Maladaptive Cognitive Schema

Note: Click on any word on this page (and click it again) to experience OLSN, the Online Learning Support Net.

Maladaptive Cognitive Schema is learning (noun) that organizes our knowledge, assumptions, and mental processing habits, in ways that misorient, misdirect, misinform, or otherwise undermine or disable learning (verb).

Maladaptive
adj.
1. Marked by faulty or inadequate adaptation.
2. Not assisting or promoting adaptation.
Cognitive Schema
Structures that organize our knowledge and assumptions about something and are used for interpreting and processing information. (wiki)

One common example of maladaptive cognitive schema is the ‘guessing games’ poor readers get stuck in. Rather than working the code they jump to guessing what the word is from its context, whole word appearance, or an accompanying picture. This learned, unconsciously automatic, processing schema is misorienting and maladapting their learning to the learning challenge at hand. In other words, what they’ve learned in the past is working against their learning in the present.

This site is a continual work in process. Its pages are working drafts that will evolve over time.  If our work interests you  please share your thoughts, feedback, and comments and consider subscribing to receive updates about new posts and articles.  If you think what we are doing is important, please consider contributing whatever you can to our non-profit work (see side panel). Together let’s ignite the dialogue. 

PLEASE HELP US
Learning Stewards is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that depends on the support of people like you.

Please donate whatever you can.
IT’S TAX-DEDUCTIBLE

Help us help children, parents, and educators
while you shop at Amazon!

Or send your tax-deductible donation check to:

Learning Stewards
4211 Graf Dr.
Louisville, KY 40220

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. Re: Dyslexics suffer from a slower processor | Learning Stewards - December 16, 2013

    […] Maladaptive Cognitive Schema […]

  2. 2020 Vision: The Institute for the Study and Prevention of Acquired Learning Disabilities - Learning Stewards - December 30, 2019

    […] Maladaptive Cognitive Schema […]

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.