Key ideas
Core concepts
- Printed write-on booklets containing key ideas, worked examples and practice questions reduce extraneous cognitive load when teaching new content to novices: they eliminate copying, transcription errors and split-attention effects.
- Students see exactly what the teacher sees, so visual and instructional focus stay aligned. Low-floor high-ceiling question sequences let students of all ability levels work through the same material at their own pace.
Connected to
Cognitive Load Theory | Split-Attention Effect | Redundancy Effect | Experts and Novices Think Differently | Low-Floor High-Ceiling | Scaffolding
Cognitive load reduction
Booklets reduce extraneous cognitive load compared to textbooks (Sweller, van Merriënboer, & Paas, 2019). Key ideas and examples are written to reduce the redundancy effect; no unnecessary pictures, jokes, or stories distract from mathematical content (Mayer et al., 2001). Providing printouts of key ideas, worked examples, and questions gives students an error-free record to study later. Students do not scribble down notes during explanations, ensuring their attention is devoted to listening and processing teacher instruction rather than transcription (Sweller & Cooper, 1985).
Questions printed with workspace eliminate having to copy diagrams, avoiding the split-attention effect (Chandler & Sweller, 1991). Using OneNote (or similar software), what students have matches exactly what the teacher presents. This prevents students from getting lost and avoids the split-attention effect (Chandler & Sweller, 1992). OneNote zoom allows the teacher to draw attention to specific parts or show the big picture.
Differentiation and pacing
Practice questions with a low floor and high ceiling cater for a wide range of prior knowledge (Rosenshine, 2012). Highly scaffolded questions build confidence, whilst bread-and-butter practice develops fluency, and challenging questions support mastery (Wilson et al., 2019). Students work at different rates through the same material rather than receiving different worksheets, maintaining consistent expectations whilst allowing individual pacing.
Practical advantages
Absentees can catch up using high-quality worked examples and identify exactly what they have missed. OneNote enables easy lesson material sharing. A single author producing these booklets provides consistency in language, setting out, and problem-solving methods. Same forward-facing methods across years allow students to see topic connections rather than learning different methods each year. For example, ratio tables can be used for all direct proportion topics: percentages, GST, ratios, similar figures, capture-recapture.
Students answer in the same physical location of each page, allowing easy progress monitoring during teacher circulation. Skipped questions are easily identifiable. Content can be aligned to specific syllabi, avoiding pitfalls of resource-based curriculum. Textbooks may not cover all syllabus requirements in sufficient detail.
References
Chandler, P., & Sweller, J. (1991). Cognitive load theory and the format of instruction. Cognition and Instruction, 8(4), 293-332. https://doi.org/10.1207/s1532690xci0804_2
Chandler, P., & Sweller, J. (1992). The split-attention effect as a factor in the design of instruction. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 62(2), 233-246. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8279.1992.tb01017.x
Mayer, R. E., Heiser, J., & Lonn, S. (2001). Cognitive constraints on multimedia learning: When presenting more material results in less understanding. Journal of Educational Psychology, 93(1), 187-198. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.93.1.187
Rosenshine, B. (2012). Principles of instruction: Research-based strategies that all teachers should know. American Educator, 36(1), 12-19, 39.
Sweller, J., & Cooper, G. A. (1985). The use of worked examples as a substitute for problem solving in learning algebra. Cognition and Instruction, 2(1), 59-89. https://doi.org/10.1207/s1532690xci0201_3
Sweller, J., van Merriënboer, J. J. G., & Paas, F. (2019). Cognitive architecture and instructional design: 20 years later. Educational Psychology Review, 31(2), 261-292. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-019-09465-5
Wilson, R. C., Shenhav, A., Straccia, M., & Cohen, J. D. (2019). The eighty five percent rule for optimal learning. Nature Communications, 10(1), 4646. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-12552-4