#80 Your Students Aren't Trying to Frustrate You: It's Just Brain Science

So many teachers are married to their content, and hey, I get it. You’ve worked hard to master your subject. You’ve got passion. You’ve got plans. You’ve got color-coded slides. I’m with you!! But if we’re being honest, some of us are more in love with what we teach than with how we teach it.

Here’s the truth: if we really understood how much trouble the brain’s working memory causes for our students, and by extension, for us, we’d teach differently. Not because we’re doing it wrong, but because we’re finally teaching with the brain in mind.

That’s why today we’re diving into Cognitive Load Theory and what that means for teachers, because it’s a game-changer for how we show up in the classroom.

The Friday Fog

Picture this: it’s Friday afternoon. The bell’s about to ring, and your students are done. You’re introducing a final concept just as a little wrap-up, but you catch a student staring blankly at the SMART Board. They look...foggy. Distracted. Checked out.

They’re not trying to push your buttons. They’re maxed out.

That look? That’s cognitive overload in real time.

A Quick Brain Science Refresher

Working memory is your students’ short-term information center. It’s where they hold all the new stuff they’re trying to learn. But here’s the catch: it’s limited. Just like your inbox. Once it’s full, new information either gets pushed out, filed away for later (if they’re lucky), or completely lost.

This is where Dr. John Sweller’s Cognitive Load Theory comes in. It tells us that effective learning is all about balance. Too much new information at once? The brain short-circuits. But when we chunk material just right, tie it to what students already know - schema - their prior knowledge, and remove unnecessary distractions, we optimize learning.

So What’s Really Going On?

When a student forgets your instructions, doesn’t follow the steps, or zones out halfway through the lesson, it’s not disrespect.

It’s cognitive load.

They’re juggling content, classroom noise, personal worries, social pressures, maybe even learning differences like ADHD, OCD, or anxiety. Their working memory is on overload. 

So the directions? The math formula? The reminder to turn in homework? It slips. Not because they don’t care, but because they literally don’t have the brain space for it right now.

4 Ways to Reduce Cognitive Overload - Teach Smarter!

1. Anchor New Learning to What They Already Know
   Tap into schemas, those mental frameworks students build over time. If you're teaching exponents, connect it to multiplication. If you’re teaching metaphor, build on similes. Connections reduce mental strain and boost retention.
2. Break It Down
   Instead of dumping all your instructions at once (“Take out your notebooks, turn to page 72, copy the objective, start the warm-up…”), try step-by-step delivery. Write it down, read it aloud, create a poster with prompts. Nothing beats a visual!
3. Remove the Extras
   We love bells, whistles, and bonus graphics. But cognitive load says: less is more. Stick to what’s essential. Reduce visual clutter. Simplify your slides. One concept at a time. I was guilty of this!! But what I always did was have directions EVERYWHERE and often backed up as a video for flipped learning.
4. Build in Pauses
   Silence isn’t dead time. It’s processing time. Let them breathe. Let their brains catch up. Ask a question and give it a full ten seconds. You might be amazed at what comes next.

The Heart of It

Your students aren’t lazy. They’re not disorganized on purpose. They’re not being defiant just to challenge you. They’re kids, navigating an overwhelming world with a brain that’s still developing. 

In other words, executive functioning is still a work in progress. 

You don’t have to work harder to fix this. You just have to teach with the brain in mind.

The Cognitive Load Theory helps us design instruction that doesn’t just deliver content, it makes learning stick. And when learning sticks, students succeed. We feel less frustrated. And the relationship between teacher and student strengthens.

That’s the win!

So as you head into your next lesson, remember: they’re not doing it to push your buttons. They’re trying. And so are you. When we all work smarter, not harder, everyone wins.

PRO TIP:

🧠 Prefrontal Cortex and Working Memory:

The prefrontal cortex is heavily involved in working memory.

• Working memory holds and manipulates information for a short time (like doing math in your head or following multi-step directions).

🧠 Hippocampus and Long-Term Memory:

The hippocampus is not primarily involved in working memory,  instead, it’s critical for forming long-term memories, especially facts and events.

Simple Summary:

• 🧠 Prefrontal cortex = working memory, attention, decision-making

• 🧠 Hippocampus = long-term memory formation, spatial memory

If you've got some stories to share about kids and learning, I'd love to hear them. Your insights and experiences might just be the spark that another parent needs to hear. So DM me or leave a comment on Instagram at @jenncaputo because when we lift each other up, we all grow wiser.

Remember, it's not about being perfect. It's about being easy with the practice.