Cognitive Load

In my last post, I outlined the importance of accessing prior knowledge to learning. In this post, I am going to expand on our understanding by introducing cognitive load theory. 


Let’s start with the connection between prior knowledge and cognitive load theory. If students do not recall previously learned material, they will overload their working memory by trying to recall what they already know while learning the new material. Since working memory can hold about “three to five items for 10-20 seconds,” this effort taxes their ability to learn (Kelleher, 1). As a result, when we design lessons, we have to be aware of cognitive load, which refers to the amount of mental activity imposed on working memory at any one time. Dr. John Lovell in Cognitive Load Theory in Action, defines cognitive load as “anything that takes up working memory’s capacity” (20). 


While there are three loads, educators must be cognizant of two in particular, intrinsic and extraneous loads. In a nutshell, intrinsic load is determined by how hard the content will be to remember. Extraneous load is determined by how you present the content.  The following resources provide further details.


Video by @scottschwertly:


Podcast: What You Need to Know About Cognitive Load: A Conversation with John Sweller (36 min)


Why Do I Need to Know About Cognitive Load?

If intrinsic load and extraneous load together exceed the capacity of working memory, no learning will occur.


Causes of Cognitive Overload:

  • Multi-step instructions

  • Lists of unconnected facts

  • Chains of logic more than three steps long

  • Application of newly learned concepts without sufficient practice (Willingham, 19)

How Do I Avoid Cognitive Overload?

Reduce the extraneous load and optimize the intrinsic load. Remember: Intrinsic load is about curriculum design. Extraneous load is about lesson design. 

Optimize Intrinsic Load

  • Pre-teach vocabulary 

  • Activate students’ prior knowledge

  • Write simple and concise directions

  • Provide worked examples or models

  • Teach skills in a hierarchy

  • Scaffold the learning by breaking complex ideas or procedures into smaller steps

  • Simplify a task by asking students to practice integrated skills at a simple level before increasing the complexity and rigor of the skills


Reduce Extraneous Load

1. Eliminate redundant, repetitive, or unnecessary information. In other words, design slides, don’t decorate them. 


Consider the following slide. The picture of the mathematician and the fact at the bottom of the slide will tax students’ extraneous loads. Students do not know what to focus on, or they may try to focus on all of it. 

                                                                                                                                         Sundar, 2020


The slide below is another example. The robot is cute but totally irrelevant to the content. How does a picture of a robot help students understand utopia? If the visual does not depict the concept then it will be a distractor, taking up much needed space in working memory.



Instead, present visual content using only the text and visual the learner needs to understand the concept. See my slide on working memory below:



Take a look at this cleaner version of the math slide:

From Sparking Interest, Reducing Learning? The Hidden Drawback of Fun Facts and Other Seductive Details

                                                                                                                                                     Sundar, 2020

2. Minimize the amount of text on a slide.

3. Do not read your slides to the class.

  • When information is presented visually (whether in pictures or text) and orally, both sources of information take up space in the working memory and interfere with learning. If you are reading from or talking about your slide while students are taking notes then students cannot listen to you. We cannot attend to two things at the same time.

  • Direct students to listen to you first OR read the text silently. Then ask students to take notes, encouraging them to summarize in their own words.

4. Avoid transient information in slides. When information disappears, but students have to hold it in their working memory to process the next slide, learning will be compromised.

 

Here’s an example of what NOT to do:

Slide 1

Slide 2


In order to apply the comma rules, students need to remember the information on the first slide. This will result in an extraneous load that could impede the students’ ability to complete the activity. Instead, try this:


Slide 1

Slide 2


By keeping the rules on the slide, you reduce the load on students’ working memories.


The big takeaway is that teachers can design curriculum and instruction to reduce the demand on students' working memories, so they learn more effectively. 


Resources:

Kelleher, I. (2022). How to reduce the cognitive load on students during lessons. Edutopia.
Lovell, O. (2020). Sweller’s Cognitive Load Theory in Action. John Catt Educational, Ltd.
Sundar, K. (2020). Sparking interest, reducing learning? The hidden drawback of fun facts and other seductive details. American Educator. 31-36.                                                             





 

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