EDUC 402 – Advanced Sociological and Psychological Foundation

Presenters: CHARIZ P. VEDASTO and KIMBERLY JOY A. PANAGA

1
 Cognitive Load Theory

✓ Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) is an

instructional design theory that deals
with how the human brain processes
and stores information.
 Cognitive Load Theory

✓ According to John Sweller, who proposed

the Cognitive Load Theory in the late
1980s, the best learning occurs when the
learning environment is aligned with the
human cognitive capacity.
✓ The CLT revolves around some of the well-
known theories about how we process and
store information.

The human Processing of Content

memory is divided knowledge is
new knowledge
into long-term stored in the form
memory and leads to of schemas in long-
working memory. cognitive load. term memory.
2
 Cognitive Load

✓ Cognitive Load is referred to as the

amount of information that our
working memory capacity can hold at
one time.
 Cognitive Load

✓ Sweller argues that human memory has a

limited capacity; therefore, instructional
procedures need to avoid overloading it
with those activities that don’t directly
enhance learning.
3
 Intrinsic Cognitive Load

● Intrinsic load indicates Reducing Intrinsic Load:

the inherent difficulty
✓ Altering the nature of
of the learning task,
learning material or by
which mostly occur
changing the cognitive
due to the prior
tasks or the act of
knowledge of the
learning itself.
topic.
 Extraneous Cognitive Load

● Extraneous load is a The extraneous load can be

increased or reduced based
kind of load created
on several factors – the type
due to the way the
of task, whether the
instructional materials
students has difficulties
are presented, which
with attention, attentional
does not help in the
demands for task, etc.
learning process.
 Germane Cognitive Load

● Germane load includes Example of Germane

the components that Load:
help the processing of
information and ✓ Creating diagrams and
contribute to the long- flowcharts to perform
lasting construction of complex tasks.
schema.
Depending on its nature, cognitive load can either
be helpful or detrimental in learning. Hence, for
an effective learning process, one must:

✓Optimize extraneous cognitive load;

✓Manage intrinsic cognitive load; and
✓Promote germane cognitive load.
4
 Information Processing Model

Rehearsal

Encoding

Incoming SENSORY WORKING LONG-TERM

Information MEMORY MEMORY MEMORY
Retrieval

Forgotten Forgotten
The aim should be to move knowledge
to long-term memory because when a
student is exposed to new material,
they can draw on this previous
knowledge and cognitive load is
reduced.
Indications of working memory failure
include:

▪ incomplete recall
▪ failing to follow instructions
▪ place-keeping errors
▪ task abandonment
5
Cognitive Load Theory is applied in educational
setting to enhance the teaching and learning
process. By considering the limitations of
learners’ cognitive resources and how they
process information, educators and
instructional designers can create more
efficient and engaging learning experiences.
 Applications of CLT in Education

Content Presentation Clear Instructions

✓ Teachers structure ✓ Providing clear and
lessons and course concise instructions is
materials to reduce essential.
cognitive load.
 Applications of CLT in Education

Multimodal Learning Scaffolding

Materials ✓ Educators can provide
✓ Instructional designers learners with step-by-
can choose the most step solutions to
appropriate medium for
problems.
presenting content.
 Applications of CLT in Education

Interactive Learning Adaptive Learning

Activities ✓ Educators can adjust
Incorporating interactive
✓
the level of difficulty
elements can help
based on individual
learners practice what
they've learned. learners' progress.
 Applications of CLT in Education

Redesigning Learning Materials Prior Knowledge

✓ If instructional materials have
a high level of redundancy or
force learners to split their
attention, they should be
redesigned to reduce
extraneous cognitive load.
✓ Connecting new information
to what learners already
know can help reduce
cognitive load, as they can
anchor new knowledge to
existing mental structures.
 Thank you
for listening!
 References:
● https://www.structural-learning.com/post/cognitive-
load-theory-a-teachers-guide
● https://www.kosmotime.com/cognitive-load
● https://my.chartered.college/impact_article/cognitive-
load-theory-and-its-application-in-the-classroom