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In Action
Sweller's Cognitive Load Theory in Action
What is it that enables students to learn from some classroom activities, yet leaves them totally confused by others? Although we can't see directly into students' minds, we do have Cognitive Load Theory, and this is the next best thing. Built on the foundation of all learning, the human memory system, Cognitive Load Theory details the exact actions that teachers can take to maximise student outcomes.Written under the guidance, and thoroughly reviewed by the originator of CLT, John Sweller, this practical guide summarises over 30 years of research in this field into clear and easily understandable terms. This book features both a thorough discussion of the core principles of CLT and a wide array of classroom-ready strategies to apply it to art, music, history, chemistry, PE, mathematics, computer science, economics, biology, and more.
154 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 23, 2020
88 people are currently reading
216 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
April 6, 2022
Cracking book, niche content, would recommend to very few.
January 14, 2021
This is a spectacularly clear and well articulated explanation of one of the most important areas of education research. I don’t know Oliver Lovell, though having listened to his Education Research Reading Room podcast I knew what to expect. He intelligently aligns the theory with teaching strategies along the way while rationally and carefully describing the boundaries of each strategies usefulness. I cannot imagine a teacher (or educator of any sort) who would not benefit from spending time with this book. An absolute standout, and quick to read to boot!
June 12, 2021
Oliver Lovell does an excellent job introducing and assisting the reader in developing a foundational understanding of Swellers CLT. The latter chapters give great example applications, and I would personally be interested in seeing if it's possible to apply CLT to a topic/subject/text of study using ML algorithms that could generate, based on a students personal attention span, working memory capacity and depth of understanding, a structured programme that would ensure a student was maximising learning whilst minimising cognitive load, stress and the detriment to mental health, which, from my personal observations, I must note are drastically impacted in todays curriculum and learning regiments.
July 9, 2023
It's a short and powerful read that covers cognitive load theory. Cognitive Load Theory, in an attempt to capture its complexity within a single sentence, is how and why our brains deplete their finite energy. Very relatable for educators and anyone that learns.
The only downside --and what makes me sad-- is that this book is underread and underrepresented; more people need to read this book so that its message is shared and spread for students, leaders, and educators within a school to benefit.
The only downside --and what makes me sad-- is that this book is underread and underrepresented; more people need to read this book so that its message is shared and spread for students, leaders, and educators within a school to benefit.
January 15, 2021
Oliver has a real knack for writing and distilling complex concepts into easily digestible insights. I found that the explanations of concepts and scenarios to be really accessible. In the past, similar books have been quite abstract and theoretical and by extension somewhat inaccessible because they are overwhelming. Highly recommended for any teacher wanting to better understand how we teach and how students learn, and to make practical tweaks to or reinforce practices.
December 18, 2021
Feynman once said”if it disagrees with the experiment,it is wrong .This is the key to science”.Constructivism &project based learning is not science based .Let’s go to the basics,retrieval,working to build up background knowledge .I highly recommend that book,it should be mandatory read across Teacher Training Colleges in North America !
September 5, 2021
Well written for a sense subject and will be helpful as I continue to choose curriculum.
December 16, 2021
Interesting read on cognitive theory. Great ideas for teachers!
March 14, 2022
Ollie has nailed it. This book is very informative and practical. A must read for ALL learners.
March 6, 2023
Absolutely crucial info for teachers to know. Well written with many examples from different subject areas.
May 26, 2024
Very readable
A plain language summary of theory applied to practice. Great examples. Good example of research translation for teachers to immediately use.
A plain language summary of theory applied to practice. Great examples. Good example of research translation for teachers to immediately use.
June 23, 2024
Everyone in education should read this!
August 1, 2024
Short and easily digestible explanation of CLT. A must read for educators.
August 19, 2024
One of the best explanations of Cognitive Load Theory and how to apply it I’ve ever seen.
I read it in one sitting. Highly recommend!!
I read it in one sitting. Highly recommend!!
August 25, 2024
Such a fabulous book. Heavy topics in an easy-to-read/understand format. It will need a few reads to move to LTM but I'm happy to do it!
June 5, 2024
‘I’ve come to the conclusion that Sweller’s Cognitive Load Theory is the single most important thing for teachers to know’ (Dylan Wiliam)
Beginning and ending with this quote from one of the leading Professors of Educational Research, the author provides a remarkably clear and concise summary of Cognitive Load Theory. The book also provides a section devoted to exemplifying aspects of it by using practical examples from a range of different subject areas.
