Computational Modeling of Learning and Teaching

In this chapter, we consider how computer models are being used to advance our understanding of learning within education. By the notion of ‘model’, we mean a simplified representation and implementation of a phenomenon that captures the key theoretical principles of its operation. In the case of computer models, the implementation of the model is in the form of a computer program. In educational neuroscience, computers are employed as model systems in two different but related ways. First, computers are used to understand the cognitive mechanisms that underlie the learning process. Second, computers are used as teaching tools that model the interaction of the teacher with the learner; these tools can take the form of intelligent tutoring systems or adaptive microworlds . Cognitive models and computer-based teaching tools are related in that both require an understanding of the learner and the way in which particular sets of experiences and kinds of feedback can advance the learner’s knowledge. Indeed, some computer programs have been employed both as cognitive models and as the basis of intelligent tutoring systems (see the later example of ACT-R). The two uses differ in that for cognitive models the target of the model is the learning process taking place within the child or adult, while for the teaching tools the target of the model is the behavior of the human teacher and his or her interactions with the learner. Computational Modeling of Learning and Teaching