Episode 037: Unpacking Cognitive Load Theory with Tammy and Christine

Embark on an intellectual journey with us, Tammy Musiowsky-Borniman and I, Christine Arnold, as we delve into the world of cognitive load theory, unveiling its transformative power in educational settings. Prepare to shift your perspective on teaching and learning, as we unravel the complex dance between sensory input and working memory, and its profound impact on student comprehension and retention. It's a voyage that promises to arm you with the strategies necessary to optimize the learning experience for every student, ensuring that the classroom becomes a crucible of inclusion and effective education, grounded in the principles of Universal Design for Learning.

In a discussion laden with practical wisdom, we invite you to discover the art of teacher self-care through the lens of minimalism. Embrace the Triple P method—prioritize, pair back, and plan—as we illuminate the path to reducing cognitive overload for both educators and students. With insights on how to leverage technology to clear the clutter and enhance instruction, this episode is a treasure trove for those seeking to create a supportive and efficient learning environment. We're not just podcast hosts; we're pioneers advocating for minimalism in the classroom, and we encourage you to join the conversation and be part of a community where simplicity isn't just a philosophy, but a transformative educational practice.

This episode is sponsored by Plan Z Professional Learning Services. 

Sticker Mule
Sticker Mule has great options for promotional items like stickers, coasters, magnets, and more!

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:19

Welcome to the Minimalist Educator Podcast, a podcast about paring down to refocus on the purpose and priorities in our roles with co-hosts and co-authors of the Minimalist Teacher Book, Tammy Musiowsky-Borniman and Christine Arnold.

Speaker 2: 0:35

In today's episode, tammy and I speak about cognitive load theory, what it is and the different ways that it may impact our work as educators. Hello and welcome to today's episode of the Minimalist Educator Podcast. Today we have myself, christine and Tammy. How are you today, tammy?

Speaker 3: 0:56

I'm great, Christine. How are you today? Very?

Speaker 2: 0:59

well, Thank you. So today you and I are going to be chatting about cognitive load theory. Can you tell us all first a little bit about what cognitive load theory is?

Speaker 3: 1:12

Yeah, so when we think about cognitive load, it's the information, all of the information that we're in taking all the time that is then processing within our working memory. So we're in taking copious amounts of information all the time. So we're both just sitting in our chairs with headphones on, but in the background I can hear birds, I can hear parrs, I can hear all of these things. So that's getting built into, I guess I don't want to say the framework, but it's filtering into my brain, right. So I'm trying to figure out those sounds.

Speaker 3: 1:52

We're talking, there's those things, there's all of that kind of sensory information that we're in taking. But then, of course, throughout the day we're talking to people, we're reading information, we're taking in information through our senses, and that can be a lot for a working memory and how that can actually impact our ability to remember information. Because we do want to make sure that we don't want things to stay in that kind of short term memory. We want it to become whatever we're learning. We want it to become long term memories, if it's correct information, of course. But we want to avoid things like overloading that. So we'll talk a little bit today about how we can kind of mitigate that overload when it comes to cognitive load that we experience.

Speaker 2: 2:45

Yeah, absolutely, our working memory unfortunately does have its limits. There is a ceiling there about how much we can input in it and make sense of it before we get a little bit overloaded for sure. So if we're thinking specifically about our students experience, I think that's a good place to start and we've talked about this before, tammy and the design of the room can be a huge factor here, can't it? So, thinking about that sensory input, as you said, and other conversations that we've had, if the kids have got lots of things to look at, things to listen to, coming from different directions, they've got different motions happening around them, with the people moving around the room and so on, that can be one thing that can add on to that sensory input and start to overload our brains, right?

Speaker 3: 3:47

Yeah, we can only really handle like you mentioned the limits a handful of information at a time if we are going to remember it. So, when we think about giving instructions to students in a class or even adults in workshops, right, do this, then this and this and this, like we go down like and say five or six things, but we can really only remember, you know, maybe three or maybe four, depending on how complex a task is, and we have to also consider the age of the learners, right, and the people in front of us. So, yes, as adults, we can handle. You know probably a few more things. But, thinking about myself, even I am an outward processor. So if someone gives me several instructions, I either need to like repeat them to myself so that.

Speaker 3: 4:44

I can remember or write them down really quick and also hope that whoever gave the instruction is going to repeat it or give me a visual, because at least that's like reducing some of my mental strain and trying to remember these instructions which are lending themselves to the task at hand but, which is more important, the instructions or the tasks that I'm going to try and do Right. So I'm thinking about it in terms of like, where do I put my mental stress?

Speaker 2: 5:15

Yes, absolutely for sure. Yeah, I think the design of tasks that we are giving to students or, as you say, adult learners as well, I think the design of the tasks can really help or hinder us here. When we're thinking about cognitive load, if we've really thought through how we are designing the task, what we're asking of the people in front of us, we can help people positively intake information. But if we're designing something that's too clunky, it's got too many elements, there's too many different things to function within at the same time, then we're going to overload that working memory a lot faster than otherwise.

Speaker 3: 6:03

Yeah, I think this is where universal design for learning really comes into play. When we're thinking about design and just listening to our friend Naomi Church in lots of her presentations on UDL and talking about how we have to make, when we're designing tasks, they do have to be accessible for all learners and if we are overtaxing the memory, the working memory, that's a hindrance.

Speaker 3: 6:31

So, we want to make sure that all learners have access to all the things they need to effectively express their learning or represented or engage in it. Otherwise, we have confusion, frustration and people shutting down right because they can't handle that much information. So the designing of a task we do have to think it is a lot of work on the teacher's end, right? Or whoever's creating a workshop or whatever. You do have to think about all the people in your room and make sure that that access is there for, like you need to have the visuals you do have to think about. Can everyone hear me? How many times do I need to like repeat something and how long do I post something like? All of those things are going to well, you know, make you a better teacher or facilitator, but also help your learner so that they're not having to constantly, you know, have that load on their minds when they need to have their focus on something else.

Speaker 2: 7:40

Yeah, it makes me think about. No, I'm not, I'm not bagging this thinking routine, because it is really good when it's done well, but it does make me think. You know the jigsaw thinking routine, yes, once. Once people know what they're doing and they're used to it, it's fine. But I think it makes me think of this because it's sometimes hard for people to wrap their heads around. Okay, right, I'm going to join this one group, become an expert on this first, but then my job is then to go to another group and teach them about it. So it is really powerful when it's done right. But it does make me think about when I've done it in classrooms sometimes and the kids focuses on the wrong place, because they're in two different groups and they're not really focusing in on what's the most important element of that thinking routine. It does make me think of that. It's how do you explain it, how do you introduce it, how do you rehearse it, how do you practice it so that it's as understandable as possible?

Speaker 3: 8:46

And that totally tracks with. You know, if we're teaching a new thinking routine or protocol or something, you want to teach it with familiar content, right, so that you're not teaching a new strategy with new content at the same time, because that's like mind blowing and you get a lot of confusion. So if you can teach that kind of protocol with something that students or learners already know and are familiar with and can practice, then you hopefully have more success with that kind of routine, because it can be a lot and that's why you know it's some of those thinking routines and protocols and discussion engagements that we want to have in our classes as teachers. We get excited about like trying something new and then, oh, I'm going to try this other thing or other thing.

Speaker 3: 9:36

But really it's really taxing on yourself to have to keep teaching new protocols and new routines and it just throws everybody like wait, didn't we? Just you know so like it's super important to think about, like as a teacher, it's okay to keep teaching this using the same protocol or strategy or thinking routine several times with different content, because then you get better at it as a teacher. It's taking off some of your mental load and your students are getting used to how that routine works with different content. And then they see that transferability of oh, I'm using these same skills, but we're talking about something else, which isn't that. That's what we want anyway, right, but it really reduces some of that cognitive load on getting to know a new routine and getting to know new content, because that's just real hard.

Speaker 2: 10:34

That is a lot to ask. Yeah, for sure, but yeah, but. So you've got a really good tip for us there, that great tip of don't tackle a new thinking routine or protocol with new content at the same time. That's a really good key skill that we can take their key tip. So what are some other strategies we can employ to help us be mindful of this cognitive load theory?

Speaker 3: 11:01

I think it's important to we talk a lot about prioritization, right? So like focusing on what's our purpose here and then what's the priority we need to meet. So if we know that teachers have so much content to cover, but you can really prioritize key learning pieces Effectively if you do use certain protocols or routines and think about how you can do that transfer ability of skill with different content, because then again you're taking away some of that Replanning and rethinking and all of that from your work as a teacher or facilitator and you're opening up some spaces for, hopefully, some good thinking, rather than like, oh, this is like hurting my brain, right, so we think about how we can really prioritize key learning pieces. What something else do you think?

Speaker 2: 12:08

Well, sticking with the Triple P. We've got prioritizing, but another one we talk about is pairing back. I think that's really important too. Yeah, you often hear not often, maybe not often, that's probably too much of a generalization but you do hear teachers in their lessons giving that key information or that key learning, but then having all this extraneous information or details coming in as well. So, rather than focusing in on this is the thrust of this lesson. This is the main thing I want my students to take away, but it's also oh, don't forget this and add that in, don't forget to see that over there. And when you finish, go over there and do that over there. When you're done, you're adding all of this extra clutter in which might drag people's attention away or overload their working memory. So now you've kind of lost that important piece of your learning. So if you compare back in your lesson and in giving your instructions to just the key points, that key information, I think that's a really good one as well.

Speaker 3: 13:25

I think teaching in the IB program in the PYP really helped me with that, because the lines of inquiry really do focus your units right. So that really helped me. Like, ok, we're going to be diving into this one line of inquiry and it's a statement, but there's bits that you can build into it, but you really focus on in-depth statements for a couple of weeks at a time and I feel like that really helped me as a teacher and just when we're designing units. That really helped me focus. And so I didn't have all of this other like ooh, and what about this and what about that? Right, when it was really taking up my mental space. Yeah, so I found that that kind of planning process was really helpful and I think in that process as well, when we're planning and we're considering the diverse needs of our learners, we can think about how sometimes one student needs one thing and then another needs another, Someone needs more information and this one doesn't need as much. I think it's like a balance right. So if you really get to know your learners in front of you, then sometimes it's hard if you have adult learners for a short amount of time, but you can get to know people pretty quick and what they need right. So, especially for adults, if they're in a workshop, they're like, ooh, I need to do this, so I'm going to do this for myself, whereas young learners don't quite know that yet.

Speaker 3: 15:03

But we can In that planning process if we're considering the diverse needs of our learners. We know that everyone's different. Some students are going to need more information, some students don't need as much. But if we think about how we can use and I mentioned a few minutes ago universal design for learning and how we can create access and openings for learning rather than barriers, because we tend to do that for some reason, we create a barrier that we don't need to put up for learning. But if we're a little bit more open with our planning, that reduces some of the work that we need to do as well. So that takes off a lot of my mental load, or you know ours as planners and teachers, because we can let the learners lead a little bit and let us know what they do need, because if they need a little more, that's great and we can support that. If they don't need as much, why are we providing it Right? Don't create that barrier to learning. What do you think about technology use. How might that help us?

Speaker 2: 16:13

Yes, technology. I think this is a really good one for us to consider as well and, while it might take a little bit of design thinking, I think this can be a really good tool for teachers to get into the habit of using or considering. So, first of all, watch how much writing you have on the board, how much you have on the slide. I think that is a very easy way to overwhelm the people in front of you if you've got, you know size, 12 font and it's line after line after line of information. It's too much, especially if you're going to be talking while the slide is on at the same time. I mean your input is completely filled out straight away. So I think that's one thing to consider.

Speaker 2: 16:59

But then you know, I know I'm an elementary school teacher, so this might not always be relevant to everybody when they're considering having their written instructions as well as oral instructions. But having you know, using some of those templates like must do amazing, or first this, then this, or if this, then this, having some of those structures on your board and use them routinely, habitually, so your students are used to that format. And where do I look to know what I need to do and what I need to do next. I think that can be really really helpful for students to get into that routine of looking up, looking at the instructions. Okay, I can help myself.

Speaker 2: 17:45

I've done that. What am I doing next? Or I've done the bare minimum standard. What can I do to elevate the work that I'm doing and participating in now? So I think, if we think, you know, a lot of us are using slides, interactive whiteboards, things like that these days. So using that to support the instructions that you're giving your expectations for the classroom, but being a little bit strategic in that design so that you're not adding to the cognitive load, I think is a good one.

Speaker 3: 18:18

Yeah, for sure, Structures are super important when we think about any educator in their role really we know that we can't, sometimes we, sometimes we just have too much. We know that mentally and then, like for me, I just kind of freeze.

Speaker 3: 18:40

And then nothing happens Right. So I'm like dear in the headlights. So when, if teachers and leaders are feeling this kind of cognitive burnout, what do you think are a few things that we can do when we step out of the role, or even if we can capture some time in the school day? What like? What do you do when you're like I'm at my, I'm at my point?

Speaker 2: 19:11

Run screaming from the building no, no, no, that's not, that's not appropriate. I think, like when it happens in the classroom in front of the kids, I try and verbalize what's happening to that model that we can be overwhelmed and we can get distracted and then you know, model that thinking of getting back on the right track. So I do try and be open about it with the students to an extent. But I think for me a key thing is collaboration. So I think if we can share our work and benefit from the thinking and skills of the people around us, I think it really helps us juggle all of the different tasks that we have to do in our busy lives. What do you think? Do you agree with that?