The central insight of Cognitive Load Theory is that although the human mind is voluminous in its capacity, there is a relatively narrow entrance point through working memory. Improving Learning is a matter of optimising the learning process to take account of the narrowness of Working Memory. This means presenting information and classroom tasks to students in ways that are different to the traditional approaches, so that working memory is not overloaded.
The book also goes on to discuss a range of additional techniques which aid learning, such as ‘spaced learning’ and ‘retrieval practice.’ These tactics are bundled here as part of ‘cognitive load theory,’ and it is certainly true that they are often discussed alongside it, but arguably they aren’t strictly speaking specific to Cognitive Load Theory itself. Undertaking ‘retrieval practice’ by pulling information from long term memory into working memory at periodic intervals does indeed aid learning. But the issues of ‘cognitive load’ are of secondary consideration, as it is the retrieval which is the educationally important element.
Does it matter where the boundaries of ‘cognitive load theory’ are drawn? Probably not, as what is important to teachers is integrating it into their practice. And that will inevitably mean linking it to wider educational research in order to integrate it into their understanding as well as fleshing out how to practically use it in the most effective ways.
Overall this is a very clear and relatively short summary of an important piece of research. The book will be of most interest to teachers and educators.
Beginning and ending with this quote from one of the leading Professors of Educational Research, the author provides a remarkably clear and concise summary of Cognitive Load Theory. The book also provides a section devoted to exemplifying aspects of it by using practical examples from a range of different subject areas.
The central insight of Cognitive Load Theory is that although the human mind is voluminous in its capacity, there is a relatively narrow entrance point through working memory. Improving Learning is a matter of optimising the learning process to take account of the narrowness of Working Memory. This means presenting information and classroom tasks to students in ways that are different to the traditional approaches, so that working memory is not overloaded.
The book also goes on to discuss a range of additional techniques which aid learning, such as ‘spaced learning’ and ‘retrieval practice.’ These tactics are bundled here as part of ‘cognitive load theory,’ and it is certainly true that they are often discussed alongside it, but arguably they aren’t strictly speaking specific to Cognitive Load Theory itself. Undertaking ‘retrieval practice’ by pulling information from long term memory into working memory at periodic intervals does indeed aid learning. But the issues of ‘cognitive load’ are of secondary consideration, as it is the retrieval which is the educationally important element.
Does it matter where the boundaries of ‘cognitive load theory’ are drawn? Probably not, as what is important to teachers is integrating it into their practice. And that will inevitably mean linking it to wider educational research in order to integrate it into their understanding as well as fleshing out how to practically use it in the most effective ways.
Overall this is a very clear and relatively short summary of an important piece of research. The book will be of most interest to teachers and educators.
February 20, 2021
An excellent and well written book on Cognitive Load Theory. I read it cover to cover and found I got a bit bogged down in some of the examples. That is not a fault in the writing so much as a lack of immediate relevance to my teaching for those specific examples.
The initial section that outlines the key concepts of CLT is brilliant. I would suggest the rest of the book works best as a tool to dip into when you are ready to take your teaching a step further and try a new strategy to further support learning.
Definitely worth reading, and repeat referencing.
The initial section that outlines the key concepts of CLT is brilliant. I would suggest the rest of the book works best as a tool to dip into when you are ready to take your teaching a step further and try a new strategy to further support learning.
Definitely worth reading, and repeat referencing.
December 30, 2022
This professional reading was very accessible. It reminded me of a few things, made me understand why a few things I naturally do work well and more importantly made me think about ways I can reduce the cognitive load, such as through avoiding split-attention, in order to make learning more effectively.
May 1, 2022
Illuminating in explaining what facilitates students' learning, and offers practical suggestions to teachers on the minor tweaks and adjustments they can make to instructional strategies in the classroom.
February 17, 2021
An excellent book on a very challenging subject. Oliver Lovell presents CLT in an engaging and informative way with lots of practical examples to explore. Highly recommended.
December 6, 2021
Really great work from Ollie Lovell here. A thorough but brief overview of CLT and plenty of clear application of the ideas in classroom practice beyond physics and Maths.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews