Cognitive Learning

This week’s post is all about cognitive learning. That’s: cog-NIT-iv. Say the middle part with a little more strength than the other two. Cognitive simply means using your brain to think. We are thinking all the time. Our brains never shut down, even when we’re sleeping.

Now, you can think of all sorts of things. Some are important, many aren’t. I want to focus on critical thinking. Critical, by the way, is a word that can be used in five different ways.

So, when we learn cognitively, we use our brains. Okay, you might say, we use our brains all the time. You just said so up there.

You’re right, of course.

But what about when we’re playing footy? Or basketball? Then we’re using our physical selves to learn skills, which our brains remember.

Cognitive learning uses the brain. Think of it as a workout, only in your head instead of the field or court. Your footy coach might have you run a passing or kicking drill. When you learn cognitively, you run drills in your head.

Look at this list of words:

• house

• car

• boat

• beach

• aeroplane

• water

Scroll so you can’t see them. Can you recall them? Scroll back to see if you got them. Now, scroll away again. Set a timer for five minutes, then write the words down. In the same order. Wait another five minutes, then write them in reverse order.

Now, think about what your brain did to remember them. That’s cognitive learning!