Unified Learning Model 1

Running Head: UNIFIED LEARNING MODEL

The Unified Learning Model: Implications for Learning and Teaching

Duane F. Shell and David W. Brooks

University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Date Submitted: July 3, 2007

Duane F. Shell, Department of Educational Psychology; David W. Brooks,

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education.

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Duane F. Shell,

Department of Educational Psychology, 114 TEAC, University of Nebraska-Lincoln,
Lincoln, NE 68588-0345. Email: [email protected].
 Unified Learning Model 2

Abstract
The Unified Learning Model (ULM) is proposed as an integrative framework for
understanding current theory and research in learning and applying this theory and
research to issues in teaching and instruction. The ULM integrates three aspects of
cognition: (a) crystallized intelligence (expertise) as represented by accumulated
knowledge stored in long-term memory, (b) fluid intelligence as represented by working
memory capacity, and (c) motivation as represented by working memory allocation. How
students direct their available working memory capacity will determine what is learned.
Working memory capacity is expanded through chunking and automaticity that are
determined by the students’ level of expertise. Allocation of capacity is determined by the
student’s motivation. The ULM unifies several heretofore disparate themes in the
learning literature.
 Unified Learning Model 3

The Unified Learning Model: Implications for Learning and Teaching

Introduction
Our purpose in this paper is to propose the Unified Learning Model (ULM) as an
integrative framework for understanding current theory and research in learning. The
ULM is not a scientific theory of learning itself. Rather, the ULM provides a practical
way to conceptualize and organize three important factors that influence learning and are
well known to teachers and education professionals:

• what the learner already knows,

• how able the learner is, and
• how motivated the learner is.

The ULM focuses on three cognitive components that underlie these factors:

• crystallized intelligence as represented by accumulated knowledge stored in long-

term memory,
• fluid intelligence as represented by working memory capacity, and
• motivation as represented by working memory allocation.

The ULM integrates these components in a way that can inform decision making about
teaching and instruction and can provide a guide for research and theorizing about
influences on learning.

Development of the Unified Learning Model

The Unified Learning Model's Roots are in the ICML (Interactive Compensatory
Model for Learning)
The initial formulation leading to the ULM was the development of the interactive
compensatory model for learning (ICML, Figure 1, Schraw et al., 2005). The ICML
depicted learning as influenced by three primary factors: prior accumulated knowledge,
ability, and motivation, with prior knowledge considered the most important (e.g., see
Shapiro, 2004). In the ICML, these three factors were seen as cognitively distinct from
one another, as well as cognitively distinct from learning. Evolution of the ULM has
involved the integration of these three factors within a single model of cognition.
 Unified Learning Model 4

Figure 1. The ICML implies that its three components (prior knowledge, ability, and
motivation) are distinct and separate from one another. The ICML regards prior
knowledge as the best predictor of success with new learning, a notion that is well-
supported in the literature.

Learning as Knowledge
The first modification was to place the ICML 'box' for learning within the 'box' for
knowledge. Learning involves additions to knowledge or changes in knowledge. For a
given moment and as the result of a learning experience, one might choose to isolate new
learning since that is what usually is measured or assessed. Because the ICML considered
factors impacting learning, it was reasonable and appropriate to split that learning apart
from knowledge as in Figure 1. However, once learned, the newly learned materials
become another part of the extant knowledge. That new knowledge is incorporated with
extant knowledge was explicitly acknowledged through Figure 2 of the first ICML report
(Schraw et al., 2005).

Figure 2. This schematic integrates new learning into the box that represents knowledge.
 Unified Learning Model 5

Ability
The ICML represented ability as distinct from knowledge. Ability has primarily been
studied within the field of intelligence (Colom et al., 2004; Engle et al., 1999; Horn &
Cattell, 1966). Contemporary views of ability/intelligence generally agree that there are
two components:

• fluid intelligence, a rather fixed entity that deals with general cognitive capacity,
and
• crystallized intelligence, a malleable entity that reflects accumulated knowledge
that can grow through learning and experience.

Very recent work supports the crystallized/fluid model (Nietfeld et al., 2007).
Crystallized intelligence, as conceptualized in current formulations of intelligence, is
synonymous with knowledge as depicted in the ICML; therefore, overall cognitive ability
could no longer be justified as an entity entirely distinct from knowledge.

Fluid Intelligence and Working Memory

If crystallized intelligence is the knowledge component in the ICML, what about fluid
intelligence? Early work on intelligence (Spearman, 1904, 1927) developed the notion
that an entity (called g) may be used as an overall indicator of intelligence. For some
time, there has been a strong suspicion that Spearman's g is related to working memory
capacity (Kyllonen, 1996). Recent work (Colom et al., 2004; Engle et al., 1999; Heitz et
al., 2005) suggests that g is essentially the same as fluid intelligence and that fluid
intelligence is basically working memory capacity. Engle et al. (1999) note "...but
individual differences in capacity for controlled processing are general and possibly the
mechanism for general fluid intelligence." Recognizing that the ability component in the
ICML was fluid intelligence and that fluid intelligence was working memory capacity led
to the revision of the ICML by Brooks and Shell (2006). They redefined the ability
component of the ICML as working memory capacity as shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3. In this revision of the original schematic, the 'box' labeled ability is replaced
with one labeled 'working memory.' The work of Colom et al. (2004) justifies this
replacement.
 Unified Learning Model 6

Working Memory Capacity

Baddeley and Hitch popularized the term working memory in 1974, and provided a
model for working memory (Baddeley, 1992; Baddeley & Hitch, 1974). Since that time,
numerous models of working memory have emerged (Miyake & Shah, 1999). All of
these models view working memory as that part of the cognitive system that deals with
the temporary storage and manipulation of information and thoughts during cognitive
processes. Working memory is not necessarily a distinct cognitive or neurological
component. For example, Cowan (1999, 2005) describes working memory functionally
as the currently activated subset of long-term memory.

Miller’s classic paper (1956) was the first to report on a key aspect of working memory:
that the ability to process and hold information is limited. Since then, working memory
has been viewed as having a limited capacity (Baddeley, 1992). Working memory has an
absolute capacity defined by the amount of sensory input and long-term memory that a
person can activate at a given moment (Andrade, 2001). This implies that, when one
speaks about a student having limited cognitive ability or limited fluid g, this is really the
same as saying that the student has limited working memory capacity. Absolute working
memory capacity exhibits large individual variance across the population (see Jarrold &
Towse, 2006; Unsworth & Engle, 2007). Limited absolute working memory capacity has
been implicated as a key factor in reading and other learning difficulties (e.g., Jarrold &
Towse, 2006; McLean & Hitch, 1999; Unsworth & Engle, 2007).

