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Carl Wieman, Why Not Try a Scientific Approach to Science Education 111I am not alone in coming to this conclusion. There is a significantcommunity of science-education researchers, particularly in physics, whoare taking this approach to the development and testing of new pedagogicalapproaches. This is paying off in clear demonstrations of improved learning.Indeed, some innovative pedagogical strategies are sufficiently mature thatthey are being routinely replicated by other instructors with similar results.So what are a few examples of these strategies, and how do they reflectour increasing understanding of cognition?a.b.c.Figure 5 Result of loading student upwith low, medium, and high cognitive loadsReducing Cognitive LoadThe first way in which one can use research on learning to create betterclassroom practices addresses the limited capacity of the short-term workingmemory. Anything one can do to reduce cognitive load improves learning.The effective teacher recognizes that giving the students material to masteris the mental equivalent of giving them packages to carry (see Figure 5).With only one package, they can make a lot of progress in a hurry. If they areloaded down with many, they stagger around, have a lot more trouble, and