5 ways to reduce cognitive load whilst presenting new material

 

5 Ways To Reduce Cognitive Load Whilst Presenting New Material

Instructional design has become  a key part of our teaching toolkit in the classroom. Delivering effective, and engaging* learning experiences for students requires a systematic approach to planning, links to prior learning, goal orientated (always starting with the end in mind) and learner centred, tailoring instruction to the specific needs of the students in the classroom.  

Designing this learning requires knowledge of CLT, and an awareness of instructional design. Crafting that optimum learning experience does require planning and some practice and here are 5 tips to help in that process. 

*The Author does not associate engaging with fun

1 Coherence Principle: Cut Out uneccessary Material: Keep information relevant, short sharp sentences, if using diagrams explain the point succinctly without unnecessary labelling or noise.

2 Redundancy Principle:  Don't Read the Text that is displayed on the board. Reading material students have in front of them can muddle their input channel. Should they be listening or reading? Not both at the same time.

3 Spatial Contiguity Principle: Integrate Text with Images, so that the image has effect and the learner can interpret the information in the diagram clearly. 

4 Segment Complex Information and Control Pacing:

Break down, or present material in small chunks (stages). Deliver material in a progressive but bitesize manner to aid encoding of new material.

5 Signaling Principle: Highlight Key Information, signpost students to the information that is important in the text. Bold terms, or indented paragraphs work well.

Hope you enjoyed this 2 minute read. Let me know your thoughts or any additional ways to reduce CLT when designing lessons.