THE COGNITIVE-TECHNOLOGY ENHANCEMENT LEARNING THEORY (C-TELT)

Abstract

The Cognitive-Technology Enhancement Learning Theory (C-TELT) germinates in response to the weaknesses of the cognitive theory. The major tenet of C-TELT holds that all meaningful learning, from simple to complex, takes place when the cognitive ability of an individual is enhanced by artefacts in the environment, through experience or practice. These artefacts are collectively called technology. The theory maintains that when the brain is enhanced by technology, it is the sharpest and most effective structure that exists. The focus of this theory brings the core elements of cognitive, constructivism, empiricism and rationalism together. The meaning of the term learning, as used here, is adopted from Kimble’s modified definition as “a relatively permanent change in behaviour or behaviour potentiality that results from experience and cannot be attributed to temporary body states such as those induced by illness, fatigue or drugs†(Olson & Hergenhahn, 2013, p. 6). Consequently, the intent of this theory is not to reinvent the wheels or restate what is already stated. It intends to stand on the shoulders of pioneers and unearth how teaching and curriculum can be improved so that students learn better in a dynamic globalized 21th century environment.