In the world of teaching and learning, it is essential that your lessons are as brain friendly as possible.
Recent studies have found that in order to learn, children and adults alike need the right conditions.
If there are too many irrelevant bits of information flying about, there is a danger that the brain will become overloaded and the right information will not sink in.
This article will explain what cognitive overload is, and how to prevent it in your lessons.
What is Cognitive Overload?
Every educator has experienced it. You spend ages teaching something to your student, thinking you are really getting through to them. You revisit it the next week and.... it's all gone.
They can't remember anything. They did not learn what you thought they did.
But what if I told you there could be a very cool, science-y reason for this that you have not considered?
In order to understand what is going on here, we need to go right down to the basics of how learning works.
The Learning Process
For many years, psychologists and other academics have put forward theories as to how learning works.
John Sweller is one such psychologist, and in 1988 he published an article that changed the world of pedagogy forever.
Cognitive Load Theory is based on the premise that in order to learn effectively, information has to transfer from the 'working memory' to the 'long term memory'. Once it makes it to the long term memory, as the term suggests, the information can stick around for a bit.
However, the journey between the two can be perilous. Information can easily be forgotten at several stages and never make it to the long term memory.
The diagram below shows the learning process in very simplistic terms. For a much more in depth, science-y, psychological explanation I recommend this article.
Cognitive Overload
When we are focused on something, that information goes into the working memory. However, according to Sweller, the working memory can only store so much information - only 7-8 units! If there is too much information, the brain becomes overloaded.
When the brain becomes overloaded, the chance that the information you want your student to learn makes it to the long term memory becomes a lot smaller. Often, it will simply be forgotten before it has a chance to be encoded.
Therefore, tutors and teachers alike need to be aware of how much information they are presenting to their students at once to ensure they are not overloading them.
The rest of this article will explain what to be aware of when planning your lessons so that you always have effective learning.
How to prevent Cognitive Overload
So, how do we bypass the brain's pesky tendencies and make sure our learners take home the information we want them to? Here are my top tips on how to prevent cognitive overload.
Choose a brain friendly font
Believe it or not, the fonts you choose to use on your PowerPoints, worksheets etc., make a huge difference in how much brain power is being used.
Some fonts are more difficult to read than others. Typically, these fonts have their letters close together, are joined up, or present letters in a unique way. Here are some examples of brain friendly and non brain friendly fonts.
Choosing a font that is easy to read is not only great for cognitive load, but can also help learners with dyslexia decode writing better. Win win!
If the working memory is not using up precious space trying to decode the font, then it is more likely that the information you want your learner to learn will be encoded into the long term memory.
Therefore, stick to the recommended accessible fonts whenever possible.
Break up information into chunks
Nobody likes a wall of text, your students' brains included!
Another way to limit cognitive load is to break up information into digestible chunks. This can be as simple as using bullet points in your presentations or worksheets.
Consider the difference between these 2 examples:
Example 1:
William the Conqueror was crowned King of England on Christmas Day, 1066. Despite being King he still had a long way to go in terms of gaining trust from the locals. He therefore executed several methods of control to make sure he stayed in power. One method was building lots of castles all over England. Another was to create the 'Domesday Book', which recorded who owned what all across England. Another method was to use violence, such as the Harrying of the North in 1069 where he destroyed many villages, fields and livestock in the North to prevent any rebellions.
Example 2:
William the Conqueror became King of England on Christmas Day, 1066.
He still faced lots of resistance from locals.
He used several methods of control to stay in power:
1. Building castles
2. Creating the Domesday Book to record who owned what across England
3. Violence, such as the Harrying of the North in 1069
Both examples essentially say the same thing, however Example 2 is far more brain friendly. This is because the information is chunked up in a very clear way - the brain is not using up working memory trying to break it up itself.
Yes, it does not have all the detail that Example 1 has, but if this was a presentation I would put any more information about the Harrying of the North on a follow up slide. That way, the brain is only taking on so much information at once.
Thus, a very simple way to prevent cognitive overload is to bullet point your information.
Choose images carefully
Yes, pictures and images can be very useful when learning. In fact, pairing information with an image that represents it is a proven learning technique called duel coding.
However, when done wrong, using images on your resources can sometimes clutter up the working memory.
It is sometimes tempting to add lots of nice images to a resource to make it look a bit prettier. Perhaps, for example, your worksheet looks a bit bare and you want to add some flare.
The problem is that if the image does not directly correspond with a relevant piece of information, it is taking up units of space in the working memory.
Therefore, the information you do want your learner to walk away with is left at the wayside.
Let's consider two examples of good use of images vs bad use of images:
Example 1:
This image is cognitive load friendly. This is because the image is very clear in what it is representing, and directly links to the information written down. Therefore, Example 1 is a learning aid, rather than a learning hinderance.
Example 2
These images are not cognitive load friendly. Yes, they are somewhat relevant, but they are disjointed, unstructured, and it takes a moment for the brain to figure out what they are meant to represent.
Therefore, Example 2 is at risk of causing cognitive overload.
So, when using images on your resources, make sure they are simple and straight to the point.
Choose colour schemes and layouts carefully
This may seem like an obvious one, but choosing a brain friendly colour scheme can take your resources to the next level.
It may seem boring, but a classic black text on a white background is one of the safest options. You are looking for high contrast, so that the writing stands out against the background.
Another good combination is black text against a pastel background, for example, pastel blue, as this makes it easier for learners with dyslexia to decode the writing.
On a presentation or work sheet, giving the writing a visible textbox against a white background can also help the brain digest information a bit easier.
Remember, as with everything to do with cognitive load, the simpler = the better. You are wanting to reduce the amount of information being consumed by as much as possible, so don't go crazy with the colour scheme.
So there we have it. Four tips on how to prevent cognitive overload.
Have you got tips on this topic that you would like to share? Please share them in the comments section to help out the community.
If you enjoyed this article, you might also be interested in 'How to plan your first tutoring session'.
Happy educating!
Aimee xx
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