How do you motivate learners while reducing cognitive load?

I feel that we all have our "overload button" go off many times a day in our brain. I think the best approach to motivate learners while reducing cognitive load is getting to know your learners for who they are. Start with taking an interest in getting know them. Using their interests to guide them and learning what ways they learn best. Some students prefer visual schedules, while others prefer working along to music, while some might like to build/do experiments. To achieve this I find the concept "what is important now, and what can wait" truly helps. It all starts with "knowing your students" to help make not only the end goal but the journey enjoyable, stress free and most importantly, learning how to deal with their "Loads in Life".

Cognitive load has been known by other names as well in other branches of research, such as cognitive resources and attentional processing. Regardless of the source, all theories about cognitive load, cognitive resources, attention, and information processing agree that there is a limit to how much can be processed by humans at any given time. The role of context, time availability, and the parameters of the stimulus being attended to are consistently referred to in literature as the components determining how much information is processed, and for how long.

When I was teaching, I would always make up my version to a popular song or have the kids help me, in order to assist with remembering the information that they needed to solve a problem or remember a process. First, I would sing it so they knew how the words fit the melody and then we would sing it together. They would get into it and the process was no longer an issue. I always said, "Putting education to music using a song or silly mnemonic works wonders, and it makes learning fun too!" EX: We Will Round You Find your place, look next door, 5 or greater, add 1 more All digits in the front, stay the same, All digits behind, zeros your name. We will, we will round you, round you! Sing it! ... (We also taught the exception to the rule.)

I belive that humans can often handle a lot of pieces of information, when the context is appropriate. One way of building that ability is to consistently loop back to earlier acquired insights and discoveries. Ensuring there is relevance in the larger, scoped and sequenced learning pathway increases the integration of prior knowledge and builds the ability to bring in more information into a learning and/or decision process.

The same philosophy of used to make sales and lead groups applies to all learning. If you have students that: 1. Know you. 2. Like you and 3. Trust you, the rest is easy. Efforts in accomplishing these three will be rewarded with better attention and retention from everyone!

The KWL (Know/Want to Know/Learn) strategy is helpful when teaching any age. Introduce a topic and create 3 columns on a visual aid. Ask for learner input: What do you know about this topic? What do you want to know? Have everyone do some research and come back together to fill in the Learn column. The process itself involves inquiry, which is very effective for motivation and retention.

One approach to reduce a task’s intrinsic load is to approach it multi-modally. For instance, some people understand best with visuals, for them it is would be helpful to display the information in figures or diagrams, as well as in different colours and representations. Other people process auditory signals with most ease, and for those, listening to an explanation or an audio-recording of the information is the most beneficial. In order for people to discover which modality they’re best at processing in, they would have to experiment with different techniques.

I have found that asking open-ended questions to establish their knowledge about a topic can establish a positive relationship to start building a foundation. The next step would be identifying gaps and propose ideas and facts to fill in the gaps. Planning and using a relatable analogy like: building a multi-use building, the structure and functions of the human body, geography and weather, can help create a visual experience. Once the foundation and support have been established, new and challenging information can be introduced and explored.

Many things can contribute to the reduction of intrinsic loads, but my experience reinforces the fact that ownership is essential to move the needle and promote progress. Elemental discussion on what the subject is and why it even matters, opens the door for curiosity and appreciation of different points of view. When someone has the desire to further explore a topic that may prove them right, or wrong, or somewhere in between, ownership starts to develop. It is important to encourage exploration without reprimand. Once the first barrier is broken, it is easier for someone to think that pieces and parts of a whole can be conquered and used to achieve a final goal.

This is an area that can assist not just with the cognitive load, but also help those who find it difficult to access information through learning difficulties and other SEN needs. By keeping information light, and by presenting it in clear fonts, thinking about colour schemes and by presenting new information with images that can be associated with the topic, it is far more likely that a student will be able to both understand and retain the new information.

As an erstwhile Actuarial leader I would often fall in this trap, overwhelming my learners and audience with facts, Data and reasonings. Now as a Data Storytelling Coach, it is my delight to solve the exact same problem. Here are my 3 quick tips: 1..Audience centric approach 2. Interactive and experience based facilitation 3. And above all, to begin with the end in mind. This helps bridge learning with emotional engagement, experience and application. Good luck!

