Not too long ago Dylan Wiliam tweeted something about this being the most important thing for teachers to know. Hyperbole put to one side – I think there is a genuine case for teachers to be current in the language of cognitive load theory. This is a potted summary as well as a nice collection of other pedagogical theories out there. I wish I’d seen this a long time ago (the web site that is).
One way I know if my brain has latched onto so some idea or other is that I keep referring to the latched onto thing is different contexts. Cognitive Load Theory is one such thing. Frustratingly for the rest of me – I’ve no real idea what the theory is or any detail about it. This then is an attempt to scratch that bit of my brain which is itching with curiosity.
Over time, I’ll pop down the different terms I keep hearing in relation to this idea. There are three main folk serving as my source for knowledge on this:
Effects:
Goal Free Effect.
Means / Ends strategy impacts on working memory while problem solving. Working memory is focused on achieving the goal – where the ‘learning’ may best be achieved without having to search for a goal.
Worked Example Effect
Be specific about what part of a problem you want the students to learn. In a multi step problem – only focus on the one step as the worked example. Then move onto the next.
Split Attention Effect
What do you want the students to focus on? Then don’t put a heap of other things for learners to have to decode (think diagrams and graphs etal) in order to get to the actual learning you intend to happen.