Notes

Aid selection of key items:

• Highlight important items
• Indicate the hierarchy of items
• Explain key terms up-front
• Divide presentation into manageable, coherent, sections
  

Why?

• Learning happens in working memory, which has a very small capacity. Overloading working memory demotivates a learner.
• Working memory has two channels, one for images, and the other for words (spoken and written). The load experienced in each channel is separate, so e.g. if no images are used, that available space is simply wasted, it can’t be reassigned to cope with an overload in text.

Examples

Activity

1. Click through the two versions of the "Concentration and reaction rate" slide show.
2. For the 'after' version, note the speaker notes.
3. How do the two versions compare?:
   • Which one aids selection of key items better? 
   • How are the notes and examples, above, illustrated?
4. Click here to watch the "Concentration and reaction rate" movie made from the second slide show.
5. In the YouTube comment space for the movie (click above), list methods used to aid the selection of key items.