Cognitive load theory suggests that working memory can only manage a limited amount of information at one time – but what does the wider research say, and how can it be used in the classroom?
Cognitive load theory was developed by John Sweller to explain the idea that our working memory can only manage a limited amount of information at one time. Sweller says we need to think in terms of the “load” on working memory being too high, too low or just right. The theory identifies two different types of cognitive load:
Intrinsic cognitive load: the inherent difficulty of the material (which can be influenced by prior knowledge of the topic).
Extraneous cognitive load: the load generated by how the material is presented (which does not aid learning).
How does it work in the classroom?
According to Michael Hobbiss, a psychology teacher and cognitive neuroscience researcher, what we think of as “cognitive load” in education actually draws on two different types of capacity: perceptual load (our ability to pay attention to a limited number of things at one time) and working memory load.
“Overloading working memory with too much information or too complex a task can make people more susceptible to distraction and poor task performance,” he explains. However, he adds: “This is the opposite of the effect of exhausting our perceptual capacity. When perceptual load is high, we become more resistant to distraction, as we do not process competing task-irrelevant information.”
Therefore, in the classroom, he suggests the following:
Teachers might like to experiment with ways of increasing the attentional load of presentations. By delivering complementary information across multiple sensory modalities, you can aim to fill students’ attention. Dual coding, when done successfully, might be an example of this.
Aim to set appropriately challenging tasks, as these are more likely to fill attentional capacity.
Reduce the number of obvious potential non-task-related distractors in classrooms. For example, eye-catching displays should not be around the board or at the front of the room, where you want attention to be focused.
Teachers should reduce the number of steps in instructions that are given at any one time, or break down tasks into manageable chunks.
It is helpful to provide students with instructions for a task in written form, or in some other format that can be referred back to.
Teachers should manage the complexity of tasks to avoid them becoming overloading - although this does not mean making things as easy as possible, given that appropriate challenge will occupy perceptual capacity more effectively.
The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) is an independent charity dedicated to breaking the link between family income and educational achievement.
To achieve this, it summarises the best available evidence for teachers; its Teaching and Learning Toolkit, for example, is used by 70 per cent of secondary schools.
The charity also generates new evidence of “what works” to improve teaching and learning, by funding independent evaluations of high-potential projects, and supports teachers and senior leaders to use the evidence to achieve the maximum possible benefit for young people.
