The idea of cognitive load theory (CLT) is that our capacity to learn is limited and therefore we need to limit extraneous information in the presentation of learning materials. This paper (20 page PDF) applies CLT to the use of concept maps in learning, formulates some hypotheses, and studies it in practice. The result? All but one hypothesis is tossed, and the one remaining hypothesis is only tangentially related to CLT. Now before anyone jumps off the CLT bandwagon it should be noted that this is a small and unrepresentative study. It would be interesting to see the method formalized and validated and applied in a large number of diverse cases. Not that I think the results would be any different.
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