A new study (New Mind Model) by Cornell is receiving a fair bit of online discussion. The study basically states: "The theory that the mind works like a computer, in a series of distinct stages, was an important steppingstone in cognitive science, but it has outlived its usefulness, concludes a new Cornell University study. Instead, the mind should be thought of more as working the way biological organisms do: as a dynamic continuum, cascading through shades of grey." I encountered a similar concept in a listserv recently. The discussion centered on the distinction between our learning as a process of pattern recognition, not information processing. The idea that we recognize patterns (instead of processing information) has the potential to strongly influence how we design and create learning. The concept is in keeping with connectivism as a networked view of learning.
Posted by gsiemens at July 5, 2005 3:29 PM