The 21st-century education system is characterised by rapid technological, social, emotional, and psychological revolutions. Thus, the shift in diverse learners' needs demands a shift in formal classroom practices, which in turn requires a transformation in teacher education programmes. In the teaching learning process, working memory plays a significant role. Cognitive Load Theory, developed by John Sweller, provides a framework to align the instructional designs with its principles that is centred around the limited capacity of working memory. CLT not only equips teachers but also plays a significant role in teacher training programmes by equipping future teachers to plan effective instructional designs that aim at nurturing young minds holistically rather than only cognitively. This paper highlights the relevance of CLT principles in reshaping the teacher education programmes through managing extrinsic load, minimizing extrinsic load, and optimising germane load. Probable challenges in implementation, like lack of awareness, overburdened syllabus, rigid mindset, etc, are also highlighted. It is suggested that with a collaborative approach, all stakeholders can redefine the teacher education of a state by mitigating the probable challenges with the effective integration of CLT principles to prepare competent teachers who can scaffold the technologically advanced generations.
Maharana et al. (Sat,) studied this question.