Cited by 434Visual and Cognitive Learning ProcessesInnovative Teaching and Learning MethodsEducational Strategies and Epistemologies

Why Minimally Guided Teaching Techniques Do Not Work: A Reply to Commentaries

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SWELLER, JOHN, KIRSCHNER, PAUL A., CLARK, RICHARD E.·2007·Educational Psychologist

Abstract

In this reply to commentaries on the Kirschner, Sweller, and Clark (2006) Clark, R. C., Nguyen, F. and Sweller, J. 2006. Efficiency in learning: Evidence-based guidelines to manage cognitive load, San Francisco: Pfeiffer. [Google Scholar] paper, we not only reemphasize the importance of randomized, controlled experimental tests of competing instructional procedures, but also indicate that altering one variable at a time is an essential feature of a properly controlled experiment. Furthermore, we also emphasize that variable must be relevant to the issue at hand with its effects explainable by our knowledge of human cognitive architecture. We reject the view that the presentation of relevant information should be reduced in favor of teaching learners how to find information. Lastly, we indicate that we believe a new educational psychology has been developed that has the potential to rapidly change our field.

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Crossref · 10.1080/00461520701263426

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26 of 26 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • Le développement des connaissances secondaires nécessite plutôt un enseignement direct et explicite, notamment en raison des limites de la mémoire de travail et du phénomène de surcharge cognitive.

    “Le développement des connaissances secondaires nécessite plutôt un enseignement direct et explicite (Sweller et al., 2007), et ce, notamment en raison des limites de la mémoire de travail et du phénomène de surcharge cognitive”

    From Enseignement explicite et développement decompétences : antinomie ou nécessité? (2020) · cites this paper as Sweller et al., 2007

  • Domain-specific, biologically secondary skills need to be explicitly taught and actively learned.

    “These domain-specific, biologically secondary skills need to be explicitly taught (Kirschner et al. 2006; Sweller et al. 2007) and actively learned.”

    From Cognitive Architecture and Instructional Design: 20 Years Later (2019) · cites this paper as Sweller et al. 2007

  • Pour Sweller, Kirschner et Clark (2007), la psychologie de l'éducation est dominée depuis des décennies par la conviction selon laquelle un enseignement structuré et systématique donnerait des résultats inférieurs aux différentes formes d'apprentissage par la découverte.

    “Pour Sweller, Kirschner et Clark (2007), la psychologie de l'éducation est dominée depuis des décennies par la conviction selon laquelle un enseignement structuré et systématique donnerait des résultats inférieurs aux différentes formes d'apprentissage par la découverte.”

    From Enseignement explicite et développement decompétences : antinomie ou nécessité? (2020) · cites this paper as Sweller, Kirschner et Clark (2007)

  • La plupart des apprentissages réalisés en dehors de l'école se réalisent naturellement, au gré des hasards, par la découverte.

    “cette idée est à la fois attirante et plausible au regard du fait que la plupart des apprentissages réalisés en dehors de l'école se réalisent naturellement, au gré des hasards, par la découverte.”

    From Enseignement explicite et développement decompétences : antinomie ou nécessité? (2020) · cites this paper as Sweller, Kirschner et Clark (2007)

  • Sweller et al. (2007) précisent qu'on ne peut pas présumer que les situations de découvertes non guidées, qui fonctionnent pour les apprentissages primaires, vont fonctionner également pour les apprentissages secondaires.

    “Par contre, ces auteurs précisent qu'on ne peut pas présumer que les situations de découvertes non guidées, qui fonctionnent pour les apprentissages primaires, vont fonctionner également pour les apprentissages secondaires.”

    From Enseignement explicite et développement decompétences : antinomie ou nécessité? (2020) · cites this paper as Sweller et al. (2007)

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Authors
SWELLER, J., KIRSCHNER, P. A., & CLARK, R. E.
Affiliations
  • UNSW Sydney (AU)
  • Utrecht University (NL)
  • University of Southern California (US)
Venue
Educational Psychologist
Published
2007-04-26
Volume
42
Issue
2
Pages
115-121
ISSN
  • 0046-1520 (ISSN-L)
  • 1532-6985
OpenAlex
W2067983851
Cited by
434
References
26
Citations by year
2026: 13 · 2025: 23 · 2024: 19 · 2023: 25 · 2022: 39 · 2021: 23 · 2020: 37 · 2019: 60 · 2018: 16 · 2017: 33 · 2016: 21 · 2015: 22 · 2014: 23 · 2013: 17 · 2012: 11
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by-nc-nd
Locations
  • Educational Psychologist (publishedVersion)
  • UNSWorks (UNSW Sydney) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • UNSWorks (University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Visual and Cognitive Learning Processes
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Innovative Teaching and Learning Methods
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Educational Strategies and Epistemologies
Keywords
cognitive load, instructional design, randomized controlled trials, variable control, human cognitive architecture, data presentation, educational psychology

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