Experts aren’t more intelligent or thoughtful than novices
Keith Bloomfield
They’ve seen almost every possible situation and learned responses for each; responding
automatically without needing to concentrate
Novices have few examples to draw from and are presented with a ‘problem to solve’ in almost every new situation
What’s worse, even when they realise the response required, they may have difficulty performing the required action
To help learners
we need to
lighten the load
Keith Bloomfield
That’s pretty easy for a simple string of numbers but when we are learning something complex it is much harder
Complex learning involves high levels of element interactivity
!That means the information about to be learned cannot be understood in isolation
Zachary Veach
These techniques help lighten the load
goal free effect
!worked example
!split attention effect
!redundancy effect
!modality effect
Benefits include
Note: enhanced performance means both shorter times to complete problems and fewer errors
reduced training time
!enhanced
performance on test problems
!enhanced performance on transfer problems
the
goal free effect
instead of providing a problem or example and asking for a specific answer
If y =x + 6, x =z +3, and z =6, find the value of y
the
goal free effect
provide problems or examples and simply ask to find what you can
If y =x + 6, x =z +3, and z =6, find what you can
the
worked example
is presented to show directly, step by step, the procedures to solve different problem types
the
worked example
!
identify problems of a particular type
!recall the steps in sequence needed to solve each particular type
!and perform each step without error
requires learners to
the
worked example
present two problem states at a time
!inform the paired nature of the material
!instruct to pay close attention to the example so they begin to see the association
example A, problem A, example B, problem B
What are two close examples in your environment you could demonstrate first then let the learner solve?
the
worked example
when neither the image nor the text alone provide enough information
!we traditionally present images with text above, below, at the side (or worse still) on a separate page
the
split attention effect
the
split attention effectand this
The forgetting curve shows how information is lost over time when there is no attempt to retain it. A typical graph of the forgetting curve purports to show that humans tend to halve their memory of newly learned knowledge in a matter of days or weeks unless they consciously review the learned material.
the
redundancy effect
JD HancockThe Five Stages Of Stormtrooper Grief
the
redundancy effect
when the image or the text provide enough information on their own
!we don’t need to repeat
the
redundancy effect a single source of instruction
returns higher levels of learning than either:
!an integrated format (text and graphics together)
!or a dual format (text and graphics in parallel)
the
redundancy effect
What would you just provide in textual form?
!What would you provide in pictorial form alone?
the
modality effect
we have identified those techniques that work within the limits of memory
!what if we could expand our working memory?
the
modality effect
some portions of our memory are dedicated to visual information only
!some are dedicated to aural information only
and some aurally
the
modality effect
partition information so that some is presented visually (text and graphics)
JD Hancock
Don’t forget!
To help learners we need to…
Keith Bloomfield
Zachary Veach
By integrating these techniques
goal free effect
!worked example
!split attention effect
!redundancy effect
!modality effect
Print this out to helpStandard practice Cognitive load generated effect
Use conventional problems specifying the goal so students know what they have to find
The goal free effect Use goal free problems
Students need to solve many problems to learn because ‘practice makes perfect’
The worked example effect Students learn by studying worked examples. Problem solving is used to test if learning has
been effective
Instructional materials which require both textual and graphical sources of instruction
should be presented in a ‘neat and tidy’ fashion where the text and graphics are
located separately
The split attention effect Instructional material requiring both textual and
graphical should integrate
The same information should be presented in several different ways at the same time
The redundancy effect Simultaneous presentations of similar (redundant) content must be avoided
Similare to-be-learned information should be presented using an identical media format to
ensure consistency in the instructional presentations
The modality effect Mix media, so that some information is
presented visually while the remainder is presented auditorally