Cognitive Load Theory-CLT

CLT - Cognitive load theory, memory, and explicit teaching

Our working memory is very limited, whereas our long-term memory is limitless. We can store information and retrieve it when needed, then new space frees up in our working memory. According to the Cognitive load theory* (Sweller, J.), if pupils are given a task, it places “load” on their working memory.

The cognitive load is comprised of two parts:

1) The intrinsic load is created by the complexity of the task itself. The more difficult the task or the more novel the information is for the pupil- the higher the load.

2) The second kind of load is the extraneous load. These are pressures put on the working memory by things outside the material being learned.

They might come from complex instructions, distractions in the environment or "TMI" (when pupils are being given too much information).

This is when explicit teaching is crucial, and this is extremely necessary for remedial / intervention teaching, as ouר students struggle not only with memory deficit, but they also struggle with their learning disabilities and lack of attention.

This is on top of gaps in content material and emotional stress. These students will benefit from the material being presented in small, simple, steps with a lot of practice and modeling for each step until they understand.

Another helpful strategy is using dual-coding teaching. That means, using both auditory and visual support to ensure all learners understand.

In explicit teaching, we as teachers need to design our teaching to support pupils in learning complex ideas by supporting them with the intrinsic load of a given task, and at the same time, we need to reduce the extraneous load.

Much of what pupils are learning, in the beginning, is unfamiliar, therefore the intrinsic load is high. They don’t have prior knowledge of the new topic stored in their long-term memory to rely on (prior schema).