Now What? (Education and Technology in a Post COVID World)

by Sarah R. Adams-Slominski

Have you ever been invited to "take a load off"?

I confess that while working on a response to Chris Mah's recent Cult of Pedagogy think piece on AI, I had the Bob-Dylan penned ear worm about Manny (or Annie...or Fanny...depending on which website you consult) running on a loop in my brain.

Just like the refrain to that song, the idea of cognitive load isn't really something we in education think about on a regular basis....but once we do hear it/think of it/experience an overload, it's hard to ignore.

If you've worked in education, you've been there: your brain is fried as you find yourself scrambling to create innovative lesson plans--only to find yourself stuck in a rut of brain fog and dead end ideas. Obviously, this poses a challenge in a world where students are increasingly savvy to engaging and interactive learning vs the old 'sage on a stage' routine!

This scenario, my friend, is cognitive overload.

First things first, though. If you've never heard of cognitive load, my old 
friend, Chat GPT, explains it this way:

"This theory, developed by John Sweller and others, focuses on the idea that our working memory has limited capacity, and when learners are presented with too much information at once, it can overload their cognitive resources and hinder learning" (Chat GPT, January 2024).

The human brain can only handle so much before it starts to produce an error message (like the one from Chat GPT in the image above). At some point, our cognitive resources are simply depleted. And this goes for learners and educators alike.

That's why tech tools can be a lifeline of ideas and examples. In fact, Mah goes into detail about how AI can be a powerful ally when generating examples for lessons. He references the sound pedagogical practice of providing examples as a way "to help students develop mental models of processes and concepts" (Mah, 2023). 

Mah goes on to note, for example, that social studies educators might cite examples of contrasting kinds of governments, or how science teachers may present examples of various energy forms. This gives students the opportunity to compare and contrast or "sequence, rank, or categorize these examples in ways that help them understand underlying concepts" (Mah, 2023). 

In short, giving our students examples helps them in organizing their thinking about the subject at hand....and subsequently lightens the cognitive load when learning.

But what about the cognitive overload educators face when lesson planning? Can AI help with that, too? Mah says yes.

So I decided to do a little experiment and ask Chat GPT for help with examples, using Mah's article as a point of reference. 

(But first, rather than typing "Chat GPT" over and over again, I thought I'd give it a name...That went about as well as expected, as you can see below)

Anyway, back to the experiment...I decided to enlist Herman's help in generating examples of cognitive load, and, following Mah's advice, examples of things that contrasted...in other words, that were not cognitive load. 

Generating prompts that led to the information I was looking for became a sort of human-vs-AI cat-and-mouse game that went something like this:

Me: Can you give me examples of cognitive load in adults?

Herman: "Certainly! Cognitive load refers to the mental effort and demands placed on an individual's cognitive system (working memory) while they are processing information or performing a task. Here are some examples of cognitive load in adults: Learning a New Language, Problem-Solving and Decision-Making, Multitasking, Learning a New Skill or Instrument, Reading Complex Texts, Learning New Software or Technology."

Me: How can I overload my adult students cognitively?

Herman: "It is not advisable to intentionally overload adult students cognitively, as cognitive overload can hinder learning and comprehension, leading to frustration and reduced retention of information. The goal of teaching is to facilitate effective learning and understanding, not to overwhelm learners. However, if you are interested in challenging your adult students intellectually or providing them with opportunities to stretch their cognitive abilities, here are some strategies to consider..."

Me: Can you create incorrect examples of cognitive load?

Herman:  "I can certainly provide examples that may appear to be about cognitive load but are incorrect or misleading. However, please keep in mind that these examples should be used for illustrative purposes or to highlight misconceptions rather than for educational or instructional purposes.
Example 1 (Misleading): "Cognitive load is when you use your brain too much, so the best way to avoid it is to think as little as possible during learning." This example is misleading because cognitive load is not about avoiding thinking but rather about managing the cognitive demands effectively to optimize learning. Simply avoiding thinking is not a valid strategy for learning. Example 2 (Misleading): "Cognitive load means you should always provide learners with as much information as possible because it challenges their brains."

You get the idea. Using AI like Herman to generate ideas is exactly like using any other tool: it takes trial-and-error for your very human brain to figure out the best way to make it work for you. And while that means that the cognitive load might be heavier for a while during the learning process, eventually, you'll figure out how to make it work well for you.

Overall, with a little practice and a lot of patience, I think Herman and I are going to get along just fine...and that's a huge load off my mind.

'Til next time...