Although absolute working memory capacity is important, the vast majority of the
population possesses sufficient absolute capacity to learn effectively and perform most
cognitive tasks that are encountered in school and work settings. But, if almost everyone
possesses enough absolute working memory capacity (and, hence, enough fluid
intelligence or “ability” to succeed), what accounts for the observed differences in
learning and achievement that we typically ascribe to differences in ability?

Research in working memory points to a distinction between the absolute working

memory capacity that a person has available and the amount of that capacity that is
actually being used at any given time (Cowan, 1999; Engle et al., 1999). Ellis and
Ashbrook (1988) put forth the resource allocation hypothesis which holds that
performance on any task is dependent not on how much working memory capacity a
person may have, but rather on how much of that working memory capacity is being
allocated to the task. Similar arguments have been made in cognitive load theory (e.g.,
Kalyuga et al., 2003). If effective working memory capacity is dependent on how much
of the available working memory capacity a person is allocating, then the question of
interest becomes “what determines if and how much working memory capacity a person
allocates?” This led to a reassessment of the relationship between working memory and
motivation in the ICML.
 Unified Learning Model 7

Motivation and Functional Working Memory Capacity

Although every teacher has a definition for motivation, precise definitions appear elusive.
A common definition from Pintrich and Schunk (1996) is "Motivation is the process
whereby goal directed behavior is instigated and sustained." Motivation is the term often
used to describe why we do what we do. We might speak of "what motivates someone to
become a surgeon or to commit a crime?" We might ask "what motivates a learner to
pursue an advanced degree in a difficult area?"

Brooks and Shell (2006) put forth a definition of motivation as the conscious or
subconscious allocation of working memory to a task (see also Hertel & Rude, 1991).
This conceptualization of motivation integrated with working memory is depicted in
Figure 4. Absolute working memory capacity may set an upper limit to what one can
learn or do, but functional capacity is determined by the amount of working memory
being allocated at any given time and this allocation is primarily determined by
motivation.

Figure 4. Defining motivation as done here allows motivation to become contained

completely within the box formerly labeled as 'ability' but now labeled as 'working
memory.' Motivation is the allocation of working memory

A growing body of work has shown that allocation of attention and cognitive resources to
learning tasks is influenced by motivation and emotion (Ellis et al., 1997; Pekrun et al.,
2002; Reed et al., 1996; Reed et al., 2002; Unsworth et al., 2005). Ellis and his colleagues
(Ellis & Ashbrook, 1988; Ellis et al., 1997) have shown that emotion directly competes
for working memory resources as well as influencing motivation. By integrating
motivation with working memory, the ULM recognizes this dual role of motivation and
emotion. Although motivation and emotion can increase the allocation of working
memory resources, the need to regulate or attend to motivational concerns or emotions
either negative or positive can direct attentional resources away from the learning or
cognitive task at hand.

This integration of motivation with working memory has important consequences for
thinking about both motivation and ability. As conceptualized, fluid intelligence or ability
cannot be separated from the motivation to apply that ability. We cannot ask if a learner
has the capability to do a task without also asking whether they have the motivation to do
the task.
 Unified Learning Model 8

Working Memory and Crystallized Intelligence

Research in memory and cognitive science suggests that working memory capacity can
be increased by the organization of related information into coherent groups for storage
and processing often referred to as chunking (Gobet, 1998; Gobet et al., 2001; Miller,
1956). The absolute capacity of working memory appears to be about four to eight units.
These units could be single entities like letters or larger units or chunks like words or
"sound bytes." Chunking results from learning. Experts can hold larger amounts of
information, including sensory data, and process more information than beginners or
untrained people. For example, expert chess players can recall the positions of many
chess pieces on a chessboard after viewing the board for only a few seconds; persons who
don’t know chess can recall only the general four to eight pieces associated with the
general working memory capacity (Gobet, 1998; Simon & Gilmartin, 1973).
Interestingly, experts can only recall a greater number of pieces if the pieces are in a
game position; if the pieces are randomly placed, experts can recall no more than the four
to eight pieces that non-players can recall.

As the storage component of working memory can be increased by chunking, the

processing component of working memory can be increased by automaticity (Jefferies et
al., 2004; Schneider & Shiffrin, 1977; Unsworth & Engle, 2007). Automaticity is the
process of transferring a cognitive process from controlled to self-generating processing.
Cognitive operations are controlled when they need to be actively monitored and
directed. These control operations require working memory capacity. Through practice,
cognitive operations can proceed without the need for monitoring and control of the low
level details required to accomplish the operation. This reduces the need for working
memory capacity; automatized processes do not require active attention and direction.

This research suggests that the functional capacity of working memory is variable and
can be increased over time through acquisition of knowledge leading to the formation of
chunks and automatization of cognitive processes. The implication of this is that working
memory capacity is interrelated with knowledge stored in long-term memory (Gobet,
1998; Jefferies et al., 2004; Unsworth & Engle, 2007). This leads to the final revision of
the ICML to produce the ULM.

The Unified Learning Model

The Unified Learning Model is depicted in Figure 5. The formerly distinct ICML
components of prior knowledge, ability, motivation, and learning have been integrated
into a single whole. Prior knowledge or crystallized intelligence that is stored in long-
term memory interacts with working memory or fluid intelligence to produce learning
and behavior. Working memory limits how much prior knowledge and new sensory
information can be activated at any one time with this working memory limit itself
determined by motivation and by the extent of prior knowledge chunks and automatized
processes available. The current working memory capacity limits new learning. However,
as learning occurs, knowledge increases which increases the effective working memory
capacity allowing acceleration of future learning processes.

The original ICML was based on the premise that the different components, ability,
knowledge, and motivation could be compensatory. Limited ability could be
 Unified Learning Model 9

compensated for by more knowledge or motivation. Limited knowledge could be

compensated for by higher ability or motivation. The ULM emphasizes these
compensatory interactions even more. It is not just that these components can
compensate for each other; it is that these components are, in fact, inseparable from
one another. They continuously work in consort to produce learning and behavior.

Figure 5. The Unified Learning Model treats learning as new knowledge co-located with
prior knowledge. Working memory capacity limits the amount of knowledge that can be
activated at once, and thus limits ability. A fully motivated learner is one using their
entire working memory capacity in a learning task. Finally, as per the Cowan model,
because working memory involves activation of prior knowledge it, too, is placed largely
within the knowledge box.

Implications of the Unified Learning Model for Thinking about Learning,

Motivation, and Intelligence.

