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Research School Network: Using Worked Examples to Reduce Cognitive Overload When students encounter new material, especially if they’re new to a topic, it’s easy for them to feel overwhelmed.
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Using Worked Examples to Reduce Cognitive Overload
When students encounter new material, especially if they’re new to a topic, it’s easy for them to feel overwhelmed.
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by Shotton Hall Research School
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Helping students become more independent isn’t just about letting them figure things out alone — it’s about giving them the right tools to tackle challenges confidently. By using effective teaching strategies, we can reduce confusion and guide students to gradually take charge of their learning. In this blog English Teacher Nasreen Begum from The Academy at Shotton Hall shares the first of three powerful strategies teachers can use to boost student independence in the classroom.
When students encounter new material, especially if they’re new to a topic, it’s easy for them to feel overwhelmed. Educational psychologist John Sweller’s Cognitive Load Theory explains why this happens: our working memory has limited capacity, and too much information at once can lead to cognitive overload (Sweller, 1988). This overload can prevent students from fully understanding or retaining new information, particularly if they’re trying to remember every detail at the same time (Martin, 2016).
One way to reduce cognitive overload is through worked examples, where teachers model the exact steps needed to complete a task. Here, teachers can use samples of work to show their pupils how to complete a specific task and then instruct students to rehearse the procedure (Martin, 2016, pp.13 – 26). For example, to support learners in analysing a quotation, the teacher can provide a step-by-step demonstration of how to organise, explore and expand their ideas.
By following a model like this, students can focus on each step without being bogged down by too much new information all at once (Rosenshine, 2012).
Worked examples are powerful because they show students how to work through a problem by walking them through each step. When working on a literary analysis, for example, a teacher can model each stage, from picking key words to exploring their meanings and linking them to the context. This process helps students see the “how” and “why” behind each step, making it easier to apply these methods on their own.
Here’s an example breakdown of a quotation analysis:
Select key words to analyse
Identify the writer’s method for the key words selected
Explore the connotations of the key words and what they suggest
Link to the reader/context/writer’s intentions
Found this useful? In my next blog I’ll be looking at how live modelling with ‘think-aloud’ can support your pupils.
References
Bandura, A. (1977a) ‘Self-efficacy: Toward a Unifying Theory of Behavioral Change’, Psychological Review, 84(2), pp.191 – 218.
Clark, E. R., Kirschner, A. P., and Sweller, J. (2012) ‘Putting Students on the Path to Learning: The Case for Fully Guided Instruction’, American Educator, pp.6 – 11.
Rosenshine, B. (2012) ‘Principles of Instruction: Research-Based Strategies That All Teachers Should Know’, American Educator, pp.12 – 39.
Sweller, J. (1988) ‘Cognitive load during problem solving: Effects on learning’, Cognitive Science, 12, pp.257 – 285.
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