Bransford, J. D., & Vye, N. J. (1989). A perspective on cognitive research and its implications for instruction. In L. B. Resnick & L. E. Klopfer (Eds.), Toward the thinking curriculum: Current cognitive research (pp. 173P205). Alexandria VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Reviewed by Clark J. Nelson.


Knowledge of cognitive processes used in reading, writing, and working with math and science can lead to significant instructional improvements. Three central areas of research are focused on:

By examining the processes competent learners use, rather than solely products produced by them, the instructor gains valuable knowledge to aid learners having difficulty. Many activities and forms of instruction are only effective if learners have appropriate starting knowledge. With support from instruction, students can start from novice stages and move toward skilled procedural knowledge.

The authors advocate the use of "coached practice," which involves modeling and assisting learner reflection. Additionally, the importance of "learning by doing" is stressed. "Inert knowledge" is knowledge that is gained through memorization or reading, but that is never used to solve new problems. This inert knowledge can be made useful when learners are able to use the information themselves and experience its effects on their own performance.

Instructors can gain valuable knowledge about common learner misconceptions and learner strategies that fail to lead to conceptual change. The instructor may begin reflecting on ways to help students not just learn facts, but about the process of learning itself. By monitoring and sharing successful students' strategies, the instructor can help less-successful students learn to monitor their own learning, a skill that is often lacking. Also very important is the emphasis on a transition from "memory to action." After learning a new fact, students should engage in some sort of active generation of a product utilizing this knowledge. The student should also reflect on the "how" rather than the "what." As a foreign language educator, I find this information useful in formulating lessons that will help students learn and apply effective cognitive strategies, and reflect on their activities in ways that will facilitate new learning.


To the top.
Back to Annotated Bibliographies.