Neurological Basis for Learning and Motivation

Although we do not intend the ULM to be a specific neurological model, the ULM is
consistent with what is presently known about the neurobiology of the brain and its
cognitive systems. As in most contemporary neurological models, long-term memory, the
locus of crystallized intelligence or knowledge in the ULM, is seen as stored in the
cerebral cortex (Kandel et al., 2000; Lømo, 2003; Unsworth & Engle, 2007). The ULM
does not isolate working memory as physically separate from long-term memory. Rather,
the ULM recognizes that working memory functions appear to involve a number of
different brain areas, some associated with the cortex and others such as the
hippocampus, which appear to serve more specific working memory functions (Kandel et
al., 2000; Unsworth & Engle, 2007). The conceptualization of working memory being the
activated subset of memory corresponds to much recent research that is focusing on how
patterns of neural activation are associated with behavior. Considerable research has
shown that neurological activity occurs both bottom up initiating in sensory input areas
and proceeding through working memory to the cortex and top down initiating in the
cortex and proceeding through working memory to influence sensory and motor areas
(for example, see Kandel, 2005; Knight, 2007 and references therein; Lømo, 2003;
Unsworth & Engle, 2007). This reflects the type of interaction between long-term and
working memory proposed in the ULM. In the master schematic for the ULM shown in
Figure 5, working memory is contained mostly within one large box, and it is implied
 Unified Learning Model 10

that this organization is located in the cerebral cortex. This emphasizes the notion that the
ULM envisions working memory in terms of activating portions of long-term memory.
By placing some of the working memory box outside of the larger box, the ULM notes
that at least some locus of human working memory resides in brain structures outside of
the cortex, structures such as the hippocampus.

Neurological research also supports the portrayal of chunking and automatization in the
ULM. Neural imaging studies show selected “robust expertise effects” for experts
compared to non-experts (Ericsson, 2006; Hill & Schneider, 2006; Moore et al., 2006)
reflecting “tuning” chunks of knowledge being activated together. With repeated practice,
the brain areas associated with working memory that were activated during early stages
of learning are bypassed reflecting developing automaticity (Dobbins et al., 2004). The
conceptualization of motivation in the ULM also is consistent with a growing body of
work in the neurology of emotion (LaBar & Cabeza, 2006). Considerable interconnection
between higher brain areas such as the prefrontal cortex and lower brain areas associated
with emotion (e.g., amygdala) as well as between the hippocampus (often thought of as a
site of working memory) and these areas. This research is documenting considerable
interaction between the cognitive and the emotion areas of the brain that corresponds to
the interplay between working memory and motivation described by Brooks and Shell
(2006) and incorporated into the ULM.

As a functional model of how cognition and emotion work, the ULM can provide a useful
way to translate neurological research into educational practice. The ULM provides a
functional description of these underlying neurological processes that deals with learning,
cognitive, and behavioral processes at the level of the person as he or she is encountered
in educational settings. At present, we cannot deal directly with the neurology of a
student. We can, however, deal with student learning and cognition in ways that conform
to our understanding of how these neurological mechanisms function.

Revisiting Intelligence, Knowledge, and Expertise

Spearman (1904; 1927) postulated that intelligence was a global entity (g). Although the
idea of a single “intelligence” has appeal, contemporary views of intelligence have
viewed it as a multi-component construct (Horn & Cattell, 1966). The ULM, however,
represents an entity that seems very similar to Spearman’s g. Crystallized intelligence,
fluid intelligence, and motivation are unified into a single integrated whole. None of
these entities can be the locus of intelligence by itself. The overall performance or
“intelligence” exhibited by a person at any given time will be determined by how these
entities work together.

The ULM, however, equates crystallized intelligence with knowledge. Contemporary

views of memory and knowledge, particularly those associated with the study of
expertise, see these as continually developing (e.g., Chi et al., 1988; Ericsson, 2006;
Ericsson et al., 2006). Classic psychometric IQ measures are not strongly associated with
expertise (Ericsson & Lehmann, 1996; Taylor, 1975). Consistent with these views, the
ULM sees crystallized intelligence as embodied in knowledge structures (schema or
chunks) that are enlarged and enhanced by acquiring expertise (Ericsson, 1996, 2006;
Ericsson et al., 2006; Hill & Schneider, 2006). Because of the dynamic nature of
 Unified Learning Model 11

knowledge and the fact that knowledge can increase working memory capacity,
intelligence as embodied in the ULM is a dynamic entity.

In the ULM, the expression of intelligence by an individual is determined by the

particular knowledge that is currently activated and the amount of working memory that
is allocated which depends, in turn, upon the level of current motivation. Intelligence also
is expressed at a particular time within a particular environment consistent with many
current views that see skill and behavior as situated within particular contexts (Hatano &
Greeno, 1999). So, although the ULM might reflect an integrated view of intelligence
similar to g, this intelligence is quite different than classic conceptions of intelligence
(Horn & Cattell, 1966) or even contemporary theories of intelligence and multiple
intelligences that view intelligence as fixed or biological/genetic based ability.

The integration of knowledge, working memory, and motivation that produces intelligent
behavior also is apparent in the development of intelligence itself. Expertise is primarily
acquired from serious study of a discipline (Alexander, 1992, 2004; Chi et al., 1988;
Ericsson, 2006) and expert skill is a result of deliberate practice (Ericsson, 1996, 2006;
Ericsson et al., 1980; Ericsson et al., 1993). Deliberate practice refers to time spent
focused on some aspect of a more complex performance. Consistent with the ULM,
research shows that deliberate practice requires the complete or almost complete
allocation of working memory resources to the practice. This level of practice must be
supported by appropriate levels of motivation (Alexander, 2004; Alexander et al., 1995;
Zimmerman, 2002, 2006). As expertise develops, the acquired knowledge and skill lead
to more and larger chunks and more automaticity, which themselves increase working
memory capacity allowing more resources to be allocated to practice, which produces
greater learning. As expertise develops, motivation also increases (Ericsson & Lehmann,
1996; Zimmerman, 2002), which increases the working memory capacity allocation. This
cycle of interrelated increases in knowledge which allow subsequently greater learning of
new knowledge has been termed the “Matthew Effect” (Stanovich, 1986). The ULM
provides an effective way to organize and understand why these cognitive, learning, and
motivational processes work the way they do.

Cognitive Load Theory (CLT)

Cognitive load generally refers to the total amount of demand placed on working memory
by mental activity (Cooper, 1998; J. Sweller, 1988). Contemporary theories of cognitive
load recognize three types of load (van Merrienboer et al., 2006). Intrinsic load refers to
the number of elements that need to be held in working memory. Germane load refers to
cognitive activity in working memory that is directly related to the task or to-be-learned
information for the purpose of processing and manipulating that information. Extraneous
load refers to load imposed aspects of the task or learning environment such as need to
deal with multiple materials or pay attention to multiple sources of information. Much
work in instructional design over the last two decades has aimed at reducing extraneous
load (for example, see R. C. Clark & Mayer, 2003). Extraneous load also can come from
non-task related sources such as emotions or other aspects of the environment that are
competing for attention. Extraneous load interferes with learning or performance because
it uses up working memory space which is then not available to handle intrinsic or
germane load.
 Unified Learning Model 12

The integration of working memory, knowledge, and motivation in the ULM provides a
way to organize and understand load issues. Chunking would reduce intrinsic load by
either reducing the amount of information that must be held or increasing the size of each
unit being operated on in working memory. As van Merrienboer et al. (2006) note,
experts have less intrinsic load because they can handle large chunks of information at a
time. Automaticity would reduce germane load by shifting some cognitive activity out of
working memory.

