Episode 167 John Sweller on cognitive load theory

I've come to the conclusion that Sweller's Cognitive Load Theory is the single most important thing for teachers to know

– Dylan Wiliam

On this episode Lars speaks with John Sweller, professor emeritus at University of New South Wales in Australia, about the field of cognitive load theory, a research field in educational psychology that John has been developing since the early eighties.

We talk about the cognitive architecture, how working memory and long term memory interact, and how this interaction and its limits make out the foundational insight that is explored in cognitive load theory; how our cognition is shaped by evolution, how David Geary's theory about biologically primary and secondary skills helped John put cognitive load theory into a bigger picture; some of the main effect that have been identified, like element interaction effect, worked examples, redundancy, split attention, and much more.

Recommended books and articles

• Ashman, G. (2023). A little guide for teachers: Cognitive load theory. Corwin UK.
• Carlson, J. S., & Levin, J. R. (2007). Educating the evolved mind : conceptual foundations for an evolutionary educational psychology. Information Age Pub.
• Geary, D. C. (2024). The evolved mind and modern education: Status of evolutionary educational psychology. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009454858
• Geary, D. C. (2008). An evolutionarily informed education science. Educational Psychologist, 43(4), 179–195. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520802392133
• Kirschner, P. A., Sweller, J., & Clark, R. E. (2006). Why minimal guidance during instruction does not work: An analysis of the failure of constructivist, discovery, problem-based, experiential, and inquiry-based teaching. Educational Psychologist, 41(2), 75–86.
• Kirschner, P. A., Sweller, J., Kirschner, F., & Zambrano R., J. (2018). From cognitive load theory to collaborative cognitive load theory. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 13(2), 213–233.
• Lovell, O. (2020). Sweller's Cognitive Load Theory in Action. John Catt Educational.
• Paas, F., & Sweller, J. (2012). An Evolutionary Upgrade of Cognitive Load Theory: Using the Human Motor System and Collaboration to Support the Learning of Complex Cognitive Tasks. Educational Psychology Review, 24(1), 27–45. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-011-9179-2
• Sweller, J. (2008). Instructional Implications of David C. Geary's Evolutionary Educational Psychology. Educational Psychologist, 43(4), 214–216. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520802392208
• Sweller, J. (2023). The Development of Cognitive Load Theory: Replication Crises and Incorporation of Other Theories Can Lead to Theory Expansion. Educational Psychology Review, 35(4). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-023-09817-2
• Sweller, J. (2024). Cognitive Load Theory and Individual Differences. Learning and Individual Differences, 110(1), 102423–102423. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2024.102423
• Sweller, J. et al (2024). Response to De Jong et al.'s (2023) paper "Let's talk evidence – The case for combining inquiry-based and direct instruction". Educational Research Review, 42, 100584. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2023.100584

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