Less on the slide
1 of 4
The slide as it is
This is a fire safety slide of the kind many of us make. Six types, a paragraph on each, and a quiz at the bottom. A learner new to this can hold only a few new things at once. Here that is six colours, six uses and six warnings, while you read it out.
The handout
Fire safety: extinguishers
Water: red label. For wood, paper and fabric. Not for electrical or oil fires.
Foam: cream label. For wood, paper and flammable liquids. Not for electrical fires.
Dry powder: blue label. For most fires. It leaves a fine dust that is hard to clean up.
CO2: black label. For electrical fires. The horn gets very cold.
Wet chemical: yellow label. For cooking oils and fats.
Water mist: white label. For wood, paper and fabric.
Quiz: which one would you use on an electrical fire?
Pick an activity. Each takes two or three minutes.
Four checks for the next slide or explanation you make.
Why this works in your room
Less on the slide leaves room to think about the new idea.
For your learners: They are not reading one thing while listening to another, so the one idea that matters gets their attention.
For you: Your explanation gets shorter and your slides take less time to make.
One idea
One idea on each slide.
New terms one at a time.
Say it or show it
Do not read the slide out.
Stop talking while they read or copy.
Keep it together
Labels on the part, not in a key.
Nothing there to decorate.
Example first
A full worked example.
Then a half-finished one.
Then on their own.
Elsewhere in Bradford ThreadWorks
Big 4Canva, with clear layouts, readable fonts and good contrast so a slide does not overload.Open Big 4 (opens in a new tab)
WalkThrusExplaining and modelling so it sticks: worked examples, and words paired with visuals.Open WalkThrus (opens in a new tab)
Lesson WeaverA LEAD lesson plan gives you a ready prompt for slides in Canva.Open Lesson Weaver (opens in a new tab)
Prompts to paste into Copilot
Copilot is quick at cutting a slide down and at writing worked examples. Paste in your own slide text.
Cut this slide down
Here is the text of one of my slides: [paste text]. It has too much on it. Split it into slides with one idea each, no more than 15 words a slide, and tell me what picture or diagram would show each idea.
A worked example, then a faded one
Write a fully worked example of [method] for [level] learners, with each step on its own line and a short reason beside it. Then write a second example with the last two steps left blank for learners to finish.
The theory
Cognitive load theory starts from one fact: working memory is small, and learning means moving things from it into long-term memory. Teaching that overloads it wastes effort, however hard learners try.
CESE, Cognitive load theory: research that teachers really need to understand (opens in a new tab)Worked examples
Teachers whose learners do best present new material in small steps, give models and worked examples, and guide practice before leaving learners to work alone.
Rosenshine, Principles of Instruction, 2012 (opens in a new tab)How sure is this?
Fairly, for learners who are new to something. Much of the evidence comes from school and laboratory studies, and less from FE workshops. As learners get skilled, the support that helped starts to get in the way, so take it off.
No source claimed