RUNNING HEAD: CRITIQUE 3: WORD CRIMES

Critique 3: Word Crimes

Samantha Marcott

Coastal Carolina University

It is very important that educators are mindful of the types of learning

tools that they choose to use in the classroom. As the Internet and computer
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technology have grown, the amount of digital software programs and online

resources has also increased dramatically. With so many resources at our

fingertips, it is imperative to carefully analyze these programs before using

them as instructional tools. While a resource may seem appropriate at first

glance, when applying various theories and principles associated with

multimedia learning, teachers may see that the resources does not foster the

best potential for learning.

Although its intentions are clearly good, the Youtube video for famed

parody singer Weird Al Yankovics song Word Crimes violates many of the

principles that outline the way students learn when it comes to multimedia

presentations and products. The video can be found at

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Gv0H-vPoDc, and it runs almost four

minutes long. Educational in nature, the video seeks to teach students to

steer clear of common mistakes that often plague students and adults alike.

For example, Weird Al instructs students not to write words using numbers,

to distinguish between various homophones, and to differentiate between

literally and figuratively. The video is very engaging, with the lyrics set to the

popular song Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke. However, because this video

violates several of the principles of multimedia instruction, it would need to

be watched many times in order for students to fully grasp the content.
First, the music video violates the concept of cognitive overload.

Cognitive Overload occurs when the student lacks the necessary cognitive

capacity to keep up with the amount of processing required (Mayer &

Pilegard, 2014). In other words, the product being presented requires more
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processing time than the students cognitive capacity can compensate. This

can happen when too much information is given to the learner too fast and

when segmenting or chunking is not used (Mayer & Pilegard, 2014).

Segmenting occurs when material is broken down into small chunks of

information, so as to not overwhelm the students cognitive load. Chunking is

a great idea that can help students retain information long-term because

they have the time to carefully consider each part of the lesson. In Word

Crimes, instead of focusing on one chunk of information, like why to use

well instead of good, the video covers a seemingly unending list of common

grammatical and spelling mistakes. Without activating prior knowledge, it is

very unlikely that a student would be able to process all of the different

English lessons being thrown at them in this video. One concept after

another is directed toward the viewer, and the subjects jump from topic to

topic without any sense of direction. Along with the puns and jokes included,

this video requires much more cognitive processing than is acceptable in a

short multimedia production.

Similarly, the video is overwhelming and in violation of the Coherence

Principle, which states that people learn more deeply when extraneous

material is excluded rather than included (Mayer, 2015, p. 5). Throughout

Word Crimes, there is a constant stream of extraneous material clouding

the screen. In addition to the lyrics, the video includes metaphorical images

and other text that pop up out of nowhere, symbols and phrases that are

irrelevant or distracting, and smaller text that is virtually unreadable.

Although a student may catch a few concepts while watching the video,
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working memory definitely struggles to keep up with all of the information

being presented simultaneously.Because of all of this extraneous load placed

on the student while watching Word Crimes, the video also violated the

Coherence Principle. The theory of learning states that students will learn

more when extraneous material is excluded from the presentation (Mayer,

2015, p. 5).

One of the basic foundations of the Cognitive Theory of Learning is that

people learn more deeply from graphics and narration than from graphics,

narration, and on-screen text (Mayer, 2015, p. 5). Whenever graphics,

narration, and on-screen text are used concurrently, the multimedia

presentation is in violation of the redundancy principle. This violation also

contributes to extraneous overload and prevents the student from fully

processing and retaining the information from the resource. This theory has

been further researched, and a clear distinction has been drawn between the
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success of students who have narration in addition to on-screen text

narration and students who have audio narration without on-screen text

narration. Mayer and Moreno found that students performed better when on-

screen textual narration was omitted (2002). Students given quizzes after

watching Word Crimes would probably have a hard time remembering

what all was explained because their cognitive thinking would have become

overloaded.

On the same note, Word Crimes violates the Modality Principle, which

states that people learn more deeply from a multimedia message when the

words are spoken rather than printed (Mayer, 2015, p. 7). Throughout the

video, not only are the words spoken, but they are printed as well. It would

have been better for students if the video had included animation and audio

narration but no on-screen lyrics. This video clearly has too much going on in
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it and does not adhere to a majority of the principles associated with

multimedia learning and cognitive development.

According to Clark and Mayer, multimedia lessons that present words

as on-screen text can create a situation that conflicts with the way that the

human mind works (2016, p. 119). The brain includes separate channels for

processing, one of which involves visual/pictorial processing and the other

which involves auditory/verbal processing. When two elements must be

processed in the same cognitive channel, learners can become overwhelmed

and unable to fully process the material.

If I were asked to redesign this multimedia product, I would make many

changes. I think the lyrics of the song are funny, catchy, and correct, but the

focus is entirely too broad. First, I would suggest narrowing down the subject

matter to one grammatical concept. In order to activate prior knowledge and

catch students up to speed, I would suggest that the beginning of the song

include some kind of summary and pre-training material leading up to the

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new grammar concept. For example, if I were teaching subject-verb

agreement, I would want to make sure my students remembered what

subjects and verbs were. Next, I would eliminate the on-screen lyrics. This

would help to diminish redundancy and cognitive overload. Furthermore, I

would suggest using more images in the place of the lyrics, but the images

would need to be focused on the material and not distracting or irrelevant.

By omitting the on-screen text, students will not have to coordinate multiple

sources of information at one time (Kalyuga & Sweller, p.247). While using

images that look like common texting symbols or programs may be familiar

to the student, they do not contribute to the education merit or context of

the lesson. Using music could be a fantastic way of engaging our students

and utilizing multimedia platforms. However, it must be done in an

appropriate way that maximizes student learning and adheres to the well-

researched theories and principles associated with cognitive learning and

multimedia programs.
Weird Al Yankovics Youtube video for Word Crimes may be an

entertaining multimedia presentation, but it is not the best tool to use for

instruction, as it violates many of the theories associated with multimedia

learning. The video includes images, audio narration, and on-screen

narration/lyrics, violating the Cognitive Theory of Learning, as well as the

Redundancy Principle. There are multiple instances where irrelevant items

were included, thus increasing the extraneous load on learners. There is a

lack of segmenting of information, and as so many pieces of information are

thrown at the student so quickly, cognitive overload occurs. Although

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students may want to listen to the song over and over and learn the lyrics,

one viewing of this video is not likely to bring about concept mastery or the

retention of knowledge.

References
Clark, R. C., & Mayer, R. E. (2003). E-Learning and the science of instruction:

proven guidelines for consumers and designers of multimedia learning.

San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer.

Kalyuga, S. & Sweller, J. (2014). The redundancy principle in multimedia

learning. In R. E. Mayer (Ed.), The Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia

Learning. (pp. 247-262). New York: Cambridge.

Mayer, R. E. (2014) Cognitive theory of multimedia learning. In R. E. Mayer

(Ed.), The Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learning. (pp. 43-71).

New York: Cambridge.

Mayer, R. E. (2015, July 21). Research-based principles for designing

multimedia instruction. HILT: Harvard Initiative for Learning and

Teaching. Retrieved from http://hilt.harvard.edu/files/

hilt/files/background_reading.pdf
Mayer, R.E. & Pilegard C. (2014). Principles for managing essential

processing in multimedia learning: segmenting, pre-training, and

modality principles. In R.E. Mayer (Ed.), The Cambridge Handbook of

Multimedia Learning. (pp. 316-344). New York: Cambridge.

Moreno, R., & Mayer, R.E. (2002). Learning science in virtual reality

multimedia environments: Role of methods and media. Journal of

Educational Psychology, 94, 598-610.