The Cognitive Load Theory states that our brains can only handle a certain amount of information at a given time when we are learning something new.
In other words, while our capacity to learn things is virtually unlimited once the knowledge or skill has been incorporated into our long-term memories, when we are learning something initially, our brains can only handle a certain amount of information at that given time.
This appreciation of how our brains work when it comes to learning allows educators and learners to use the method of chunking as a means of effective teaching and learning.
Chunking involves making things small and manageable, taking big concepts and breaking them into smaller, simpler concepts.
When learning, those smaller and basic concepts have been understood, more complex concepts can then gradually be learned and built upon the foundational concepts.
To take the analogy of a building, if the foundation is good and strong, the building can then gradually evolve into a skyscraper!
We can remind ourselves of the words of William Blake, “To see a world in a grain of sand And a heaven in a wild flower, Hold infinity in the palm of your hand And eternity in an hour.”
So the next time you want to learn something new, don’t get overwhelmed.
Use the principle of breaking things down into simpler foundational concepts—in other words, smaller chunks of information—and then work your way up from there.
Learn to see the world in a grain of sand. And then let the magic unfold!
