In this article, Tamara Victor details the transition from traditional academic repetition to true critical thinking. Victor, Lead Consultant for Professional Development at Bellavista S.H.A.R.E. in Johannesburg, explains how specific frameworks reshape learning. This helps educators and homeschooling parents equip children for the demands of the modern world.
What is intelligence? Is it fixed, or can it be developed? Does academic success always lead to achievement in life? How do we define success? Are schools effectively preparing today’s learners for the complexities of the modern world? These are the types of thought-provoking questions explored during Coffee and Cognition, a four part series of discussions on cognitive education held at Bellavista School, where parents gather to expand their understanding and actively invest in their children’s education.
When asked about the primary role of a school, an AI-generated response states:
“The primary role of a school is to provide a structured and organized learning environment where children can acquire knowledge, develop cognitive skills, and enhance their academic performance, preparing them for future educational pursuits and contributing to society.”
This response highlights the traditional focus on knowledge acquisition and academic performance. In primary school, educators emphasise literacy and numeracy as foundational skills, while high school teachers often structure instruction around exam preparation.
However, in an era where information is more accessible than ever, learners are inundated with vast amounts of content. The challenge is no longer access to information, but rather the ability to critically evaluate, analyse, compare sources, problem-solve and determine reliability. Are educational institutions adapting their curricula to keep pace with these rapid advancements?
The Foundations of Cognitive Education
Many educators feel pressured to cover extensive content and meet prescribed learning outcomes. However, what if curriculum design could seamlessly integrate cognitive processes to foster responsible, ethical citizens who are resilient problem-solvers, independent thinkers and contributors to society? This is precisely the goal of cognitive education.
At Bellavista School, cognitive education underpins all instructional practices, drawing on the evidence-based theories of the late Professor Reuven Feuerstein and his colleague, Professor Emerita Katherine Greenberg.
Feuerstein’s work is anchored in two key concepts: Structural Cognitive Modifiability (SCM) and the Mediated Learning Experience (MLE). SCM asserts that cognitive abilities are not fixed; rather, individuals, regardless of age or limitations, can develop new neural pathways and enhance cognitive function.
Modern neuroimaging research supports this principle, demonstrating the brain’s capacity for neuroplasticity. SCM fosters an optimistic view of learning, affirming that every individual has the potential for cognitive growth and meaningful change.
The Role of the Mediator in Cognitive Education
The MLE serves as the mechanism for facilitating this cognitive transformation. Feuerstein defines MLE as:
“The quality of human-environment interaction that results from the changes introduced in this interaction by a human mediator who interposes him/herself between the receiving organism and the sources of stimuli” (Feuerstein, 2003, p. 23).
In this process, an educator, therapist, parent or any other relevant key adult mediates the learner’s experience by framing, guiding, questioning and drawing connections. This structured intervention encourages learners to explore their thought processes, solve problems, set goals and develop independent reasoning skills.
Skilled mediators foster meaningful learning by posing questions that learners may not think to ask themselves. They prompt learners to reflect on the past when their focus is solely on the future.
They encourage forward-thinking when the learners are preoccupied with the past or present. They challenge learners to see one experience in relation to others, even when they are content with a single moment. They inspire learners to consider their peers’ perspectives, even when they feel satisfied with their own.
They guide learners to articulate and define what they’ve learned, even when they believe their learning is complete. And just as the learners are ready to move on, these mediators ask them to consider real-world applications of their learning, deepening their understanding before turning the page (Ben-Hur, 2000).
Metacognition in Learning and Strategy Building
A crucial component of cognitive education is metacognition, a core executive functioning skill that plays a central role in Professor Barry Carpenter’s Recovery Curriculum Theory (Carpenter & Carpenter, 2020). Metacognition requires individuals to think about their own thinking processes; essentially, to pause and reflect on how they think and how they learn. Feuerstein’s Instrumental Enrichment programme emphasises this with the phrase:
“Just a moment…let me think!”
Beyond metacognition, learners must also cultivate metastrategic thinking, which involves developing a personalised set of learning strategies. By identifying what works best for them individually, learners become more confident and capable of tackling academic, vocational, emotional, and social challenges (Greenberg, 2000).
Applying the Cognitive Enrichment Advantage
Building upon Feuerstein’s theories, Professor Katherine Greenberg developed the Cognitive Enrichment Advantage (CEA) approach, a structured method for fostering a shared language of thinking and learning. CEA promotes consistency and collaboration among educators, students, parents and other stakeholders by ensuring that cognitive processes are explicitly named and reinforced.
Greenberg envisions the classroom as a “laboratory for learning”, a space where students engage in reflective, independent and interdependent learning experiences (Greenberg, 2000, p. 15).
CEA integrates best practices in cognitive education with a strong emphasis on metastrategic knowledge, enabling students to develop and refine their own learning strategies.
The approach is structured around 12 building blocks of thinking, which focus on the cognitive processes essential for effective reasoning. The building blocks target the thinking process with regard to approaching, making meaning and confirming the learning experience.
The terms Exploration, Planning, Expression, Working Memory, Making Comparisons, Getting the Main Idea, Thought Integration, Connecting Events, Precision and Accuracy, Space and Time, Selective Attention, and Problem Identification are highlighted, explored and discussed in depth, with a focus on their effective application.
The 8 tools of learning address the emotional and motivational aspects of learning, looking at understanding feelings and motivating behaviours within the learning experience (Greenberg, 2000). The terms Inner Meaning, Feeling of Challenge, Awareness of Self-Change, Feeling of Competence, Self-Regulation, Goal Orientation, Self-Development and Sharing Behaviour are explored thoroughly, with an emphasis on their effective use in the learning experience.
Feuerstein asserts that cognition and emotion are interconnected, with mediation serving as the bridge between the two. Thus, a well-rounded educational approach must consider both cognitive and affective-motivational dimensions.
Equipping Learners for the Future
The ultimate goal of a mediated learning experience is to empower learners to think independently, rendering the mediator’s role unnecessary over time. By guiding students to ask questions, analyse information, and problem-solve, they are equipped with lifelong skills – not simply teaching them what to think, but how to think.
For more information on cognitive education visit www.bellavista.org.za. To explore upcoming training, courses, and workshops, visit the Bellavista S.H.A.R.E website.