Promoting Long-lasting Learning Through Instructional Design

Abstract

Passively listening to a lecture (deWinstanley & Bjork, 2002), skimming a textbook chapter, or googling for an answer to a homework problem is not conducive to deep and lasting high-order learning. At the same time, presenting complex concepts in problem-based classes might overload students’ working memory capacity. Effective student learning necessitates students to process information in their working memories, as well as storing information, facts and skills, in their long-term memories. Students must then be able to retrieve this information into their working memory in the future, in order to apply the information to new situations. That is, students must be able to recognize the characteristics of a future situation or problem and correctly retrieve the appropriate information stored in their long-term memory (Kirschner, Sweller, & Clark, 2006) to tackle the issue. Using the framework of Cognitive Load Theory, this article proposes an instructional model that promotes five strategies for learning and teaching; i.e. spacing, retrieval practice, elaboration, interleaving, and concrete examples, to effectively help students store and retrieve information from their long-term memory.