Working Memory
Our “mental workspace” comes with strict limitations and a tendency to be overwhelmed. It’s our capacity to hold on to information while completing a task
Working Memory is essential for making sense of the world because it refers to the capacity to hold and work with information that is out of perceptual range (e.g., remembering door code, solving mental math problems). Teachers use their working memory regularly in the hustle of the classroom, but as skills become routinized the working memory is required less often.
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Working Memory is measured with items (“I have trouble with jobs or tasks that have more than one step”) and tasks, such as “Hearts and Flowers.”​
How to support students struggling with Working Memory
We can support students with poor Working Memory by reducing the amount of information they have to store in their heads. Improving their Working Memory is not easy but we can use by-pass strategies to help them compensate for the difficulty. Modelling goal-setting, setting up reminders, and breaking long-term assignments into shorter deadlines can be a help. Externalizing important information (e.g., anchor charts) is essential!
Some classroom strategies:
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For a deeper understanding:
