Cognitive Load Theory

Cognitive load, in psychology, refers to the amount of work the brain is doing. Certain tasks require more effort, more load. Certain tasks also use different types of load. According to Dr. John Sweller, there are three types of cognitive load: intrinsic, extraneous, and germane. The intrinsic load is what handles the task put before us. It is watching and listening, and trying to remember what is put in front of us. Extraneous load has been explained in a few different ways. One is that it has to do with how information is being presented to the brain. The other is that it is the load that has nothing to do with what we are trying to learn, as in a distraction. The most important and vital type of cognitive load is the germane. When we are processing the working memory, making connections, and creating new schema in our long term memory, we are using the germane load.

As a teacher, my goal is to engage the germane load as much as possible. So I want to develop lessons that help students make those connections in memory so they can remember what they have learned. There are a few strategies that can help facilitate this. Scaffolding, sequencing, and rehearsing can all help access germane cognitive load. Because the amount of load we have is limited, it is also useful to find ways to decrease that load. One example is in a textbook, if the explanation is integrated into a diagram, it can be easier to process for the reader. When the explanatory text is away from the diagram, it can put extra load on the working memory.

Here is a crossword of some of the terms discussed above: Cognitive Load Theory Crossword

If you would like to see the answers, use the password: Techy

Here is a Jeopardy style quiz to try as well: CLT Quiz

Sources:

Sweller, John. “Element Interactivity and Intrinsic, Extraneous, and Germane Cognitive Load.” Educational Psychology Review 22.2 (2010): 123-38. Print.

Wolf, Andrew. Cognitive Load Theory: 3 Different Types of Cognitive Load. YouTube. YouTube, 23 Mar. 2012. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.

- - -. Introduction to Cognitive Load Theory. YouTube. YouTube, 23 Mar. 2012. Web. 18 Nov. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZcjWzXTHng>.