MENTAL OPERATIONS

Lets take the example of factory production where we have input of raw materials, processing of materials and output of a physical product. If we look at the learning process through the lens of factory production, we can see the input as being the raw materials for learning eg. text or books we’ve read, discussions we heard and what we’ve observed about the topic in our daily life experiences. We can use a search process to find the raw materials eg. books or online resources.

These raw materials are then processed through cognitive operations which can include analysis where we break down the topic into its key concepts. We then define the key concepts, comparing the concepts to past experiences in order to build an image in our minds. We can then develop a storyline or narrative of the key factors at play to explain their cause and effects using logic, rational thinking and common sense. To take it a step further we can think critically about the concept, by taking multiple perspectives to see how different stakeholders see the same situation. Taking an opposing view can also yield new insights. Having thought through the concept we can then form conclusions.

This is an example of the cognitive operations at play when we learn something new. These processes are often happening unconsciously in the background. The question is how we can make the implicit explicit by thinking consciously and with purpose as we learn rather than leaving these integral processes unexamined for improvement.

As you learn it is important to understand which level of the learning pyramid you are on. Usually we progress from the bottom up, starting by breaking down a complex topic into its key concepts. We then gain an understanding of the key concepts by obtaining definitions of them, gathering and consuming information on them and build understanding by comparing them to our past experiences to visualise them. Once we understand it we can apply the concept to solve a problem.

Different steps in Blooms Taxonomy can be used at different times or simultaneously, there is no set sequence: