Cognitive load theory and learning math with John Sweller (Ep 67)

About this episode

Anna Stokke interviews Dr. John Sweller about Cognitive Load Theory and its implications for teaching mathematics.

In this episode, Anna is joined by Dr. John Sweller, emeritus professor at the University of New South Wales and the researcher best known for developing Cognitive Load Theory. Together, they explore how cognitive load theory should guide classroom practice, particularly in mathematics. John explains the limits of working memory, how experts and novices approach problem solving differently, and how strategies like worked examples can help manage cognitive load. They also discuss whether productive failure is supported by research and the strong experimental evidence supporting explicit instruction, particularly when students are learning new content. This episode will be extremely valuable for educators, especially math teachers, who want to better understand how students become expert problem solvers and what that means for effective instruction. This episode is also available in video at www.youtube.com/@chalktalk-stokke SHORT COURSE La Trobe Short Course: Evidence-informed Mathematics Teaching – An Introduction https://shortcourses.latrobe.edu.au/evidence-informed-mathematics-teaching TIMESTAMPS [00:00:22] Introduction [00:03:53] Biologically primary and biologically secondary…

People in this episode

Host: Anna Stokke

Guest: Dr. John Sweller

Topics covered

• Cognitive Load Theory
• mathematics education
• working memory
• problem solving
• explicit instruction
• productive failure

Keywords

• Cognitive Load Theory
• working memory
• mathematics teaching
• explicit instruction
• problem solving
• educational strategies

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of New South Wales

More episodes of Chalk & Talk

• Mailbag I: Choosing math resources and handling mixed classes with Jon Regino · June 12, 2026 · 41 min
• Inside one of England’s top-performing non-selective schools with Robert Peal (Ep 72) · May 29, 2026 · 1h 3m
• Conviction vs. evidence: What’s driving math education’s worst policies with Thomas Briggs and David Shuck (Ep 71) · May 15, 2026 · 1h 3m
• What to do when “Research Shows” shuts you down: A guide for parents and teachers (Ep 70) · May 1, 2026 · 23 min
• We know more about teaching than ever—so why is change so slow? with Joanna Barbousas (Ep 69) · April 17, 2026 · 1h 2m
• The Finland myth, East Asia’s rise, and what makes education systems work with Montserrat Gomendio (Ep 68) · April 3, 2026 · 1h 9m