The Mental Load of Teaching: Reducing Teacher Burnout by Managing Cognitive Load

Imagine your cognitive capacity, or mental load, as a bank account. Every task and bit of new information you process draws funds from that account. Some tasks are more expensive than others, but everything has a cost—and the funds are finite.

“All humans are limited in how much information they can process at any given moment,” said Professor Michael Kennedy of the UVA School of Education and Human Development. “When cognitive resources are depleted, learning cannot occur, and performance is impaired.”

Feeling mentally overwhelmed, Kennedy said, is like having your card declined. When your account is overdrawn, mistakes increase, performance drops, and stress levels rise. We all have an "overdrawn account" from time to time, and it's not a pleasant experience.

Kennedy, whose research focuses on special education, emphasizes the importance of understanding cognitive load when teaching students, particularly those with disabilities. However, he argues that we often overlook the cognitive load placed on teachers themselves. 

The Mental Load of Teaching

Teaching is an inherently demanding job. In any given moment, teachers are balancing various tasks—including adapting lessons for individual learners, managing behavior, and often teaching unknown or new content—all while dealing with constant distractions. “It’s a very heavy load to manage and juggle all of that,” Kennedy said.  

For new teachers, the mental cost is even higher. “In today’s environment, we have a large number of new teachers, many of whom are not fully certified,” Kennedy said. “Every single task they do requires a high cognitive load, because they’ve never done it before. These costs quickly add up, and the final bill comes in higher than the available cognitive balance.”

This cognitive burden helps explain why many new teachers experience burnout and leave the profession early. “Nobody likes the overwhelmed feeling that comes with a declined transaction,” Kennedy said. “For teachers who experience this every day, sometimes multiple times per day, it becomes easy to understand why many make the choice to remove themselves.”  

The Paradox of Teaching: Balancing Cognitive Loads

There’s a paradox when it comes to the mental load of teaching: it takes more mental effort to teach effectively in a way that doesn’t overwhelm students’ cognitive loads. And when students are confused, or off-track, they may act out—or just give up. “This is their cognitive load speaking,” Kennedy said.

When both teacher and students are mentally overwhelmed, this can create a negative feedback loop that stifles teaching and learning. But, Kennedy said, if teachers can effectively manage their own mental load, they can reverse the feedback loop and create a classroom atmosphere that helps students learn, reducing cognitive overload for students—and, in turn, for themselves.  

“The teacher who can successfully manage their cognitive bank account will have funds left over to be deliberate when designing and delivering instruction for students,” Kennedy said. 

What Can Lessen Teachers’ Mental Load?

1. Recognize and Understand Cognitive Load

   The first thing teachers can do, Kennedy said, is to simply ask themselves: “How much will this task, lesson, or event cost me and my students?” Better recognition and understanding of cognitive load can help teachers manage tasks more effectively, learn when to ask for support, and avoid burnout. “It's been transformative for me in my own work, because I can better gauge when my account is getting low,” he said.

2. Leverage Technology

   Artificial intelligence and other technologies offer promising opportunities to ease the mental load by generating high-quality instructional materials. For example, Kennedy’s ongoing research explores how AI could be used to create teaching resources that reduce cognitive burdens, potentially revolutionizing the way teachers deliver lessons. “The possibilities for AI to assist in pedagogy are exciting,” he said.

3. Implement High-Leverage Teaching Practices

   Kennedy encourages teachers—especially novice teachers—to reduce their cognitive load by using a small number of key strategies called high-leverage practices. These include collaborating with families, making data-driven decisions, and providing high-quality feedback. Kennedy emphasizes that new teachers should start with six pillar practices that every teacher should know. Putting the time in upfront on meticulous lesson planning and instilling core practices is “like putting money in the bank,” Kennedy said. “When these practices become automatic, teachers’ cognitive load is significantly reduced.”

4. High-Quality Professional Development

   Finally, administrators must recognize the heavy cognitive load faced by teachers, particularly newcomers, Kennedy said. Effective professional development, which includes modeling, guided practice, and clear language, can help teachers build the skills they need without overburdening them.