The ULM extends current thinking about cognitive load by highlighting the role of
motivation in determining load. First, emotional and motivational concerns are seen as
directly imposing load in some circumstances when emotion directly takes up working
memory capacity (Ellis & Ashbrook, 1988; Ellis et al., 1997). Perhaps more importantly,
the ULM emphasizes the role that motivation has in changing effective load. Persons who
are unmotivated are unlikely to allocate all of their working memory capacity to a task.
This decreases the capacity available to deal with the cognitive load from intrinsic,
germane, and extraneous load components associated with the task. Increasing motivation
can increase the effective working memory capacity available. Thus, in the ULM,
cognitive load is related to the task and task environment, but also is related to the
person’s motivation. An example of this would be what have been termed “seductive
details” (Garner et al., 1992). Seductive details are unrelated to the material to-be-
learned, so from a cognitive load perspective, they are extraneous load because they
compete for attention with relevant material (Harp & Mayer, 1998). However, if a
seductive detail increased a student’s motivation for the material, he or she might devote
more working memory capacity to the rest of the learning task, thereby making more
overall space available for intrinsic and germane load in the long term despite the
immediate extraneous load cost of attending to the seductive detail (Schraw, 1998). The
ULM highlights that we cannot talk about cognitive load without talking about that load
in relation to both absolute and effective working memory capacity and how allocation of
that capacity is being motivated.

Self-Regulation and Active Learning

Much of the prior discussion has implied an active management of working memory.
What does it mean to say someone is “allocating” working memory resources or someone
is motivated or cognition is “controlled”? These questions have been addressed within
the field of self-regulation (Boekaerts et al., 2000; Zimmerman, 2002; Zimmerman et al.,
2001). Broadly, self-regulation deals with how persons manage and direct their thoughts
and behavior. Self-regulation theories hold that persons are capable of exerting conscious
or volitional control over their thoughts and actions. Generally, self-regulation theories
consider regulation to have three components: skill, will, and metacognition.

Skill concerns whether persons have the knowledge they need to effectively self-regulate.
In educational contexts, this is usually expressed in terms of learning strategies (e.g.,
Pressley et al., 1987; Weinstein et al., 2000; Weinstein & Mayer, 1986). Learning
strategies are techniques and skills students use in learning and classroom settings to help
them understand and remember what they are trying to learn. These can be methods for
enhancing memory such as paraphrasing and summarizing information or techniques
 Unified Learning Model 13

such as taking notes during lecture or highlighting textual materials. A large body of
research has shown these types of strategies to be associated with learning.

Metacognition deals with the monitoring and application of skills or task management.
Regardless of what learning strategies a student possesses, they will not apply these
strategies if they do not realize they should. Considerable research (Brown et al., 1983;
Pressley et al., 1987) has shown that poor students do not necessarily lack knowledge of
what to do when they are not understanding or learning but often are very deficient at
recognizing when they do not understand. Deficits in monitoring and applying the right
strategies effectively play as much of a role in self-regulation failures as lack of knowing
what to do.

Will concerns whether students have the motivation to apply the self-regulatory skills
they possess. Because volitional actions like applying learning strategies and doing
metacognitive monitoring are seen as effortful, students need motivation to exert this
effort. If students are not motivated in the classroom, they will likely not self-regulate
effectively (Pintrich, 2003; Pintrich & Schunk, 2002; Zimmerman, 2002; Zimmerman &
Schunk, 2004).

Self-regulation imposes cognitive load. Because learning and task strategies involve
processing and manipulating information they constitute germane load in cognitive load
theories. Metacognition imposes both an intrinsic load because working memory space is
needed for monitoring and extraneous load because monitoring and task management
themselves distract from resources that can be devoted to germane load. As noted by
Winne (1995):
Monitoring levies charges against a learner's limited attentional resources (or working
memory capacity). In the midst of a task, overly frequent monitoring or monitoring
against a vague or too long list of criteria, may put students in a deficit position. It can
obstruct access to cognitive resources they should apply toward acquiring the subject
they are studying by assembling new information with prior knowledge, translating
information across representational forms, and rehearsing information ... .

The ULM provides a cognitive model that captures the dynamism that is implied in self-
regulatory theories. As such, the ULM can help us understand how and why students
succeed or fail at effective self-regulation and what needs to be done to overcome self-
regulatory difficulties. In the ULM, self-regulation is influenced by the interaction
between knowledge in long-term memory, working memory capacity, and motivation.
Self-regulation is a form of “intelligence” about a specific set of knowledge and
behaviors. It is an important enough intelligence to be specifically noted in the ULM
model (see Figures 1-5). As such, all the previous discussion about intelligence and its
development applies here. Students become better at self-regulation the same way they
become better at anything else; through learning appropriate self-regulatory knowledge
and developing expertise at using specific strategies and metacognitive skills (Weinstein
et al., 2000; Zimmerman, 2002). Also, like any other intelligent behavior, the execution
of self-regulation in any setting is affected by the extent to which self-regulatory
knowledge is chunked and the extent to which specific strategies have become
automatized (Pressley et al., 1987). Automatization of metacognitive components is
 Unified Learning Model 14

especially important because this frees up working memory resources to be devoted to

task specific intrinsic and germane load (Winne, 1995).

The ULM defines what it means to say that a learner is motivated to self-regulate. A
learner is motivated if they are willing to devote available working memory capacity to
self-regulating their learning. Not all learners are willing to do this, and even good
students may not be willing to do this all the time. Conversely, as with any expression of
intelligent behavior, being motivated in and of itself will not be enough. Motivated self-
regulation will only be effective if the student has sufficient strategy and metacognitive
knowledge and skill to apply to the learning task.

