Did you have trouble the first time you tried to start a keyless car? Or perhaps the first time you took a panoramic picture? According to a well-known theory, these tasks were difficult because you … [Read more...]
How To Write Better Analogies For Learning
Analogies are a key component of human thinking and understanding. They've stimulated great feats of problem-solving and discovery. They are also a classic way to foster learning by applying prior … [Read more...]
The Power of Retrieval Practice For Learning
An Instructional Strategy for Long-term Retention
This article has been updated and republished with new content. In a culture that requires shortcuts to improving performance—microlearning, performance support and getting quick answers from … [Read more...]
8 Principles on Cognitive Load and Collaborative Learning
Collaborative learning—when people work together in small groups to help each other learn—is considered an effective instructional approach. But research shows that the benefits of collaborative … [Read more...]
Can you read the minds of your learners?
An updated look at schemas and learning
During a presentation I gave several years ago, an audience member commented that he teaches older adults how to use software programs. "When these adult students don't understand a concept, they are … [Read more...]
What is cognitive load?
As far as I can tell, working memory (WM), the aspect of our brain that manipulates information in the moment, affects most everything we do in terms of learning. Working memory can only hold around … [Read more...]