When I was first introduced to the concepts behind Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) a few years, it really did make a big impact on how I approached things in my classroom. Instead of trying to overload students with loads of different thoughts, ideas and concepts – I started pair things down so that they were only having to think about one thing at a time and had enough time to consider and practice an idea. Overloading thinking can put serious pressure on the brain and onto mental wellbeing. If we want students to develop clear paths of thought with clear, distinctive memories – we need to make sure that there is no further ‘baggage’ or ever ‘garbage’ that is clouding their thinking and their processing. They need to be able to ensure that their minds are focused on ONE thing at a time and can thoroughly interrogate these things fully before moving on to the next concept.

As a teacher who would sometimes teach around the topic to try and give students as wide an education as possible – this is something that completely changed my classroom practice. I used to give out lots of extra sheets and booklets for ‘context’. I used to pack my Powerpoints with stories, with cartoons, with anecdotes and jokes that definitely made the learning go down smoother, but in the process might crowd out the key points. I used to bemoan the fact that students often referenced the funny story I had told to illustrate a point rather than the point itself. Their focus was on the wrong memory. I had managed to push their cognitive load to the point that their brains had filtered out some of the information from the lesson – but had held on to ‘fun’ bit and not the ‘detailed’ bit. When given the choice to either remember the solid, simple thing versus the shiny and interesting thing – our brains will always gravitate towards the shiny. The real, deep learning can get lost in translation as it is competing with other ‘stuff’.
CLT has changed how I ‘do’ (and manage) learning. I have stripped back a lot of my learning resources and work booklets. I have edited a lot of my PowerPoint presentations so that there is a clear and definite focus in the key content (with little learning activities built in to practice and allow processing of the learning). I build in ‘think’ time. I aim to have clear questioning and answering session to test what they know, how deeply they know it and see if the key learning points are being embedded. I build in opportunities for discussion, for group work and for student dialogue.
However, one of the other things that I have noticed over the last couple of years is that this thinking on Cognitive Load has changed my thinking and actions in other, more mundane things in my everyday life.
I have realised that I really cannot (and should not pretend to) multitask. If I think I can do two things at once – all this is doing is my ability to do both. I cannot watch a movie and write stuff on my computer. I cannot be on the phone and prepare lessons. I cannot read and listen to music with words. I get distracted – I realise that I really need to focus on one thing at a time and then move on to the other thing. I need to either work or relax but not at the same time. My brain cannot cope with the mixed signals and it slows me down. So, I listen to music (and the radio) less as I work. This means that I actually get things down faster so I have more time to relax.
I have realised that I should not really read more than one book at a time. I used to like to tell people that I was reading 4 or 5 books simultaneously. I used to like having a paper-based novel, a more factual book on the Kindle app and a couple of science or education-based books on the go at any one time. However, the reality was that I might be going incredibly slowly through those books depending on what I fancied reading on any given day. Sometimes it would take me months (and sometimes years) to complete a book. I have since realised that I get more reading done if I just focus on one book at a time. Focus, read, think and then maybe have a change of genre for the next book that I pick up.
I have realised that the more forward-planning that I do – the less small-scale thinking that I have do. I have always been someone who is good at looking ahead and strategically planning big events. I like doing the long-term planning for things and have a good eye for details and logistics. However, I have recently noticed that for more mundane tasks – I can take a lot of the thinking and cognitive load out of things that makes my life easier. For example, I really hate the Sunday night blues where you have to start thinking about the new work week and Monday morning. So, I have instigated 2 changes to my life:
- I now do not leave school on a Friday until I know exactly what will happen on a Friday. This means that I have to have my lessons ready, the resources ready to lift and use. Any meetings need to be fully planned with any resources ready and copied. This means that Monday will be ready – it will look after itself and I only really need to focus on emergency things that might crop up on Monday. My brain is free to relax over the full weekend – in the full knowledge that I am ready for the direction that Monday might take.
- Once I get home from work, I take off my work suit, hang it up and get my next suit ready for Monday. I get my shirts and ties ready for the week ahead. I am ready to go. There will be no last minute running around looking for things. I am ready for the week ahead. I do not have to think about Monday until Monday comes. Each night before I go to bed, I ensure that my work bag is packed and ready – there is no running about in the morning – I am ready to go – pick it up and walk out. No thinking about what I need or what I have forgotten.
Cognitive Load Theory is a really simple concept and it has helped me and my students to simplify things so that we can focus on the most important thing – learning!
You can read more of my writing about Cognitive Load here
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