Returning to the questions raised at the start of this section, we can answer them from the
prospective of the ULM. Someone is an “active” learner or “allocating” their working
memory, if they are engaged in self-regulation. This engagement implies that they are
applying metacognitive task management skills and task-related learning or problem
solving strategies to the task at hand, and are motivated to devote enough of their
available working memory capacity to handle the intrinsic and germane load generated
by this regulation. This active learning need not mean any visible behavior or even any
overt cognitive processing. Highly expert self-regulators may have automatized many of
the learning strategies and metacognitive monitoring and task management skills and
execute these with little observable effort. They also may manage much larger chunks of
information and not need many of the learning strategies devoted to overt linking and
grouping of information. When students are successful at devoting almost all working
memory resources to the germane load of actually engaging strategically with the
information they are trying to learn, they may appear to be doing nothing at all. But in the
ULM, “active” is a working memory phenomenon rather than an overt behavior.
Conversely, a student might appear to be very behaviorally active but if this activity is
directed at extraneous load task management issues, there may be little actual working
memory allocation to the germane load of learning. Observing performance-based
feedback has been taken as a means of determining that active learning is underway
(Brooks et al., 2005). There are circumstances in which such feedback might be observed
without the engagement of germane load and, therefore, little resulting learning. At the
same time, the active questioning and debate that often follow a technical lecture at a
professional conference make clear that any lack of observable behavior on the part of
audience members prior to the questioning cannot be taken as evidence for lack of active
learning.

Flow
Sometimes humans enter states in which they are utilizing fully all of their available
motivated working memory capacity. This circumstance has been called flow
(Csikszentmihalyi et al., 2005). Flow involves complete, focused attention and
completely automatized behavior without any conscious metacognitive monitoring. It is a
characteristic of experts including scientists, athletes, and musicians, but is also
experienced in small increments by everyone who “loses themselves in the moment” of
an activity. Feelings associated with flow include fulfillment, great freedom, skill, and
enjoyment. In the ULM, flow would be achieved by having a complete focus of 100% of
working memory capacity on a task with all germane load automatized.
 Unified Learning Model 15

Although flow is a desirable state for behavior, it is not a desirable state for learning. As
discussed previously, learning requires deliberate practice (Ericsson, 1996, 2006;
Ericsson et al., 1980; Ericsson et al., 1993). Deliberate practice requires active
application of metacognitive monitoring and attention to performance and feedback.
These preclude flow. Once a behavior is automatized, it can be executed in a flow state,
but no further learning or skill development will occur simply from flow execution. To
become more skillful requires relinquishing flow for active, deliberate practice.

Implications of the Unified Learning Model for Thinking about Teaching and
Instruction
From the perspective of the ULM, the primary goal of education is the development of
expertise (crystallized knowledge). Learning is accomplished through the allocation of
working memory (fluid intelligence) to acquiring new knowledge and skill. The
effectiveness of learning is determined by the interaction between existing expertise,
motivation, and working memory capacity. Abstracting from these basic principles of the
ULM, we can say that the goal of teaching and instruction is to maximize the
effectiveness of student learning by optimizing their allocation of working memory in the
educational setting.

Basic Principles of Teaching and Instruction Embodied in the ULM

We can extract certain general principles about teaching and instruction from the ULM.
These are:

• The ultimate goal of all teaching and instruction is development of student

expertise.

• The primary function of teaching and instruction is directing how working

memory is being allocated.

• Teaching and instruction must be adapted to the current expertise of the student.

• Maintaining student motivation is critical.

From the perspective of the ULM, these four principles inform all teaching and
instructional decision making. The ULM places the focus of teaching and instruction on
the student. Teaching and instruction are about engaging students with educational
materials in ways that promote the development of their expertise. Regardless of any
specific instructional or teaching approach, the ULM says that teaching and instruction
will be effective when they direct motivated working memory allocation to the to-be-
learned information at an appropriate level relative to the student’s existing knowledge. If
any of these criteria are not met, the teaching or instruction will be ineffective. We
examine each of these principles and then consider their application to current issues in
teaching and instruction.

The Goal of Teaching for Expertise

The ULM embodies the dictum that “experts are made not born.” As discussed
previously, research shows that expertise is learned (Alexander, 1992, 2004; Chi et al.,
1988; Ericsson, 1996, 2006; Ericsson et al., 1980; Ericsson et al., 1993). The ULM
 Unified Learning Model 16

dictates that nearly any child can learn to become proficient in any academic area. The
ULM stands in contrast to views that children's potential is limited or determined by
talents or “intelligences” (see Waterhouse, 2006 and subsequent papers for recent
critiques of these views). From the perspective of the ULM, all teaching and instructional
activities should be directed at facilitating student learning and development. In the
ULM, learning is a function of how much of ones working memory is devoted to the task
of learning. How working memory is being allocated among learning and other possible
competing tasks is a function of what goals students are pursuing. Thus, it is critical that
classroom and instructional goals be focused on learning.

Although this dictum may seem obvious, maintaining a focus on learning is not always
easy. Considerable research in Goal Theory (e.g., Meece et al., 2006; Pintrich, 2000a,
2000b) has documented that differences in how students perceive the goal structure in
classrooms has a dramatic effect on students’ learning. Classrooms that emphasize
learning as the goal of classroom activities foster higher self-regulation, motivation, and
achievement than classrooms that emphasize performance or outcomes. The ULM
suggests why this occurs. In the ULM, intrinsic and germane load are related to learning.
Anything else is extraneous load. If a student is pursuing any goal other than learning,
any working memory allocated to that goal would increase extraneous load and decrease
the working memory capacity allocated to learning.

Differences in goals may be subtle. Sweller (1999) has noted that solving a problem is
not the same as learning to solve a problem. If the goal is to get the problem correct,
students may invoke problem-solving strategies such as trial and error that may get the
problem solved (performance goal), but result in no learning of the underlying principles
embodied by the problem. Similarly, students can engage in a problem-based learning
activity or hands-on science experiment and be focused on completing the activity rather
than on learning the relevant problem solving or inquiry methods or conceptual
understanding that the activity is supposed to be teaching. To keep students from having
a disconnect between the learning goals of the instruction or activity and their own
potential performance goals, teachers need to manage how they present activity goals to
students and help students maintain focus on learning versus simply performing. Bereiter
& Scardamalia (1993) have noted that many students see school as a series of tasks to be
competed rather than as a place of learning or personal growth. Teachers need to be
cognizant that how they frame the purpose and goals of classroom work can dramatically
affect how students formulate their own learning or performance goals (Meece et al.,
2006) and subsequently how students ultimately allocate their working memory to
intrinsic or germane versus extraneous load.

A final issue is students who pursue neither performance nor learning goals. Ames (1992)
has found that some students adopt work avoidance goals in school. Essentially these
students simply want to get through the class with the least amount of time and effort.
Many times these students are too unmotivated to allocate their working memory to any
type of productive learning. Teachers need to identify these students and help them
increase their motivation toward school and classroom activities. Even good students may
adopt work avoidance goals for specific tasks. Clark (1982) noted that more able students
who chose guided, highly structured approaches, even though they learned more from
 Unified Learning Model 17

unguided, more self-directed approaches, did so because they thought they could achieve
required learning outcomes with a minimum of effort.

Directing Working Memory Allocation

In the ULM, the role of teaching and instruction parallels that of self-regulation. If self-
regulation means that a learner is managing their own allocation of working memory,
then teaching means that the teacher is managing some or all of this allocation of working
memory for the student. Students self-regulate by being motivated to apply metacognitive
task management skills and task-related learning strategies to direct enough of their
available working memory capacity to handle the intrinsic and germane load needed by
the learning task. Similarly, we can conceptualize teaching and instruction as activities
directed at supplying task management skills, facilitating learning strategies, and
motivating students in ways that help students direct their working memory capacity to
the intrinsic and germane load in the learning setting. In a similar way to that in which the
components of the ULM can compensate for each other, teaching and instruction can
compensate for deficiencies that a student might have in any of these components.

Highly self-regulated students need very little direct teaching or instructional support.
These students possess the expertise in metacognitive management and learning
strategies and motivation to effectively direct their own learning. If they are provided
with a knowledge rich environment, they likely can do most learning on their own. All
students, however, are not expert self-regulators. Like any other form of expertise or
intelligence, self-regulation abilities develop over time. Younger children usually do not
have high levels of self-regulatory expertise. Self-regulatory expertise also interacts with
domain expertise. Even when a student is expert at self-regulatory knowledge, if they are
new to a subject, they will have little prior knowledge of the content being learned and
thus will have to manage new information without the benefits of prior knowledge
chunks. Finally, students are not always highly motivated for all subject areas. Even
expert self-regulators may operate sub-optimally if they are unmotivated in a subject area
or particular classroom. In all of these situations, teachers and instructional designers
need to provide support to compensate for diminished self-regulatory capacities by
providing management, strategic, and motivational components within the instruction
itself.

Much metacognitive management in self-regulation involves monitoring the effectiveness

of the learning strategies being used in terms of understanding material, remembering
what is being learned, and improving skill in practice. For teachers, the monitoring
function is performed through feedback to students. One-to-one tutoring provides the
greatest opportunity for effective feedback because student’s learning strategy use and
performance can be continuously monitored by the tutor and immediate feedback can be
given. Although this level of monitoring support is not possible in classrooms, teachers
still need to incorporate methods such as questioning and observation of student work to
monitor how students are progressing. These allow teachers to provide appropriate
feedback and guidance to help students better allocate their working memory. As younger
students are less expert in their own metacognitive monitoring, the need for teacher
 Unified Learning Model 18

monitoring will be higher for younger students. But, it also will be higher for students of
any level of self-regulatory expertise when they are starting work on a new subject area.

The second metacognitive management function is control of strategy use. Teachers can
execute this control for students by explicitly directing them to engage in certain
strategies. This can be as simple as directing students to attend to specific information or
as complex as providing instructional methods that force students to engage with the
information in ways that increase germane load. For example, giving students prompts to
self-explain problem solving increases their learning of problem solving procedures and
transfer of learning (King, 1992; Renkl & Atkinson, 2003; Rittle-Johnson, 2006; van
Merrienboer et al., 2006).

Monitoring and control functions also can be performed through different types of
instructional formats. Students in cooperative groups can share monitoring and control
functions. This would be especially effective for younger students who lack personal self-
regulation expertise. Students can compensate for each other's regulatory deficiencies
because each student will have different strengths that can be combined in the group.
Monitoring and control functions also can be embedded in media. Many computer-based
instruction and tutoring programs contain monitoring components that track student
responses and provide feedback to inform students of errors and to direct their use of
strategies (Aleven et al., 2003).

Adapting Teaching and Instruction to Student Expertise

Consistent with a number of other models of learning (e.g., Alexander, 2004; Shuell,
1990; van Merrienboer et al., 2006; Zimmerman, 2002), the ULM emphasizes that
teaching and instruction must be adapted to the existing expertise level of the student.
Teaching and instructional strategies appropriate for a novice learner may not be
appropriate for a more expert learner. A consistent finding is that learners with higher
prior knowledge or self-regulation skills benefit more from instruction that is less guided
or structured; whereas learners with lower prior knowledge or less self-regulation skill
benefit more from instruction that is more guided and structured (R. E. Clark, 1989;
Snow & Lohman, 1984). More recent work in cognitive load theory (e.g., van
Merrienboer et al., 2006) shows that different levels of instructional and teacher support
are appropriate for students with different levels of expertise.

The basic structure of the ULM holds that the ability to have working memory capacity
available for learning is a function of how much prior knowledge the student has. The
ULM postulates that novice learners will have less capacity available, thus will require
more support from teaching and other aspects of instruction, such as worked examples (J.
Sweller, 1988) or teacher scaffolding (Aulls, 2002). Because learning in the ULM also is
a function of the students’ self-regulation skill, the need for support also will interact with
the student’s existing self-regulation expertise. Clark (1982) noted that more expert self-
regulators likely have better developed learning strategies for themselves than those that
can be provided by teachers or embedded in instructional materials, so they likely will
learn better with less support.
 Unified Learning Model 19

Providing worked examples has proven to be an effective instructional strategy (Chi et

al., 1989; Paas & van Merrienboer, 1994; J. Sweller & Cooper, 1985). The ULM sees this
as the result of the student being able to use the example as a chunk in working memory,
and then allocate other working memory resources to the germane load which itself
involves prior learning that must be modified to enable the student to deal with the
material presented in the example. The addition of completion activities (van
Merrienboer & Krammer, 1990) to this mix provides a motivational element to help the
teacher ensure that the student is engaging with the worked example in a manner that
does help bring about the context-specific self-regulatory learning that will be needed to
deal with similar related problems encountered in the future (van Merrienboer et al.,
2006).

In the ULM, expertise or intelligence is dynamic and variable. So we cannot talk about
novice and expert capability as fixed. Students’ self-regulatory skills and ability to access
prior knowledge vary across time in learning settings. Just because a student acts expert
in one subject or on one lesson does not mean that they will act expertly in all subjects
and lessons. As a result, students may require different levels of teacher or instructional
support across a lesson, class, or activity (e.g., Woltz, 2003).

Maintaining Student Motivation

Motivation is linked biologically with emotions and physical reactions, and teachers do
not have direct access to these processes. So for teachers, facilitating students’ motivation
primarily involves processes that influence students’ beliefs. A full review of the
considerable body of work done in motivation is beyond this paper (see Elliott & Dweck,
2005; Pintrich, 2003; Pintrich & Schunk, 2002). The ULM does suggest specific focus on
two particular beliefs.

