Unloading the Mind
How Cognitive Load Theory Transforms Language Learning Strategies
Image by: Andrea Piacquadio
By Hanyu Tales (8th April 2025)
“Cognitive Load Theory”, which we will refer to as CLT, was introduced by John Sweller in an article from 1998 entitled “Cognitive Architecture and Instructional Design”. A quick overview of CLT is that working memory is limited, and we must manage the three types of cognitive load (intrinsic, extraneous, and germane) if we are to avoid burnout and optimize learning. In this article, we will look at how CLT relates to language learning and what modifications you can make to your language-learning routine to ensure you are making the most of your time.
Intrinsic Load
Intrinsic load refers to the difficulty of your learning materials. Tasks that have a big impact on intrinsic load include working with complex grammar structures, trying to imitate a native speaker’s pronunciation, and trying to remember lots of new vocabulary. Intrinsic load is crucial because without it, you cannot progress; no challenge = no growth. However, excessive intrinsic load will lead to slower progress, with learners feeling overwhelmed and frustrated. To remedy this, the following strategies can be adopted: 
- Build Foundational Knowledge: If you are a beginner, do not neglect the fundamentals of a language. While they may not be exciting, they can help tremendously when tackling more challenging concepts later on, reducing the intrinsic load of future tasks.
- Group Content: When learning new words or sentence structures, try to group them by theme or function. Focus reduces intrinsic load, so reducing the number of contexts which your brain has to process in one study session is a smart move.
- Scaffolding: All effective textbooks and courses use scaffolding—if the content you learn builds upon previous content through sensibly progressive difficulty, then it is definitely worth your time.
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Extraneous Load
Extraneous load refers to unnecessary mental effort caused by sub-optimal learning approaches and/or distractions. Your working memory is limited, which means any mental effort that is spent on something that does not directly relate to the language-learning task at hand is hijacking your progress. Some examples of this are teachers giving unclear explanations, or overcomplicated website/app interfaces that force your brain to dedicate a significant part of its processing power to navigation. The drawbacks of extraneous load are clear, while the drawbacks of too little are more nuanced and in most cases, less extraneous load is a good thing when it comes to learning. Here are some ways to reduce extraneous load while studying languages: 
- Minimalism: Keep your desk tidy, use apps with simple interfaces, find clear audio and visuals. Do not allow anything that leads to wasted mental effort.
- Keep Content Together: Do not use materials which require you flicking between different pages constantly, or websites that involve clicking three buttons to see a translation.
- Avoid Multitasking: When it comes to learning, spending thirty minutes chatting with a friend in Chinese while watching a Chinese TV series is always going to be inferior to spending fifteen on each task individually. Choose one task and focus on it.
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Germane Load
Germane Load, on the other hand, refers to mental effort that is not wasted. It can be understood as productive mental effort which helps you build schemas (mental models) that deepen your understanding. Excessive germane load can lead to cognitive overload but, as a general rule, it is what we want more of, as with too little, learners become passive and find themselves memorizing rather than processing and while learning feels easy, nothing sticks long term. Here’s how we can ensure to maximize germane load in each study session: 
- Active Recall: Flashcards and quizzes are excellent ways to force students to actively retrieve information, which strengthens neural pathways and reinforces schemas.
- Output: Using new structures and vocabulary while speaking and writing forces the synthesis of knowledge; you must use what you know to truly understand it.
- Detailed Examples: For mental effort to be productive, the brain needs a clear model to build from. Therefore, when encountering new content, make sure you deeply understand usage examples.
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Recap
Cognitive Load Theory is an extremely useful framework for learning anything, but especially language learning, which involves needing to understanding grammar, pronunciation, vocabulary, culture, and much more. Here is a recap of everything we have learned about the three relevant types of cognitive load, and how they should be managed to ensure learning is productive rather than exhausting:
- Keep a Moderate Difficulty: Too much intrinsic load will lead to burnout, while too little will prevent progress. Find content that you can mostly understand, do not increase difficulty too quickly, and do not try to learn too many things at once.
- Reduce Distractions: Excessive extraneous load will slow your progress. Remove distractions from your place of study, avoid multitasking, and use simple, intuitive interfaces to ensure as much of your mental energy is saved for language learning as possible.
- Actively Learn: Germane load—which refers to productive mental effort—is what you should be optimizing for. Be honest with yourself about what tasks are truly productive. Do not be passenger— use the language in an active manner by matching input with output.