Research School Network: Unpicking Explanation It is incredibly difficult to learn new information when we have minimal guidance


Unpicking Explanation

It is incredibly difficult to learn new information when we have minimal guidance

by Durrington Research School
on the

Explanation is a fundamental element in education and the process of learning or acquiring something new.

Christodoulou (2014)

Christodoulou (2014) suggests that it is incredibly difficult to learn new information when we have no or minimal guidance and this highlights the importance of explanation’. Andy Tharby’s book How to explain absolutely anything to absolutely anyone: The art and science of teacher explanation’ suggests that explanation is imperative in order to make something understandable, to clarify and expand an idea, to give causes, context and consequences of a situation or event and to show how facts and concepts are related and connected. 

We as teachers, therefore, know the value explanation has in learning. The New South Wales Department for Education has created a classroom practice guide suggesting several strategies of cognitive load theory in the classroom; the article can be found here.

Cognitive load theory is based on the idea that we can only hold a limited amount of information in our working memory at any one time. The main findings from the guide can be summarised into the 7 strategies identified below:

  1. Tailor lessons according to students’ existing knowledge and skill – One of the most important implications of cognitive load theory for teaching practice is the need to optimise students’ cognitive load, by striking the right balance between too much and too little load. To do this effectively, teachers need to have a strong understanding of where students already sit in their learning. When teaching a lesson that is relatively simple for students to understand, there is room in their working memories to process a little bit more information. In this case, teachers should aim to increase the complexity of the task to challenge their students. But when the task is already complex, there is no room in students’ working memories to process any more information. In this case, teachers should focus on reducing the cognitive load.
  2. Use worked examples to teach students new content or skills – A worked example’ is a problem that has already been solved for the student, with every step fully explained and clearly shown. Research consistently demonstrates that students who are given lots of worked examples learn new content more effectively than students who are required to solve the same problem themselves.
  3. Gradually increase independent problem-solving as students become more proficient – While fully guided instruction is very effective for teaching students new material, it becomes less effective as students become more expert at a particular skill. Eventually, fully guided instruction becomes redundant or even counter-productive and students benefit more from independent problem-solving. As students become more skilled at solving a particular type of problem, they should gradually be given more opportunities for independent problem-solving.
  4. Cut out inessential information – We sometimes assume that providing students with extra information is helpful, or at the very least harmless. However, presenting students with inessential information can hinder learning. Inessential information can be information that students already know, additional information that is not directly relevant to the lesson, or the same information presented in multiple forms.
  5. Present all the essential information together – Cognitive overload can occur when students have to split their attention between two or more sources of information that have been presented separately, but can only be understood in reference to each other.
  6. Simplify complex information by presenting it both orally and visually – When there are two or more sources of information that can only be understood in reference to each other, cognitive load can be managed by presenting information both orally and visually. This strategy increases the capacity of students’ working memories, creating more mental space for learning.
  7. Encourage students to visualise concepts and procedures that they have learnt – Encouraging students to visualise what they have learnt helps them to better understand and recall the information. Once students have a good grasp of the content, the mental process of visualising helps students to store the information more effectively in their long-term memories. This strategy should only be used once students are familiar with the content, as visualising imposes quite a heavy cognitive load.

The findings and the article are highly relevant for teachers, especially when explaining new material. I will leave with your four questions to think about with regards to the effectiveness of teacher explanation. Fran Haynes has delved deeper into the article and discusses these questions and some practical examples for use in the classroom in her blog which can be found here.

  • How do we as teachers explain a new concept to students?
  • How do we ensure students understand essential information and visualise concepts and procedures they have learnt?
  • What are the best worked ways of using worked examples to explain new content or skills to students?
  • How can real-life examples be used to aid the retention of key content?

More from the Durrington Research School

Show all news

This website collects a number of cookies from its users for improving your overall experience of the site.Read more