Self-efficacy beliefs (Bandura, 1997) concern a person’s confidence in their capabilities

for doing behaviors successfully. Self-efficacy beliefs are consistently the strongest
predictors of academic achievement (Pajares, 1996) and are especially potent predictors
of effective self-regulation. Bandura especially has noted that self-efficacy sustains
motivation for the lengthy and demanding process of developing expertise. Sustained
engagement in deliberate practice is effortful with at times little obvious payoff. Because
the ULM sees development of expertise as the primary goal of education, self-efficacy is
an especially important motivator. Teachers, therefore, should focus motivational efforts
on development of positive self-efficacy.

A considerable body of research has documented teaching and instructional practices that
facilitate enhanced self-efficacy (King, 1992; Palincsar & Brown, 1984; Pintrich &
Schunk, 1996; Schmuck & Schmuck, 1992; Schunk, 1989, 1991; Zimmerman, 2002). An
especially critical role is played by teacher feedback. Feedback that focuses on the
process of learning and increasing competence through effort build efficacy much more
than feedback focused only on the results of learning such as test scores or grades
(Schunk, 1983). Self-efficacy also is built by experiencing mastery of a subject. Students
need to see progress in order to feel confident that they can progress. Self-efficacy should
not be confused with self-esteem, however. Self-efficacy is built by overcoming
 Unified Learning Model 20

challenges, so failure on the way toward mastery is not bad as long as the totality of
experiences are moving toward greater mastery.

The second key belief is the student’s view about the nature of learning and intelligence,
sometimes called epistemological belief. Just as teachers and other educators need to
believe that “experts are made not born” and that children can learn to become proficient
in any academic area, students need to believe this about themselves. Research by Dweck
& Legget (1988) has shown that students who believe that intelligence is dynamic and
developing, as the ULM portrays, are more motivated and self-regulated than students
who believe that intelligence is fixed and unchangeable. If students do not believe they
can get better, they have little reason to try. Recent research by Dweck (Blackwell et al.,
2007) has shown that explicit instruction concerning the changeability of intelligence was
more potent for improving self-regulation and achievement in children than was
instruction in learning strategies. It seems critical that teachers themselves believe that
students can develop expertise through sustained study and deliberate practice, and that
they transmit this belief to their students.

Externally Expanding Working Memory Capacity

The ULM holds that learners have limited working memory capacity that sets a cap on
how much can be learned at any given time. Although this capacity is affected by
expertise and motivation, there is still an ultimate maximum. There is no way to exceed
this maximum within an individual. This capacity, however, can be expanded by using
external resources outside the student. Although the ULM is a model of “inside the head”
cognition, all of the working memory functions that must be performed do not need to
always happen inside the head of an individual student.

Intrinsic load can be off-loaded using memory devices such as notes, diagrams, and
sketches. Rather than attempt to hold all information in working memory, some
information can be retained in these formats for later access. Germane load can be off-
loaded through teacher scaffolding. Teachers can prompt students to use appropriate
strategies and can model how to do strategies (e.g., reciprocal teaching, Palincsar &
Brown, 1984). Teachers also can reduce self-regulatory load by helping students monitor
their learning and by modeling self-checking methods.

Memory also can be expanded through tools, especially computerized tools. Salomon,
Perkins, and Globerson (1991) and Norman (1991, 1993) have argued that technology
could extend human intelligence by virtue of joint mind-machine collaboration. The use
of technology could not only enhance output or productivity but also enhance learning.
Similar arguments with supporting research have been made for Computer Supported
Collaborative Learning (Koschmann, 1996; Koschmann et al., 2001) and computer
supported knowledge building (Scardamalia & Bereiter, 1994). The ULM posits that the
effectiveness of any technology tool will be a function of how well it helps students
direct working memory allocation, manage cognitive load, as well as how it impacts
motivation.
 Unified Learning Model 21

Inquiry, Discovery, and High-Invention Methods

The ULM can help clarify issues raised in recent discussions of the effectiveness of
discovery or inquiry methods versus direct instruction (see Kirschner et al., 2006).
Nothing in the ULM explicitly endorses either direct instruction or more discovery-
oriented methods. The ULM, however, does suggest conditions under which more direct
and more discovery-oriented methods are likely to be successful.

The ULM posits that learning success is dependent on effective allocation of the
students’ working memory to the learning task. Thus any type of instruction, be it direct
instruction or discovery, will be effective to the extent that the instruction engaged
students to allocate their working memory to the information to be learned. Consistent
with previous discussions of self-regulation and adapting instruction to students’ prior
knowledge, the extent to which students will need instructional support the help their
engagement will depend on their own self-regulation skill and their prior knowledge of
the subject domain.

Discovery and similar high-invention strategies usually demand high levels of

engagement on the part of the learner. Students must invent their own understanding of
the information generating high germane load. Before students have integrated
information into chunks, there is high intrinsic load. Finally, students must monitor and
direct the overall activity and learning creating additional load from the metacognitive
self-regulation required. Because of the high levels of intrinsic, germane, and extraneous
load that learners must manage, they must devote almost all of their working memory
capacity to the task. Although this engagement may seem to indicate active, effective
learning, van Merrienboer et al. (2006) have noted that discovery environments create a
paradox due to element interactivity. In order to develop meaningful chunks, students
need to hold more information in working memory creating high intrinsic load, but the
high self-regulation load required by discovery approaches does not leave enough
working memory capacity for this intrinsic load. Thus, students often end up with only
learning isolated fragmentary information rather than conceptually integrated chunks (see
also Kirschner et al., 2006). This trade off between engagement and the complexity of
chunks students can manipulate themselves is depicted in Figure 6.
 Unified Learning Model 22

Figure 6. Schematic of instructional strategies in terms of level of engagement and the

complexity of chunks.

In the ULM, the element interactivity paradox can be partially resolved by the student’s
expertise. Students with more prior knowledge can access already chunked knowledge to
lower intrinsic load, and students with higher self-regulatory expertise can free up
capacity for intrinsic and germane load by reducing the load from self-regulation in the
activity. From the perspective of the ULM, discovery and related instructional methods
will be appropriate only for relatively expert learners in advanced courses in a topic. This
is consistent with a number of similar arguments concerning discovery approaches
(Kirschner et al., 2006; Spiro et al., 1994, 1998; van Merrienboer et al., 2006). As noted
in Figure 6, as chunk complexity increases in the instructional setting, the amount of
support non-expert students will require also increases. It may be appropriate to provide
this support in the form of a lecture when the complexity is too great for students and
requires an expert organization (see Hmelo-Silver, 2004).

