Cognitive Load Lesson Check
Whether a lesson asks too much at once — checked against the specific things that cause avoidable load rather than against difficulty.
Of twelve load-reducing features, the four with the strongest evidence are not narrating text pupils are reading, worked examples before independent practice, labels on the diagram, and fading scaffolds as expertise grows.
Cognitive Load Lesson Check
Frequently asked
What is the redundancy effect?
Presenting the same information in two forms at once — typically reading aloud text that is on the board — which increases load rather than reinforcing. It is one of the most consistently replicated findings and one of the most common habits.
What is expertise reversal?
Support that helps a novice becomes a hindrance once someone is competent, because processing the scaffold costs more than the help it provides. It is the reason scaffolds have to be faded rather than kept.
Is cognitive load theory settled?
It is a useful framework with a mixed replication record. The specific instructional effects listed here are among the better-supported ones; broader claims about working memory capacity are more contested.
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