What is the Chunking Method of Teaching?

What exactly is chunking? Put simply, this is a teaching strategy where larger, more complex topics are broken down into smaller units or “chunks.” Together, chunks make up larger, meaningful units of knowledge. Especially for complex topics, learners benefit when a lesson has been broken down into manageable segments.

Here are a few high-level tips to incorporate the chunking method into your classroom:

Start with your end goal. What are you trying to achieve in a three-week unit, for example? Lay out those bigger objectives before you start breaking things down further.

Look over your lessons for natural places to divide and conquer. Break lessons down into modules and modules down into smaller topics.

Define your learning objectives for each topic. At the smallest level, know exactly what you want your students to digest so you can think about how to get there, bit by bit.

Have students try. Make sure you allow time for your students to practice and master! Chunking requires students to fully grasp small skills before continuing on to learn bigger ones.

To effectively chunk curricular information and ensure that students have time to digest and process it, be intentional about incorporating wait time (i.e., processing time) into instruction. 

Processing time allows students to process content to which they were just exposed and to make sense of and digest it before encountering additional volumes of information. Processing time can take many forms. For example, you might ask students to complete a short writing task in which they explain the information that you just taught in their own words. Or they might use the time to exchange and compare their understandings with a peer or complete content-based puzzles or other manipulatives. 

The idea behind chunking is that it makes information easier and much more manageable for students to grasp. Studies continue to show that chunking is highly effective in helping students (and anyone) synthesize and understand information. Chunking aids in improving long-term retention as well.