Discovery approaches often do produce higher student motivation and engagement with
the instruction. Students, especially young students, like doing discovery and inquiry
activities. Clark (1982) has documented, however, that liking an instructional method and
learning from instruction are not the same. More novice and lower ability students
typically express more motivation and preference for less directed instructional methods,
even though they do not learn as much as they would from more direct instruction.
Teaching and instruction in the ULM is based on the premises that effective instruction
must help students direct working memory capacity effectively and adapt to the expertise
level of the student. But, because student allocation of working memory also is affected
by motivation, the ULM recognizes the benefits of incorporating motivating activities
such as discovery and inquiry into the overall instructional mix. It may be worthwhile to
have a suboptimal instructional activity from a pure learning standpoint to obtain more
long-term motivation for continued study of a domain. We also note in Figure 6 that,
although lecture is often thought to be the opposite from inquiry in terms of motivation
and engagement, appropriately targeted lecture (especially in conjunction with other
more inquiry-oriented strategies) can be engaging (Hmelo-Silver, 2004).
 Unified Learning Model 23

Social Construction
The ULM is compatible with social constructivist views of knowledge, learning, and
instruction. Nothing in the ULM precludes the creation of knowledge in a social
community. The ULM holds that this socially constructed knowledge is only meaningful
for any individual student, however, if it becomes part of that student’s prior knowledge
in long-term memory. Knowledge that does not become part of the student’s own long-
term memory will cease to exist for that student once the social setting ends.

Thus, from the perspective of the ULM, socially constructed knowledge is like any other
knowledge that resides in a location outside the student, such as the natural environment
or in books or other media. For that knowledge to become part of the student, it must be
taken in through the senses and processed through working memory into long-term
memory storage. These processes are the same for socially constructed knowledge as any
other knowledge.

Social learning settings impose unique self-regulatory and extraneous load demands,
however. In addition to the regulatory and load requirements imposed by the to-be-
learned information, there are social interaction demands. Students must monitor and
regulate their social interactions as well as their learning. We can predict from the ULM
that students’ effectiveness in doing this social regulation will be a function of their
expertise in social interaction. This expertise will be a function of students’ knowledge of
social environments, the interaction protocols for engaging with fellow members of the
social environment, and their skill in engaging in patterns of social discourse and
interpersonal interaction. The more expert students are in these social self-regulatory
mechanisms, the more of their working memory resources can be devoted to the germane
load associated with storing knowledge that is being socially constructed. Conversely, we
can predict that students who lack social skills and knowledge of discourse conventions
will have to devote considerably more working memory capacity to these and hence have
reduced learning.

From the perspective of the ULM, teachers need to structure and facilitate social learning
activities in ways that reduce the extraneous load associated with engaging in the social
setting. This would be especially important for younger students who have not yet
developed a full range of social skills, and for students from diverse cultural backgrounds
who may be unfamiliar with the social conventions and discourse patterns of the
dominant classroom culture. In these situations, teachers may have to facilitate
discussions or specify roles for participants and rules of engagement (Brown, 1997;
Johnson & Johnson, 1997). The need to reduce load associated with regulating the social
setting may explain why many successful group learning methods, such as jigsaw
(Aronson et al., 1978; Slavin, 1980) and fostering communities of learners (Brown, 1997;
Brown & Campione, 1994) often contain very explicit interaction instructions.

Social learning settings also can affect goals and motivation. The social environment sets
up the potential for competition between goals for learning and goals for social outcomes
(making friends, influencing people, exerting power). As noted by Wentzel (2005;
Wentzel & Wigfield, 1998), social goals compete with instructional and learning goals,
and this competition can be magnified by a social learning environment. As with the
 Unified Learning Model 24

previous discussion of competing goal contexts, this competition will reduce allocation of
working memory capacity to the learning outcomes of the social construction. The ULM
highlights the importance of paying attention to potential competing goals and what they
are motivating students to pay attention to in the learning setting. From an instructional
standpoint, this suggests that teachers structure social learning activities in ways that keep
the focus on the learning task and monitor social learning interactions to insure that
learning remains the focus of the discourse and activity.

The ULM Final Summary

In this paper we have proposed the Unified Learning Model as a framework for thinking
about learning, teaching, and instruction. The ULM integrates three aspects of cognition:

• Long term memory

• Working memory capacity
• Motivation
In the ULM, learning is a function of working memory allocation. How a student applies
his or her available working memory capacity to the learning situation will determine
what is learned. The student’s available working memory capacity can be expanded
through chunking or automaticity which is determined by the level of the student’s
expertise in the subject area. Allocation of the available capacity is determined by the
student’s motivation. As more knowledge is learned, expertise increases which increases
the future learning capability and future motivation.
From these principles of learning, the ULM suggests four general guidelines teaching and
instruction.

• The ultimate goal of all teaching and instruction is development of student

expertise.
• The primary function of teaching and instruction is directing how working
memory is being allocated.
• Teaching and instruction must be adapted to the current expertise of the student.
• Maintaining student motivation is a critical element in any instruction.
At its most basic, the ULM says that teaching is supporting students in whatever ways are
necessary for maximizing their allocation of working memory. This involves

• keeping students focused on learning as the goal of their educational activities.

• providing direct or indirect support to help students direct their working memory
capacity to the appropriate learning material.
• providing instructional supports to help beginning students manage cognitive load
in ways and help increase their intrinsic and germane load capacity.
• providing meaningful motivators that go beyond making instruction fun to
developing students’ positive beliefs about the nature of learning and their own
emerging capabilities and self-efficacy.
 Unified Learning Model 25

These basic principles of learning, teaching, and instruction can help inform instructional
design and teaching methods. Regardless of whether instruction follows a direct or
indirect approach or whether instruction is done in individual, didactic, or collaborative
settings we can predict that teaching and instruction that corresponds to the underlying
principles of learning and instruction derived from the ULM will be effective and
instruction that violates these principles will be ineffective. This way of thinking moves
questions of teaching and instructional effectiveness away from a focus on specific
methods or approaches to a focus on how the teaching or instruction facilitates student
working memory allocation. As we have discussed, any instructional method can be
effective or ineffective depending on how it interacts with students’ expertise and
motivation. The ULM provides a model for determining what methods and instructional
supports will be most likely to be effective for a student given their existing prior
knowledge of the subject, self-regulation expertise, and motivation.

The ULM also highlights areas where more research is necessary. Although we know
much about the individual components, we currently have only a limited understanding
of how the interactions between knowledge, working memory, and motivation
hypothesized in the ULM operate at the biological, cognitive, and behavioral levels.
Kandel (2005) has noted that understanding how persons allocate their attention remains
a seminal problem in cognition and neuroscience. The ULM provides an integrative
model for directing the focus of this inquiry. The ULM also provides a focus for research
on teaching and instruction. Future educational research should be directed at identifying
instructional supports that help direct students’ effective working memory allocation in
accordance with the instructional principles indicated by the ULM.
 Unified Learning Model 26

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