Educational Psychology: Effective Teaching, Effective Learning by Elliott, Kratochwill, Littlefield Cook & Travers
	Chapter 7 Summary
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Cognitive Psychology and the Construction of Knowledge

Cognitive psychologists generally agree that their work encompasses the study of the structures and components for processing information, such as memory, attention, perception, language, reasoning, problem solving, and creativity. The theory of cognitive constructivism states that people actively construct their own knowledge through a process of adapting to the events and ideas one experiences. A person's construction of knowledge is significantly influenced by one's environment and the symbols and materials one uses. Teachers who use a constructivist approach act as facilitators of knowledge and skill acquisition, and as guides who structure high-quality learning environments. Thus learning can be very individualized and personalized for each student, taking into account one's prior knowledge, culture and background, interests, and cognitive level and skills.

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