Cognitive Flexibility Theory

[Kevin Oliver]

Cognitive Flexibility Theory (Spiro, Feltovich, & Coulson, 1990)
Cognitive flexibility theory recommends giving students diverse and often ill-structured cases to help them build flexible knowledge structures that are useful in interpreting new situations. Cognitive flexibility hypertext systems are highly interconnected, such as the letters in primary source collections that are tagged on similar themes and easily retrieved for analysis and comparison through a search interface. Students can essentially use these collections as historians conducting research, directing their own study on topics of interest and seeking patterns in the texts. In this collection, students can address such questions as, were slaves treated similarly on the different plantations, and were certain gender or job roles evident. Students can better understand the complexities of antebellum life as they engage in exploration and reflection on unique cases that are associated by themes.

[Kevin Oliver]

One reason I listed cognitive flexibility theory as a framework that might support student analysis of the Plantation Letters is related to the Cameron's ownership of multiple plantations in at least three different states. As we get more letters online, we're hoping there may be an opportunity for students to compare letters from different overseers, owners, or plantations, and determine if there are any patterns across these unique cases. The search interface built for the Plantation Letters site allows students to compare documents side-by-side and supports the identification of patterns in the texts. As you begin to explore the Cameron papers with the search interface, if you identify any patterns that would be an interesting focus area for students, or if your students have found patterns on their own, please share them with us here.

[Tamara Young]

The Cognitive Flexibility Theory serves an important purpose for content that is complex and not well structured. Spiro et al. (1991, 24) state that for instruction to be effective, several "highly intertwined topics" must be considered simultaneously. Among these topics they include:
* the constructive nature of understanding;
* the complex and ill-structured features of many, if not most, knowledge domains;
* patterns of learning failure;
* a theory of learning that addresses known patterns of learning failure.

It is very important to be able to represent knowledge in a variety of ways and give students the tools to construct conceptual understanding when the knowledge must later be used. The learning environment must be flexible allowing the students the ability to address different content in a way that is conducive to their learning. The computer serves a very important role in this type of learning because the content in not presented in a linear fashion. In contrast, the information is restructured and presented in multiple ways.

This website would be beneficial to students because it does allow different approaches to having access to the letters. They can be searched by themes, analyzed by the students and allow them to form their own conclusions about the content of the information being given. Students could also look for patterns within the author's writing or during certain time periods.

Teaching elementary school students means that this type of project would require structured and detailed directions with guidance and scaffolding.

[Nick Miller]

The Cognitive Flexibility Theory could be very beneficial if used in the correct way. The CFT seems to aim at not allowing teachers to oversimplify a topic that is trying to be learned (Schmidt). The oversimplification leads to students’ failure to learn about complex and ill-structured knowledge.

Hypertext systems are a great way that this theory works, especially in assignments like this one dealing with the Cameron Papers. There is a wide-range of information available in these letters, all which would be hard to teach a specific subject about. However, by tagging certain themes within the letters, it allows a student to do their own research, and come up with their own interpretations of what the letters tell us about the time period dealing with slavery.

I personally think that the addition of letters from the other Cameron Plantations will allow this theory to flourish. It will be very interesting to compare letters from different states and see what the similarities and differences there are. I also think that this addition is very important and will allow the students to come up with stronger conclusions about the time period.

[Bobby Mack]

Applying the cognitive flexibility theory when examining the Cameron Family Letters is definitely fitting. The Document viewer allows students not only to compare letters side by side, but also lets them compare multiple letters, beyond just two without having to open any more windows or leave Cameron Plantation web-site. When two or more letters are selected they a listed below the two already being looked at allowing students just to click to bring up one of the letters of their interest. I have found then when students get working with digital or hypertext sources they are very hesitant to leave the site for fear that they will not be able to retrieve the source or in this case letters.

Some patterns that I noticed among the letters and text were that some letter have not been transcribed and only the original writing could be viewed. This is one major difference that I noticed. Also some letters do not have a return address making it difficult to determine where they are being sent from if the letter does not discuss the location in detail. Whenever I can find an assignment where students are given the opportunity to compare documents and images either digitally or in the class room it really creates a lesson that gives them the chance to fully analyze materials rather than learning about materials/documents where comparing texts is either not practical or to difficult based on original text.