As a special education leader how one is presenting information is a key component to wether students grasp a concept or not. Utilizing presentations with clear and succinct examples aligned with step by step directions (chunking) in colored font allows students to absorb information while applying the new concept in practice.

In the world of higher academia and research, Artificial Intelligence tools and other technology-based supportive tools have been playing an important role in reducing extraneous load by taking on some of the redundant tasks, leaving enough cognitive capacity in the individual to read, learn, and expand their creativity, and this is because creation requires enough spare capacity in order to occur. Even though these tools are controversial due to the risk that people might overly rely on them to do more than the work that they were meant to, a solution must be sought in order to find the balance between excessive reliance and correct utilisation, in order to make the most out of these developments.

While I generally agree with how building germane load is presented, I would note that "exposing learners to various examples" et al., is not the educator doing the hard work. It is allowing the learners to bring their lived experiences into the learning. Seeking variance within the group of learners is both recognizing the empowered voice of the learner and a way of drawing in multiple perspectives toward the same learning outcome. I cannot make something germane in someone's life, but I can help facilitate the individual discovering the ways in which it is or may be germane through the shared exploration.

In addition to the principles mentioned above, I would add the mastery approach, where individuals are invited to solve a problem, a case study, or answer questions using presented information, facts, or methods. This mentally rewarding approach creates a learning environment that maximises germane effort by mastering the information in an implementation approach. The information to be learned is presented alongside or directly before the problem or questions that need to be solved using it, and this has been shown to improve longterm information retention.

In my experience as an educational coach, fostering trust is foundational in motivating learners. When learners like you as a person they can learn from you as a coach. I worked with a new client for 3 weeks, during the summer months, to help him regulate his BIG emotions and eliminate tantrums. Before I was able to teach this 9 year old the breathing techniques that would calm his body during a tantrum, I had to use non-verbal communication to build trust. I investing an entire day, mirroring his actions during our playtime and smiling at him when he looked at me before he eventually approached me and started to ask me questions.

Being a teacher and trainer I observe that storytelling never fails. Also acting like a leader and changing pace works wonderfully. Last but not least bring forth environment of competition,challenge and win.

In my experience as an Instructor and a Life Coach, you have to know what motivates a person. There is intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation gives a person a sense of purpose and self gratification and extrinsic motivation is especially telling when others notice what the person is doing to give them those positive words or even accolades. Once you know what drives a person, there is when you can begin to use the things that drive them to motivate them to accomplish so many things.

Relevance in Learning Pathways Lesson Plan Idea: History and Current Events 1. Engage students in a discussion about the significance and impact of that historical event. 2. Provide students with current news articles or video clips related to the historical event or its consequences. 3. In small groups, have students analyze the current events material and discuss how it relates to the historical event. 4. Guide students in reflecting on how understanding historical context enhances their comprehension and analysis of current events. 5. Assign a project where students research a current event that has roots in a historical event, highlighting the relevance and connection.

One initial thought, includes some students who may appear to have cognitive load but actually have disabilities that affect their working memory. It is challenging to get information to their long term memory. Activities that grow their working memory will aid in these students participating in these shared experiences. Secondarily, as an educator, I realistically, cannot always provide every child’s perfect cognitive load balance in a class of 20-30 students. I can, however, make the information relevant, scaffold, and increase/ decrease prompted support. Watching a student gain independence in the new skill and show eager engagement is beyond rewarding.

Autonomy in learning or elective courses, chosen by learners, differ from mandatory ones in cognitive load and motivation. Elective courses often lead to higher intrinsic motivation, increasing germane load. In contrast, mandatory subjects may need added motivational strategies. While elective courses naturally align with the relevance principle, educators must emphasize relevance in mandatory ones. Additionally, learners often have foundational knowledge in chosen subjects, reducing cognitive load. However, unfamiliar mandatory topics can increase it. Recognizing if a course is elective or mandatory helps tailor teaching for balanced load and motivation.