English Department

This paper is concerned with some of the factors that determine the difficulty of material that needs to be learned. It is suggested that when considering intellectual activities, schema acquisition and automation are the primary mechanisms of learning. The consequences of cognitive load theory for the structuring of information in order to reduce difficulty by focusing cognitive activity on schema acquisition is briefly surmnarixed. It is pointed out that cognitive load theory deals with learning and problem solving difticulty that is artificial in that it can be manipulated by instructional design. Intrinsic cognitive load in contrast, is constant for a given area because it is a basic component of the material. Intrinsic cognitive load is characterized in terms of element interactivity. The elements of most schemas must be learned simultaneously because they interact and it is the interaction that is critical. If, as in some areas, interactions between many elements must be learned, then intrinsic cognitive load will be high. In contrast, in different areas, if elements can be learned successively rather than ~~tan~~ly because they do not interact, intrinsic cognitive load will be low. It is suggested that extraneous cognitive load that interferes with learning orily is a problem under conditions of high cognitive load caused by high element interactivity. Under conditions of low element interactivity, re-designing instruction to reduce extraneous cognitive load may have no appreciable consequences. In addition, the concept of element interactivity can be used to explain not only why some material is difficult to learn but also, why it can be difficult to understand. Understanding becomes relevant when high element interactivity material with a naturally high cognitive load must be learned.

The study and theory of postcolonialism investigates history: the origins of colonialism during the age of discovery and exploration, the ensuing political, economic and cultural struggles between colonizers and colonized peoples through the twentieth century, and the enduring after effects upon relationships between individuals, societies and nations.

Abstract: This study asked how, and to what extent professors are modeling and encouraging active-learning methods in the students’ English and Education courses in response to decentralization reforms at the “University of Banten,” in Serang, Indonesia. A discussion of the background of PAKEM policy and its implementation builds a framework for identifying and interpreting specific challenges which impact English teacher preparation and the knowledge and implementation of PAKEM Active Learning methods. PAKEM represents a major element of ongoing decentralization policy and was explored thematically through ethnographic analysis of in-depth accounts of professors, teachers and students at the campus over 10 months. The discussion provides extensive and diverse evidence of dynamic responses to PAKEM policy changes. Lecturers were well informed about and engaged in the implementation of active learning methods in instruction. Findings are situated amongst similar case studies on the implementation of active learning pedagogies and consistencies are identified and discussed.