Developed by John Sweller, Cognitive Load Theory suggests that we are limited in how much information a person’s brain can process effectively at one time.
He asserts that there are three different types of cognitive load that must be managed effectively in order to optimize learning: intrinsic, extraneous, and germane. Together, they impact the learning experience.
If you have ever been sequestered in a four-hour software presentation – during a “teacher workday” – only to find yourself more confused and overwhelmed, you may have experienced what Sweller calls a cognitive overload.
In essence, the amount of information, especially if it is new, and how it has been presented has hindered your learning process.
Your chances for processing, digesting, and storing that information successfully for later recall and use have reduced drastically.
The same experience rings true for students.
When we expect students to exert an unrealistic amount of mental effort to complete a task, their brains experience a similar overload.
Therefore, when presenting new information, we should consider which material will optimize student learning and how instruction can be best delivered so that students can process it.
Cognitive Load and Leveled Texts
Adaptive Reader alleviates cognitive load for students by providing them with the opportunity to match themselves to the proficiency level that best supports their reading comprehension.
When we imagine personalized learning, this tool creates that reality.
Readers are no longer inundated with unfamiliar vocabulary, distracting visual elements, and unusual sentence structures.
When we provide engaging pre-reading activities that stimulate our students’ critical thinking, they are more likely to have meaningful interactions with the text they have been assigned to read.
In turn, these thought-provoking experiences translate into deeper comprehension and retention of the text. We share an example strategy for a soliloquy in Macbeth in our follow-up blog, “Adaptive Reader Classroom Strategy Favorite: Film and Text Pairings.”