Cognitive load has become an important considering factor in education. Understanding cognitive load is an important aspect of being a successful teacher leader. There are advantages and challenges in having vast amounts of information available.
Cognitive load is the load that is placed on memory functions during the learning process. Cognitive load can be intrinsic or extraneous. Intrinsic cognitive load addresses the difficulty level of curriculum and content. Extraneous cognitive load is affected by the amount of material presented and how it is presented. Educators must consider these factors when creating curriculum. “The more you can eliminate redundant materials and arrange information to avoid splitting the learner’s attention, the greater the opportunity for learning to occur.” (Stavredes, pg. 52) Teachers must ensure that the balance the complexity of content with presentation method. My technology students use a blog to complete their daily warmups. They have become accustomed to a specific format and routine for completing their assignments. During this school year I posted their warmups in a different format. The requirement to learn a new format distracted students from the content.
Cognitive load is the load that is placed on memory functions during the learning process. Cognitive load can be intrinsic or extraneous. Intrinsic cognitive load addresses the difficulty level of curriculum and content. Extraneous cognitive load is affected by the amount of material presented and how it is presented. Educators must consider these factors when creating curriculum. “The more you can eliminate redundant materials and arrange information to avoid splitting the learner’s attention, the greater the opportunity for learning to occur.” (Stavredes, pg. 52) Teachers must ensure that the balance the complexity of content with presentation method. My technology students use a blog to complete their daily warmups. They have become accustomed to a specific format and routine for completing their assignments. During this school year I posted their warmups in a different format. The requirement to learn a new format distracted students from the content.
Increased access to information and technology has benefits and challenges related to student ability to learn. Access to information can be overwhelming for learners. I have identified a need to provide focus when students are completing online research. Without focus, students have trouble determining what information is useful and informative and what information if off topic. “New
technologies enable the construction of learning environments that
allow presenting information electronically by different
representational formats in flexible ways.” (Schnotz, pg.470) Technology has helped me provide students with assistance and direction when finding and analyzing information.
Teacher leaders need to understand and consider cognitive load when designing and presenting curriculum.
References:
Schnotz, W., & Kürschner, C. (2007). A reconsideration of cognitive load theory. Educational Psychology Review, 19(4), 469-508. doi:http://dx-007-9053-4
Stavredes, T. (2011). Effective online teaching: Foundations and strategies for student success. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
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