What cognitive science is teaching us about successful learning
The learning model that sets the ComFit Online Learning Center apart from other Web- based educational resources is rooted in the most recent findings in a wide range of education-related disciplines, including learning theory, cognitive psychology, and the neuroscience of learning and memory.
The learning model that underlies the ComFit Online Learning Center draws its theoretical basis from a wide range of interdisciplinary studies, but it has been influenced, in large part, by the work of two of the most prominent names in cognitive science: K. Anders Ericsson and John Sweller.
Ericsson is a Florida State University cognitive psychologist who has spent nearly 30 years studying the attributes and practices (apart from innate talent) that differentiate expert performers from their less accomplished counterparts. Sweller is an Australian psychologist whose Cognitive Load Theory has vastly expanded our knowledge of the factors that influence how efficiently our brains operate during the learning process.
Listed below are the six cognitive-related areas that form the basis of our model.
Ericsson is a Florida State University cognitive psychologist who has spent nearly 30 years studying the attributes and practices (apart from innate talent) that differentiate expert performers from their less accomplished counterparts. Sweller is an Australian psychologist whose Cognitive Load Theory has vastly expanded our knowledge of the factors that influence how efficiently our brains operate during the learning process.
Listed below are the six cognitive-related areas that form the basis of our model.
| LEARNING FACTOR | COMFIT ALIGNMENT |
| Motivation | Our combination of our student-centered, individualized content and easy-to-navigate functionality keeps students actively engaged in the learning task at hand. It also heightens the degree to which learners are motivated by intrinsic factors—an interest in the learning task itself, as opposed to external rewards. |
| Self-regulation and metacognition | The emphasis our model places on "step-by-step", process-driven learning, coupled with the ability of students to learn at their own pace and to track their own progress, builds self-confidence. Students become more consciously aware of (and better able to manage) the thought processes that underlie successful learning. |
| Structured instruction | Our instructional content is structured and delivered in a carefully scaffolded manner, consistent with the core elements of Cognitive Load Theory. Content likely to be unfamiliar to students is presented in bite-sized chunks and connects wherever possible to knowledge and skills that students have previously learned or mastered. Inputs unrelated to the learning task at hand are minimized. |
| Deliberate practice | Our "fitness-center" approach to skill-building provides students with frequent and self-paced opportunities to engage in what most cognitive scientists now view as the single most important component to successful learning: focused practice. |
| Feedback | The feedback built into our skill-building drills is frequent and process-oriented. It doesn't simply "correct;" it spurs learners to reflect upon the thought process necessary to solve each problem. |
| Individualized instruction | Our drill-down assessment process and teacher-friendly monitoring and reporting tools make it far easier than would normally be the case for teachers and tutors to identify—and effectively address—the specific skill gaps that differentiate individual students. |
If you would like to talk to someone at ComFit Learning about the assessment and skill-building needs that are priorities for you or your organization, Contact Us, or send us an email at info@comfit.com.