Managing Cognitive Load: When is it all just too much?

Managing cognitive load is a challenge for teachers in the classroom. The EES Cognitive Science Review suggests reducing unnecessary information and providing structure and support. The No Fluff Phonics program focuses solely on sounds, leading to improved reading skills. Reading cycles at Front Lawn School focus on key skills and increase in complexity. Silent sustained reading with individual scaffolding is practiced daily. Explicit definitions of vocabulary are important to prevent misconceptions. The school provides teachers with definitions and training on how to teach vocabulary effectively. Managing cognitive load. When is it all just too much? We've all been there. A beautifully planned lesson, packed with information we know our children will love to learn. And yet, when we return to the topic the following lesson, no one seems to remember a thing you've taught. Managing cognitive overload in the classroom is a problem teachers tackle every day. With so much to do and so little time, ensuring our pupils access only the most important information can be a real struggle. So how can we streamline our lessons and focus on the core of what we want our children to learn? The EES Cognitive Science Review may well have the answer. When looking at our curriculum and how the Cognitive Science Review could benefit it, we thought immediately of reading. The EES Improving Literacy Guidance confirmed for us that we had the right content to teach reading well. But once we read the Cognitive Science Review, we asked ourselves, how can we refine our approach by managing cognitive load and, in turn, create fluent readers more quickly? The heart of the guidance on managing cognitive load centres around reducing unnecessary information and providing additional structure and support, so we knew our No Fluff Phonics programme already fit the bill. There are no puppets, actions or songs that distract from the learning, ensuring each child can focus on the sound alone. Engagement in this programme comes from the quick progress children make and the joy they find in being able to read rather than the games or songs involved in lessons. Implementing this phonics programme has had a hugely positive impact on early reading at our school, with our phonics screening results consistently above national average. In an effort to further reduce unnecessary information and in line with our chosen phonics programme, our reading cycle also focuses heavily on content. The key skills children will need to become fluent readers are revisited time and time again, from reception to year six, with increasing complexity. We felt confident with our phonics and reading curriculum, but at Front Lawn, we don't just want our pupils reading, we want them to love reading. How could we use cognitive load reduction to support this? Firstly, we looked at opportunities to read. Every class practices silent, sustained reading every day. During this time, the teacher offers specific targeted scaffolding that is individual to each child. Children have these targets written on a bookmark and practice them daily. Each teacher carefully monitors pupils and gradually reduces scaffolding, reducing the risk of reliance on scaffolds developing. Something unexpected that arose from reading the Cognitive Science Review was their recommendations on vocabulary. Does anyone know what X means has slipped out of my mouth when a new word arose in my classroom more times than I can count? However, the EEF highlights how important it is to give explicit definitions. This erases the possibility of misconceptions and ensures children retain the correct information. As a result of this, we decided what vocabulary needed to be taught across every subject in every year group and provided teachers with a definition as part of our knowledge organisers. We then provided staff training that modelled how to correctly teach vocabulary and gave time for coaching and continued practice.