Cognitive Science: Schema Theory and Spread Activation

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Cognitive Science Schema Theoryand Spread
Activation

• Using Inspiration and Powerpoint Technologies to
  Make the Invisible Visible.
• EDF 3115 Child Development for Inclusive
  Education (Elementary PROTEACH)

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What does it mean to be an Elementary School
Student?

• What weve learned so far
• Knowledge is organized as a network of nodes
  (pieces of information) and links (connections).
• We can activate students existing knowledge by
  priming a node in their schema.
• When we prime a node (e.g. by asking a
  question), additional information in the schema
  becomes activated through the process of spread
  activation.

• How does the activation of information in
  students schemas affect learning?
• Accessing students existing knowledge about a
  subject can help focus our instruction.
• Accessing students existing knowledge about a
  subject can reveal misconceptions that may
  interfere with future learning.
• How you prime students schemas will affect
  the activation of information and therefore
  their ability to recall different nodes in
  their schemas.

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What does it Mean to be an Elementary School
Student? Two Examples

• In the next slide you will see a sample schema
  a child might have for what it is like to be an
  elementary school student.
• Lets assume two children hold identical schemas
  and you ask both of them to tell you, What does
  it mean to be an elementary school student?
• On this particular day one student was picked on
  in the cafeteria, while the other student
  received a bad grade on a story assignment.

• Example 1 vs Example 2
• Compare the content of information you would get
  from the two children about what it is like to be
  an elementary school student.
• How did the prime (initial yellow node) and
  the spread of information (red links) shape
  recall?
• How might you better prime students to access
  similar information?

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