DISCLAIMER: The following post was originally completed as part of my coursework for EDUC 520-Student Learning and Motivation, one of my grad classes. If you are not interested in education, this is going to be wicked boring. Please feel free to check out some of my other posts!
Research
In order for education to take place, information must first be processed in the working memory. Many types of information enter the mind through the senses, but relatively little makes it all the way into long-term memory where it can be stored and retrieved for use throughout the lifetime of the student. The area in the human mind that processes sensory data and turns it into useful knowledge, the part where learning really takes place, is called working memory (Biehler, McCown, & Snowman, 2009, 250), and is comprised of four parts: the central executive, the phonological loop, the visuospatial sketchpad, and the episodic buffer (McLeod, 2012).
The central executive is the most important piece of working memory. It is in charge of managing our sensory perception through attention, manages the phonological loop and visuospatial sketchpad, and makes the important connection between raw bits of information that enter our minds through the senses and turns it into knowledge (McLeod, 2012). The central executive is important to understand because the same part of the mind that manages our focus is also responsible for pulling information out of long-term memory. Previous learning impacts what the mind pays attention to, and what the mind pays attention to can be used to build on, change, or replace previous learning. This is what makes learning meaningful (Biehler, McCown, & Snowman, 2009, 252).
The phonological loop is the part of working memory that deals with language. It has two parts, the phonological store and the articulatory control process. The phonological store takes all language-based data and stores it for no more than a few seconds. The articulatory control process acts like a loop that takes that data from the phonological store and rehearses it for as long as desired so it can remain in the working memory (McLeod, 2012). This is important to understand because it clarifies that something can be “memorized” for a short amount of time in a process called maintenance rehearsal, like a phone number someone must call back, but not remembered in the long run (Biehler, McCown, & Snowman, 2009, 250).
The visuospatial sketchpad is responsible for processing visual information, such as the surroundings of an individual, and using information retrieved from long-term memory to create an image for use in working memory, such as remembering how to drive to a familiar location or the layout of a familiar building (McLeod, 2012). Understanding the visuospatial sketchpad shows that visual information is an extremely effective way for the mind to process new information.
The episodic buffer is the part of working memory that interfaces between the central executive and long-term memory (McLeod, 2012). This is important to education because it shows that new data does not have to enter the mind in its own little “box,” but rather can interact with previous knowledge and aid in the processing of new information or use the new information to modify previous knowledge. This process is called elaborative rehearsal or elaborative encoding (Biehler, McCown, & Snowman, 2009, 250).
Another area of working memory that is supremely important for educators to understand is that of cognitive load, or the amount of information being used to perform a task or process information. There are three areas of cognitive load to be aware of: intrinsic cognitive load, extraneous cognitive load, and germane cognitive load (Psychologist World).
The intrinsic cognitive load is the amount of mental energy it takes to process new information based on the intrinsic quality or complexity of that information. This cognitive load cannot be altered because the task is already defined. However, the task can be broken up into smaller chunks to allow for easier processing (Psychologist World). Research has shown that organizing information into chunks aids in long-term memory of that information (Biehler, McCown, & Snowman, 2009, 251).
The extraneous cognitive load is mental energy required to process information that does not actually relate to the learning task, but rather surrounds the learning task. The extraneous cognitive load is increased by poor instruction, which increases the complexity of the learning task. This cognitive load can be altered because it is dependent on the teacher (Psychologist World).
A germane cognitive load is the mental energy required for the process of creating a schema, a sort of profile or script the mind can use to anticipate what will happen surrounding a certain object, idea, person, or event the next time it is encountered. A germane cognitive load may be considerable the first time something is encountered because a schema does not yet exist, but will be considerably less when subsequent times of the same or similar events occur (Psychologist World).
Cognitive load theory is so important for educators to understand because it allows educators to minimize extraneous cognitive load and utilize the phonological loop and visuospatial sketchpad at the same time. Research has shown that while two competing sources of information of the same type (for example, both auditory) will increase the extraneous cognitive load beyond what the student can handle, the mind can definitely handle two sources of information if one is visual and one is verbal (Psychologist World). This means the teacher can confidently model a task while simultaneously explaining it, but must be careful to not create competition by having the student read about a task while simultaneously explaining it.
Personal Application
There are several areas of immediate application of this research that I can use in my high school English classroom, either as a new strategy or increasing my awareness of something I am already doing. The most prevalent areas would be that of simultaneous stimulation of the phonological loop and visuospatial sketchpad, easing the intrinsic cognitive load by breaking learning tasks into chunks, and increasing opportunities for students to exercise their germane cognitive loads.
I can increase my student’s opportunities to learn new information by carefully integrating visual stimuli into my lessons. I do need to be careful that I do not present images that conflict with the concepts being taught, because that will only create confusion. However, presenting them with a strategically selected image to describe while teaching them about sentence structure could help them grasp the difference between a subject, direct object, and indirect object. Students would then latch onto those ideas far better than just listening to me explain those concepts. I could also use different styles of diagrams to illustrate different styles of essay and how to create an effective outline.
I already break learning tasks into chunks. Being fully aware that my students do not yet have high school diplomas, I break down the process of writing an essay into the smallest chunks I can manage. It is much easier to write a research report about an animal if the teacher breaks it into selecting an animal, finding credible sources, compiling information, organizing information, drafting, revising, and publishing. I break each of those steps into even smaller steps. Aside from willful inattention, my students should have no excuses to not know how to complete the report! I could probably use the “chunking” strategy more in my grammar lessons as well, although the curriculum already does a fairly decent job of breaking that information into manageable pieces.
Lastly, I could definitely work on creating more opportunities for germane cognitive experiences in my classroom. This could take the form of simply taking a class period to model how to format a paper correctly, and then guide them through formatting their own papers before handing them in. Many of my freshman students have not yet had the experience of writing a thesis statement and then expanding that statement into a full essay, so perhaps I could show them the strategies I use for writing thesis statements and then give them example topics to try in small groups.
This research has been quite illuminating! It is extremely satisfying to learn new terms and concepts, especially in one’s own vocational field. How much more satisfying it is to do research that can have an immediate impact on your work and create increased opportunities to become better at the task God picked for you!
References
Biehler, R., McCown, R., & Snowman, J. (2009). Psychology applied to teaching. Boston, New York: Houghton Mifflin Co.
McLeod, S.A. (2012). Working memory model. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/working%20memory.html
Psychologist World. (n.d.). Cognitive load theory. Psychologist World. https://www.psychologistworld.com/memory/cognitive-load-theory
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