Cognition Crew Cognitive Load during Problem Solving: Effects on Learning Sweller, J. (1988) Cognitive Science, 12, 257-285

Why are we here? Stay up to date Discuss with like minded individuals Wide range of perspectives and breadth of expertise Make a positive impact on our educational community Be a research engaged Trust. Dylan Wiliam – ‘everything works somewhere but nothing works everywhere’ i.e. under what conditions does this work?

Evidence informed practice “A combination of practitioner expertise and knowledge of the best external research, and evaluation based evidence” (DfE, 2014). Greany and Brown, 2017: ‘Studies suggest that research engagement can shift a school from an instrumental “top tips” model of improvement to a learning culture in which staff work together to understand what appears to work, and when and why it does (Godfrey, 2014; Sharp et al., 2006; Handscomb & MacBeath, 2003)’ Education Endowment Foundation – Be aware and be a ‘critical consumer’ – funding etc.

Discuss interpretations/ perspectives What MIGHT we want to do? Free space for free discussion of the (latest?) ideas, free from any agenda or need to conform to any set/ hidden purpose Filter what’s out there and share the most robust evidence for colleagues Transform teaching and learning Question Discuss interpretations/ perspectives Critique Application/ trial Feedback

How might this look? Short piece to read prior Overview of the piece Strengths Limitations Application to own practice Potential for other Year groups/subjects/ roles

What might happen after each session? Trial Refine Embed Reflect Share impact

Today’s Piece How might we plan learning and pitch it appropriately? How might we balance challenge? Which activities might we use? Designing teaching “which flouts or merely ignores working memory limitations inevitably is deficient (Sweller, van Merriënboer and Paas, 1998, p.253). The cognitive processing capacity needed to handle (this) information may be of such a magnitude as to leave little for schema acquisition, even if the problem is solved. (Sweller, 1988, p.261). Working memory Long term memory

Total Cognitive load Intrinsic cognitive load The difficulty of the problem Facts learned in isolation have low intrinsic load Higher intrinsic load when linking and understanding relationships Past knowledge Extraneous cognitive load The strategy to teach it ‘The distraction caused by tasks which occupy working memory but do not contribute to the formation of long-term memories’ Modality effect Germane cognitive load How that fits in with existing knowledge ‘A goal of high quality instructional design is to promote high levels of germane load, ultimately creating a more positive learning experience’(De Jong 2010) Spaced/varied practice

Reflections on our paper Strengths/ Relevance Limitations Application to own practice Potential for other Year groups/subjects/ roles

Perceived Strengths from the groups Support for things we already do- informed decisions rather than purely instinctive Through a thinking lens - links to Maps and some of the cognitive structures we utilise Insights into differences between novices and experts Provides a basic working model of the memory

Perceived limitations from the groups Replicable in other settings and subjects? The nature of problem solving being domain specific Applicability of findings to present – technological advances and dealing with different sources of material Small sample – how reliable are the findings? Arguably the distinction between the germane and extraneous cognitive load is ad hoc.

Task- Taking it to the logical extreme If you only taught using these principles what might it look like? What might be effective and ineffective? Sweller Infographic https://teachinghow2s.com/docs /Cog_Load_Theory_Poster.pdf

Future sessions What are you going to report back about in our next session? A democratic approach  Voting and nominating Doodle Poll Take it in turns to chair the discussion

Further links to clt readings https://primarytimery.com/2017/09/16/memory-not- memories-teaching-for-long-term-learning/ https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/cognitive- load-theory.htm Hendrick, C and Macpherson, R. (2017) What does this look like in the classroom? Bridging the gap between research and practice. Page 122-142.

For those with more memory space…. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/56acc1138a65 e2a286012c54/t/57d03e669de4bbd3567d57a6/1473265 254536/All-Color-Posters.pdf Podcast: https://www.tes.com/news/school- news/breaking-views/listen-what-every-teacher-needs- know-about-memory-professors-robert