Cognitive Load Theory Simplified

What is Cognitive Load Theory?

• Think of your brain like a computer with limited space (memory). Cognitive Load Theory is about using this space in the best way to learn new things.

How Does the Brain Learn?

1. Working Memory: This is the brain’s “scratchpad” where we hold a small amount of new information for a short time. It's very limited.
2. Long-Term Memory: This is like the brain’s hard drive where we store information for a long time. It's much larger than working memory.

Why is this Important?

• If we try to learn too much new stuff at once, our working memory gets overloaded, like a computer running too many programs at the same time. This makes learning hard or even stops it.
• To learn effectively, we need to move information from working memory to long-term memory without overloading the working memory.

Teaching Strategies to Help Learning:

1. Tailor Lessons to Student’s Knowledge: Teach in a way that matches what students already know. Don't make things too easy or too hard.
2. Use Worked Examples: Show students examples of problems already solved. This helps them understand without overloading their memory.
3. Gradually Increase Difficulty: Start with more help and slowly reduce it as students get better at the task.
4. Cut Out Unnecessary Information: Only include information that is directly relevant to the lesson.
5. Present Essential Information Together: Avoid splitting important information into separate parts. Keep related info together to prevent overload.
6. Use Both Visual and Verbal Information: Present information using both pictures and words to make it easier to understand.
7. Encourage Visualisation: Help students imagine the concepts or steps in their mind to better understand and remember them.

These strategies help manage the cognitive load so students can learn more effectively without overwhelming their brain’s limited working memory.

How Knowby Can Help

Knowby is designed to leverage Cognitive Load Theory to make learning and sharing knowledge more effective. Here's how:

1. Tailored Instructions: Knowby allows you to create step-by-step instructions (knowbys) that match the learner's current knowledge and skill level.
2. Worked Examples: Easily create and share worked examples to guide users through new tasks without overloading them.
3. Gradual Learning: Knowbys can be updated and expanded, enabling a gradual increase in complexity as the learner becomes more proficient.
4. Focused Content: Knowby ensures that instructions are clear and concise, cutting out unnecessary information to keep the learner's focus on what’s important.
5. Integrated Information: Present all essential information together in one knowby, so learners don’t have to split their attention.
6. Visual and Verbal Content: Knowby supports multimedia content, allowing you to combine text, images, and videos to present information both visually and verbally.
7. Encourage Visualisation: Use Knowby to create interactive and visual content that helps learners imagine and understand the concepts and procedures.

By using Knowby, educators and trainers can create, share, and solve problems more effectively, turning complex tasks into simple, step-by-step instructions that optimise cognitive load and enhance learning outcomes.