Cognitive apprenticeship

Imagine you want to learn how to build a sandcastle. You have never done it before, but you have a friend who is really good at it. Your friend can teach you everything you need to know, step-by-step. This is similar to how cognitive apprenticeship works.

Cognitive apprenticeship is a teaching method where a more experienced person (like a teacher, coach, or mentor) helps someone who is less experienced (like a student or apprentice) learn new skills. This is not just any kind of teaching, but a very special kind where the teacher helps the student understand not just what to do, but also why and how to do it.

The teacher will break down the skill into smaller parts and explain each part to the student. They may show the student a demonstration, and then let the student try it themselves with support and feedback. This allows the student to learn from the teacher's knowledge and experience while also practicing and improving their own skills.

It's like your friend teaching you how to build a sandcastle. Your friend would show you how to flatten the sand, make towers, build walls, and carve out the details. They might also tell you how to make sure that the sandcastle doesn't collapse, or why water is important for building sandcastles. Over time, with practice and feedback, the student would become more skilled, until they could build their own sandcastle on their own.

In the classroom, cognitive apprenticeship can be used for teaching a variety of skills, from math and science to artistic expression and critical thinking. It allows students to learn from the experience of others, and to develop their own skills through hands-on practice and guidance.