What Makes Learning Stick?

“I have come to the conclusion that Sweller’s Cognitive Load Theory is the single most important thing for teachers to know”

Dylan Wiliam, 2017

Ever wondered why you can teach a concept one-week and - despite nailing it, and the students being buzzing about how awesome the lesson was - they later deny that it was ever even covered in class?

If you can relate - I know I certainly can - then read on.

What is Cognitive Load Theory?

Put simply, Cognitive load theory is the idea that our brains can only deal with a limited amount of information at any one time. Specifically, our working memory - the part of our brains that processes information in the moment - can deal with three to seven ‘bits’ of information before it becomes overloaded.

Imagine a bookshelf. The bookshelf can hold seven books. But, try and squeeze an eighth book onto one end… and a book falls off the other. This is a useful analogy for the concept of cognitive load and the associated limitations of our working memory.

Sweller’s theory suggests that this cognitive load can come in three different forms:

Intrinsic: how ‘difficult’ the material is - which will vary from one learner to the next        

Extraneous: the way the material is presented        

Germane: the process of committing this new knowledge to our long-term memory (development of ‘schemas’)        

To revisit our bookshelf analogy:

Intrinsic load might be reflected in how challenging the content of a book is to understand.

Extraneous load; how well the information in a book is laid out, and whether it includes images, videos or sounds.

Germane load is perhaps best represented by how easy a book is to move from the shelf (our working memory) to our personal library; our long-term memory.

Long Term Memory: Our Living Library

Unlike our working memories, there are no limitations to how much information we can hold in our long-term memories; or indeed for how long it can last there. Information is stored here in schemas.

Introducing Schemas

Like the library’s Dewey Decimal system, schemas are the brain’s way of classifying and storing related ‘bits’ of information. So, when we learn unequivocally that Santa is not real, we commit that to our schema for all things Christmas-related… along with possibly some mental models associated with trust and the shattering of childhood innocence.

The more you use these schemas, the easier it is to retrieve this knowledge; making it in turn easier to connect what you already know - prior understanding - with new learning. These levels of prior understanding - which vary from person to person - are what make intrinsic load variable. If in my library (long-term memory) I already have 30 metaphorical books on a topic, I will find it easier to add another book to my collection than someone who is yet to even build a bookshelf for that same topic.

So Why does this Matter?

For educators, understanding Cognitive Load Theory should inform instructional design. Put simply, we can use it to build better learning experiences.

Where learning materials are too challenging - high intrinsic load - break them down into more manageable, intentionally sequenced bite-size chunks. Do not overwhelm learners whilst introducing them to new topics or concepts.?

This theory-informed instructional know-how should also sound the death-knoll for that 'teacher classic': badly designed slide decks. Crammed to the brim with excessive text that the teacher then reads aloud verbatim to their students.

This... does... not... work!

Dylan Wiliam even suggests that we should rethink the layout of our physical learning environments; in particular, our approach to classroom display; that is, where we showcase student work, along with aesthetically pleasing - but cognitively distracting - display boards.

Richard E. Mayer described five principles to help reduce extraneous cognitive load via multimedia instruction. For those looking to revitalise their learning materials, his 2002 paper is well worth a read.

So, next time you think about how to best build new learning experiences for your students, spare a thought for cognitive load theory...

... and how it makes learning stick.

Want More?

Dual-Coding - a theoretical framework first proposed by Allan Paivio in 1991 - builds on principles of cognitive load theory to suggest that human cognition is split into two processing systems: the visual and the verbal.?

The gist is that these two systems operate mutually exclusively and are activated by different inputs. Paivio therefore suggested that, if learning materials are coded both visually and verbally, the likelihood of successful knowledge acquisition is effectively doubled.

Take a look at Oliver Caviglioli's brilliant - and beautifully illustrated - handbook - 'Dual Coding with Teachers' - for more information.

References:

Caviglioli, O. (2019). Dual coding with teachers. Hachette UK.

Mayer, R. E. (2005). Cognitive theory of multimedia learning. The Cambridge handbook of multimedia learning, 41, 31-48.

Paivio, A. (1991). Dual coding theory: Retrospect and current status. Canadian Journal of Psychology/Revue canadienne de psychologie, 45(3), 255.

Sweller, J., & Chandler, P. (1991). Evidence for cognitive load theory. Cognition and instruction, 8(4), 351-362.