Notes

Think back to the Article. Students in an interactive classroom learned more than students in a traditional classroom. How could this have happened?

The answer may lie in something called Cognitive Load Theory. Cognitive load is the amount of information a person is trying to process at one time. Cognitive load can help learning. It can also slow it down.

Say we're thinking deeply about a topic. Our minds connect new information with what we already know. This helps our learning. It also improves our memories.

Cognitive load can slow learning when material is taught in certain ways. Why is this? We use up energy processing unnecessary information. Psychologists use the term extraneous cognitive load to describe this sort of processing.

Suppose a teacher wants to explain the concept of a triangle. The teacher gives a geometric definition of the object. In this case, extraneous cognitive load is high. Students have less energy available for thinking deeply about the concept. But what if the teacher drew a picture of a triangle? Then, students don't need to process extra details. And they understand triangles faster.

How can we increase learning? By reducing extraneous cognitive load. There are several ways to do this. Each makes the learner responsible for only small amounts of processing at a time.

Segmented instruction reduces cognitive load. Segmentation is breaking complex problems into smaller parts. Think back to the professor who gave a traditional lecture. Students listened to a long lecture. They had no opportunity to rest their attention and process all that they heard. This placed a high cognitive load on the students. Now, compare that to the interactive classroom. Students watched demonstrations and then worked together in small groups. They took in-class tests using interactive devices. This kept the students' processing systems from being overloaded.

Another way to reduce extraneous cognitive load is to use worked examples. A worked example is a step-by-step demonstration of how to solve a problem. For instance, a teacher shows you the steps to finding the angles of a triangle. This is a worked example. Providing a worked example reduces the amount of extra information that you need to keep in mind as you solve the problem. Your mind is freer to work on the solution. It doesn't spend energy deciding how to go about solving the problem.

effective (adjective) Play Stop
having the desired effect


interactive (adjective) Play Stop
having to do with a computer tool that can take information or orders from a person


lecturing (noun) Play Stop
the act of giving an educational talk to students


remote control (noun) Play Stop
something that controls a TV or other machine without a wire


university (noun) Play Stop
a place where people go to school after high school