Helping People Learn Effectively

[bbasujon]

In this article, we'll look at Cognitive Load Theory (CLT). This takes a scientific approach to the design of learning materials, so that they present information at a pace and at a level of complexity that the learner can fully understand.

How do we Process Information?

Cognitive Load Theory builds upon the widely accepted model of human information processing shown in Figure 1 (this was published by Richard Atkinson and Richard Shiffrin in 1968.)

It describes the process as having three main parts: sensory memory, working memory and long-term memory. Since then, many researchers have added to our understanding of this concept, but the basic model remains the same.



Every day, you are bombarded with sensory information. Sensory memory filters out most of this information, but keeps an impression of the most important items long enough for them to pass into working memory.

For example, when you return a volley while playing tennis, your sensory memory discards information about players on adjacent courts, the sound of children playing nearby, the smell of coffee from the park's café... and it focuses only on the approaching ball.

Information from your sensory memory passes into your working memory, where it is either processed or discarded. Working memory can generally hold between five and nine items (or chunks) of information at any one time. This is central to Cognitive Load Theory, as you will see.

When your brain processes information, it categorizes that information and moves it into long-term memory, where it is stored in knowledge structures called "schemas." These organize information according to how you use it. So, for example, you have schemas for different concepts such as dog, cat, mammal, and animal.

You also have behavioral schemas for actions like hitting a ball, riding a bicycle, ordering food at a restaurant and so on. The more practiced you become at using these schemas, the more effortless these behaviors become. This is called "automation." Schemas are also significant to Cognitive Load Theory. Let's find out why.



Cognitive Load Theory was developed by John Sweller. He published a paper on the subject in the journal Cognitive Science in 1988.

"Cognitive load" relates to the amount of information that working memory can hold at one time. Sweller said that, since working memory has a limited capacity, instructional methods should avoid overloading it with additional activities that don't directly contribute to learning.

For example, a labeled diagram places a lower demand on your working memory than one that has the labels listed at the side. Imagine, for example, how you would feel if we had presented the diagram in Figure 1 in this way:

https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/cognitive-load-theory.htm