only occurs in the imagination, which constitutes, on thhand, a form of organization of the conscience internally protected against error"4.

Under this definition, there are some hidden basic aspects of learning. One is the limitation on the amount and the quality of information that can be perceive

can easily be understood when we study, for example, Classic History. No matthard we read about the subject, no book will be able to transmit the feelings, thethe colors accurately, the social tensions and politics that existed at the time. Aaspect poses the question of perspective: one perceives what one wishes to percpractical learning, this means that it is of little value to insist on teaching a pupil

basis of knowledge differs from the professor's, since his perspective of the suanother - it would be like trying to talk with a Chinese person without knowing speak Chinese. In this case, according to the concept of perception by Penna, thereal perception of the object of study, but an inadequate mental construction that

the mind against error. In other words, "no human being (...) can dominate pr

elements under a way not manageable by the nervous system" (Greenspan, 1999).

Intellectual Factors

For Piaget, all learning derives from mental relations of abstraction and balaother words, the human being is constantly seeking the improvement of hisreasoning capabilities. Thus, using mechanisms of assimilation, adjusting and adap people learn through their mistakes and victories, analyzing them throughoperations and grouping relations. This process is what Piaget calls balancing mech

It can also be included in the intellectual factors, the operations, the relatiogroupings, the construction of schemes and the structuring, all according to Piafact, such mental manipulations derive from the representation of reality that each o

For Piaget, intelligence is constructed in continuous form, through processes ofabstraction resulting from the relations between the individual and the object

relations happen, in a higher form, as abstract operations that perceive reality assomental structures and creating projects of assimilation of reality. That is whdenomination of intellectual factors comes from: its effectiveness depends on the

mathematical mental coordination, influenced by all the other factors, such as percemotion and motivation.

The importance of intellectual factors is as essential to determine the qulearning as all other factors. Some educators tend to place too much emphasisintellectual aspects, forgetting, however, that these same factors depend upon a sexternal circumstances (Antunes, 1998; Gardner, 1995). In other words, it is impo

think, but the world is not only made of thoughts.


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Learning, therefore, depends on a conjunction of dual factors, involving p(sensorial and intellectual) and sensational (motivational and emotional) aspeccomplex relations between themselves and the external environment:

EMOTIONAL

FACTORS

INTELLECTUAL

FACTORS

MOTIVATION

FACTORS

SENSORIAL

FACTORS

INTE

RNALIZ

EDLEARNINGSPACE

TOTAL LEARNING SPACE

Figure 3: The interaction of factors in learning spaces

Figure 3 considers the existence of two learning spaces: one that is intern

where emotional and intellectual factors act more effectively; and a more generathat allows more complex interactions between the individual and the enviromediated by the motivational and sensorial factors. According to this reasoning,

no learning without all the factors being involved, in greater or smaller degreecreation of knowledge (Greenspan, 1999).

The Virtual EnvironmentThe optimization of such learning factors in an educational progra

technological bases facilitates a better exploitation of the students cognitive capaFor this to occur, it would be necessary to build a virtual environment where the pumotivated to join; where he could show initiatives and feel good about it; where he

interact, through his senses, with the object of study; and where he would be allo

guess the objects rules, patterns of behavior, and its relations with his reality. would be important to let him make mistakes, and to construct his own "knowledge" on the subject.

Schank suggests several learning environments that make use of various co


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student into exploring diverse possibilities, so he may build different perspectives ois being studied6.

For an effective use of all the cognitive learning strategies, it is necesdevelop an environment that permits interactions between factors as described in

Such environment needs to take in consideration not only the factors themselves, btheir interactions, and to allow emotional, sensorial feedback or both, giving moti

continuity to the learning process. It is important to remember that, as Piaget dchange is the natural state of the human being - we are in constant balancing p

perceiving it as "a succession of the subjects active compensations in response to disturbances and to certain regulating factors, at the same time, of retroactivsystems or feedback) and anticipatory nature, constituting a permanent system compensations" (Piaget, 1966).

An environment of such nature can also be constructed in the Interne

technologies of artificial intelligence and of broadband data communication. TInternets interactive nature allows the environment to supply the student wfeedback, creating challenges, stimulating curiosity and offering perspective (motifactors). It also enables the creation of complex problems pertinent or adjacen

students object of study, leading him to use his logical-mathematical facultiesestablish relations between premises (intellectual factors). The possibilities of conother people, or intelligent tutors themselves - something a virtual environment necwould have - gives the pupil the option of relaxation, of focusing on otherexchanging experiences, and relief of any emotional tension inherent to the soluparticularly difficult problems (emotional factors). Finally, the ample scope of amultimedia features makes the exchange of information possible between the envirand the pupil using different senses, complementing and strengthening all imcontent, calling for the use of several mental abilities7 (sensorial factors). The creat

complete environment is already possible with the tools currently available byforming a multidisciplinary team and having appropriate financial support for the pr

ConclusionsCognitive learning strategies can be understood as a conjunction of facto

define a variety of interactive ways responsible for the amplitude of an indiknowledge. The knowledge of such factors (emotional, motivational, sensorintellectual) allows the educator to prepare all pedagogical content more efficiently

offer his students, effectively, a much better learning process. These factors aimportant in the creation of virtual environments. The experiences of Schank demothe potential of a natural educational approach, but maintain the existence of theseimplicit. The realization of their existence could define a new methodology of worconstruction of such environments, focused not only on natural learning, but alsinteraction between emotional, sensorial, motivational and intellectual factors


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formation of a permanent learning cycle, where the individual would be contimotivated, moved, challenged, and sensorially interpellated, in a learning spacestimuli and feedback.

Research in this area could find support in the theories of LeDoux, Golem

Greenspan, regarding the emotional and motivational factors; in the Gestalt theoriethe biological foundations of the senses, for a more profound approach on s

aspects; in the studies of the cognitivists, like Piaget, Pinker and Pozo, abintellectual aspects; and in the works of scientists on artificial intelligence, like

Schank and Minsky, among many others.

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cognitive strategies for virtual learning environments

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