You have 1000. Now add 40. Then add 1000. Next add 30. Then add 1000 again. Add 20. Add 1000 again. And finally add 10! Hold that thought: we’ll be testing you at the end of this read.
Now, you must be wondering what a simple maths problem has to do with working memory. You might even have hastily searched the answer just to make sure you got the right one. However, it doesn’t matter to us whether you got it right or wrong – what matters is the Cognitive Load Theory (CLT).
What is the Cognitive Load Theory?
Earlier on in the year, Dylan William tweeted he’d “come to the conclusion Sweller’s Cognitive Load Theory is the single most important thing for teachers to know.” So what’s the big deal with CLT?
According to Cognitive Load Theory, there are three types of cognitive load that affect people’s working memory (intrinsic, extraneous, germane). If the load goes beyond our ability to process it, people will find it difficult to complete tasks. De Jong states that ‘cognitive load theory asserts that learning is hampered when working memory capacity is exceeded in a learning task’.
Now that we’ve defined CLT, our initial maths problem should start making more sense. It’s the role of educators to present information in as simple a way as possible as our working memory is limited. This is why there has to be a shift in our teaching methods to support managing the cognitive workload of students.
So here’s our top seven steps to avoid overloading working memory… in bite-size chunks for you to absorb and implement in your classroom.
Our top tips to avoid overloading working memory
Chunking:
The idea behind this is that too much information really clogs up our working memory. When dealing with information overload, it’s vital that we present it in a way that makes it easier to take in. We call it ‘bite-size’ pieces (a bit like food really; you couldn’t eat a full baguette in one bite now could you?) In the same way, challenging topics should be presented in small amounts to ensure that students understand first before being introduced to the next topic. This technique is called mastery learning, which proposes that students reach a level of mastery in the concepts they are introduced to before excelling to the next level.
Create knowledge drills:
In order to gauge student understanding through lessons, it’s important that mechanisms are in place to check their understanding. We call these ‘knowledge drills’. In essence, by challenging your students you can monitor their understanding and pick up on their weaknesses as you go along. You might want to take a few minutes out of your lesson to really cement what you have explained.
Use different presentation techniques:
Students have a range of learning styles (visual, auditory, kinesthetic etc) which teachers need to take into consideration in the classroom. To avoid overloading students’ working memory, teachers should present knowledge using a range of presentation techniques.
Keep it simple!
A little simplicity never hurt a student in the history of education.
Often times we want to ensure that students have all the information they need to prepare them for exams. This usually equals lessons crammed with A+ material, leading to cognitive overload. By now we know this is never a good way for students to retain knowledge.
We recommend presenting only the main points to let it reach long-term memory; a streamlined presentation will ensure that students pick up on important knowledge with no difficulty. Dominic Shibli and Rachel West authored an article on the Chartered College citing a study in which Chandler and Sweller found evidence of the split-attention effect.
“When different sources of information discussing the same topic are separated by time or space, such as a diagram with a key that corresponds to separate text next to it. When information is presented in this way, it is left to the learner to attempt to amalgamate it, which generates extraneous cognitive load.”
Think: what is it you want your students to remember?
Simple-to-complex sequencing
An interesting idea has been put forward by Van Merriënboer et al on how to avoid overloading the cognitive load by using simple-to-compex ordering of problems.
This involves beginning with worked-out examples (that is, completely answered), progressing onto half-solved assignments encouraging students to complete the work. The final step leaves students to answer the question without a guide or structure. Eventually, students will begin to solidify their knowledge by engaging in tasks independently themselves.
Now that we’ve explored our seven steps, we’ll end by revealing the answer to the maths problem. The wisdom behind breaking the problem into smaller equations is that it becomes easier for us to master one equation before moving onto the next. This demonstrates how critical cognitive overload is to education.
So what did you get?
It should be 4,090 (although it’s likely you’ve forgotten the question given all the information from this post…)