Speaker 3: 20:05

Yeah, same. I think having the network of people that support you to and that can relate, right, if you can empathize with each other, like oh yeah, I remember that feeling, or that's how I felt last week, is really, really helps me refocus just to say, oh yeah, you know what? I'm not the only one who gets this kind of mental overwhelm and I can talk about it with these people who understand what it feels like, right, because sometimes you do, like I mentioned, I'm an outward processor, so I can like ramble on about things clearly, but some people pull away right. So when you get that overload, some people will just really retreat.

Speaker 3: 20:59

And when someone recognizes that in you as well, it's helpful, because sometimes you know how. You don't know something's happening until someone's like are you okay? Yeah, let's evaluate the situation here, because you seem overwhelmed and I think even just someone saying, recognizing that and knowing you have support in that process, like, oh yeah, I'm like starting to go on a little bit of a spin here. Thank you for recognizing that and helping me want to bring myself down. I think, too, it's helpful to have not only the people but your own kind of self for lack of better word like self care practice, almost because there needs to be some time and space for you to like not think about all of the things, and so like I like to go for long walks and listen to nature or a book and that just like really helps me unload my mind and then I feel better after that. So it's interesting how just a little bit of detachment time from all of the things are taking up that space really helps Absolutely.

Speaker 2: 22:17

I feel like it's the visual I'm getting in my head is, you know, when you have, like a bucket that has a hole in it, so the water will leak out of it, but if you're pouring faster than it's coming out, then you're going to overflow, right? So I feel like when you have that time in the evenings, the weekends, the holidays, you can actually reset and start again. And over the school weeks, the school days, you might get filled up again. But if you're giving yourself that time, as you say, to detach, I think we can like reset and start again. It's so important. If you're constantly in that work mode, you're going to be overflowing more often, more frequently, for sure. Definitely collaborate, definitely check in with each other and you know, work on that work life balance as much as you can and look after yourself for sure. Yeah, I think.

Speaker 2: 23:21

Another one is we're getting more and more scientific research about what works for learning, what works for the brain, and I think we need to really hook into that and make use of it, because if we're spending time on techniques and strategies and tools and so on and so forth that aren't effective, that aren't benefiting our students, I think we are wasting our time and going into that overwhelmed, overloaded feeling. So if we can make sure that what we're doing is always coming back to that research, so we know what we're doing is effective, we're getting to what we need to do the purpose a lot faster than sort of flailing around with things that may not work.

Speaker 3: 24:18

Yeah, for sure. Our conversation with Julia Skolnik about brain science and learning was really interesting and it's important to keep up on what that research is about effective learning practice and how our brain actually works and how it retains information, because if we don't, yeah, what are we doing? Why are we doing it? Yeah, for sure. We're just creating. We're creating confusion and frustration, and that's not positive. We want our learners to be successful with effective strategies that we can provide and, yeah, and be successful, absolutely. So what do you think we talked about? Quite a bit? This happens where we just kind of get talking about things and now we are going to pare it down to a pare down pointer.

Speaker 3: 25:18

So what kind of popped out for you today, Christine.

Speaker 2: 25:22

I think, if I'm thinking about cognitive load theory and pairing down, I think going to your day I'm thinking as a classroom teacher here, by the way, guys, going to your day with your students thinking these are the four or five goals Could even be less than that, could be three, depends on how many periods you're teaching for that day. These are my four goals that I want my kids to walk away with today. Now, so many other things are going to come up. They're going to distract you, they're going to come at you from every direction, from all the different stakeholders, but if you're holding onto those few, these are the things that are definitely happening today and nothing will move me. You can really try and keep hold of a working memory that's going to make it through the day intact. I think that would be my pair down pointer.

Speaker 3: 26:22

I like that. I think something that we didn't really mention but making this an inference, but like conclusion, I guess is that when we are presenting information to learners, we need to make sure we're reading their feedback and reading the audience. When we see students getting to that breaking point, we need to stop or inquire. Is this a good cognitive challenge or is this too complicated, too complex, and is this frustration? I think we have to read the room when we are thinking about what our learners' brains can handle. When we do that, I feel like more success, because we're again creating those points of you can push yourself into this greater thinking task, or do you need a break? Do you need to let what you just did settle for a little bit? Reading the room is really important.

Speaker 2: 27:33

Reading the room and, if possible, know who you're working with. Yeah, excellent. Thanks once again for a great chat, tammy. Always a pleasure.

Speaker 3: 27:44

Thank you.

Speaker 2: 27:47

Today's episode was brought to you by Plan Z Professional Learning Services Forward Thinking Educator Support. Find out more at planzplservicescom.

Speaker 1: 27:59

Be sure to join Tammy and Christine and guests for more episodes of the Minimalist Educator Podcast. They would love to hear about your journey with minimalism. Connect with them at Plan Z PLS on Twitter or Instagram. The music for the podcast has been written and performed by Gaya Moretti.