面向智慧学习的认知工具与思维工具

Cognitive Tools and Thinking Tools Towards Intelligent Learning

人类正在加速迈入智慧学习时代,如何运用信息技术支持智慧学习进而发展学习者智慧,已经成为人们越来越关注的话题。认知工具和思维工具是信息技术支持智慧学习的重要手段。然而,在实际教学研究与应用中,人们却常将二者混淆,并对其在智慧学习中的角色定位不清。从认知和思维的关系来看,思维是认知的高阶组成部分,思维工具是认知工具的高阶子集。思维工具与一般性认知工具具有本质差异:认知工具建基于社会建构主义和分布式认知理论,而思维工具的理论基础是认知建构主义理论;认知工具是支持、引导或拓展使用者认知过程的心理模型或计算设备,其核心是借助外部工具和社会群体进行意义建构,而思维工具是引导人们思考方向和侧重点的策略或方法,其核心是借助思维策略或方法完成内部意义建构。信息技术可以但不必然成为认知工具,具体取决于它们是否能够分担低阶认知负荷并让学习者更好地投入到高阶认知加工中去;认知工具可以但也不必然成为思维工具,具体取决于其是否参与思维过程以及是否具有工具的可内化性。认知工具和思维工具在智慧学习中具有不同的角色定位,前者是智慧学习环境建设的关键,可以为培养学习者智慧提供环境支持;后者是发展学习者智慧的重要依托,目标是内化为学习者的思维技能。

Human beings are stepping into the era of intelligent learning at an accelerated pace.How to employ information technology to support intelligent learning and develop learners’wisdom has become an issue receiving more and more attention.Though cognitive and thinking tools are effective measures that support intelligent learning,people often confuse them due to their high similarities.Thinking is a high-level component of cognition in terms of their relationship.Therefore,thinking tools are a high-level subset of cognitive tools.There are essential differences between thinking tools and general cognitive tools:cognitive tools are based upon socio-constructivism and distributed cognitive theory,while the theoretical basis of thinking tools is constructivism learning theory;cognitive tools are psychological models or computational tools that support,guide or extend users’cognitive process,the core of which is to construct meaning with the aid of external tools or social groups,but the thinking tools are kinds of strategies and methods that are used to guide people’s thinking direction and focus,and their core is to complete the internal meaning making with the aid of thinking strategies and methods.Information technology can be,but not necessarily be,cognitive tools,depending on whether they can share the low-level cognitive load and help users think;cognitive tools can be,but not necessarily be,thinking tools,depending on whether they participate in the thinking process and have the internalization of thinking.Cognitive tools and thinking tools play different roles in intelligent learning.The former is the key to constructing an intelligent learning environment and can provide environmental support for the cultivation of learners’wisdom.The latter is an important basis for developing learners’wisdom,and its goal is to internalize learners’thinking skills.