Strategies to support students
Working Memory
Calendar: Class calendars are more than just a way to stay organized as a teacher. By making an external record of what is coming up, you relieve the pressure on students who struggle to keep those dates in mind. Make sure the calendar is regularly updated and in the same location in the classroom.
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Visual schedule or agenda in same place: Students of all ages and ability benefit from a reminder of what to expect for the day or the class. Explicitly teach where to find the list of events or lesson parts at the beginning of the term and students will have a way to know what to expect. For students that struggle with reading, visual schedules (adding images to the text) allow everyone to know what to expect.
Use reminder tools: Teach students to use their agenda to record upcoming due dates. For tech-savvy students, class website or platforms such as Google Classroom or Microsoft Teams are also helpful. Not all parents are comfortable using school-based platforms (PowerSchool) so be sure to include some instruction when you meet with them at the start of the year.
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Simplify instructions: Students with Working Memory issues will struggle with keeping instructions in their head so you need to reduce the steps. Young children (K-3) will do best with following ONE instruction at a time. Older grades (4-6) can probably manage 2-3 instructions. Whatever grade you teach, remember that less is more. Use fewer words in your instructions and post them on the white board or PowerPoint.
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Visual cues: For students who struggle with bringing the proper tools (e.g., pencil, binder) to class, use a white board or poster on door or wall outside of class to remind students of what they need for class. For learning, students benefit from visuals on the walls, such as posters with concepts, anchor charts, or word walls attached to lessons. Also, you shouldn't just post something with letting everyone know. Let the class know the purpose of the visual aid and remind them as throughout the day.
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​​​Review and repetition: Repetition is massively important for long-term memory formation so build a daily review at the beginning of a lesson. Invite students to answer questions of what they learned by writing the answers on a Post-it or a white board. Ask for thumbs up or down after the review to be sure that students are remembering and understanding the concepts. Point to the visual cues to remind students as a reminder of where to find information relevant to the lesson. Teachers can conclude the lesson by repeating or asking what the students learned verbally or with an exit slip.
Build towards automaticity: Practice and repetition sometimes get a bad reputation in modern schooling, but there are certain skills that we need to automatize. For example, memorizing the times tables reduces the cognitive load of solving mental math problems. For older students, teach students to use cue cards or apps like Quizlet.
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Incorporate Interest: The central executive determines what is important and what can be ignored. As a teacher, you can hotwire that mechanism by incorporating topics of your students’ personal interest in your lessons. Using references from pop culture, music mnemonics and acronyms use the capacity of the phonological loop to improve ordered recall. Also, try something new! Wear a costume for your lesson on French court. Bring in a snack of blueberries when discussing antioxidants. Novelty can be a powerful way to engage student interest.
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Students make connections. When teaching a new concept, effective teachers provide examples and metaphors so students can make meaningful connections. But, there is a lot of value in encouraging students to provide their own examples and metaphors. Students can make those meaningful connections by explaining the concept in their own words, keeping a working list of important concepts, or draw a picture of the concept. Richer engagement means the content sticks.
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Be aware of verbal streams: We can only process one verbal stream at a time, and that includes our internal dialogue when reading silently to ourselves. When you need them to read something (slideshow, directions), stop talking and let them read in peace.​
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Have a system for forgotten materials: Establish systems for students to know how what they will do if they forget an item. For example, teachers can establish a borrowing system for pencils. Having the student leave a collateral item (shoe, student ID) means they won't walk away with the borrowed item. Develop a system that can work without causing interruptions to the flow of the class.
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Frequent check-ins: During the lesson, teachers can use check-ins as a group, have a student(s) repeat what the class is supposed to do. Teacher should also check-in on some students individually as they may require a regular visit for understanding or to see if they are on the right track. Some students may need the instructions to be repeated in a different way. For students with anxiety, being called on by the teacher can be a dreadful experience. Have a one-on-one conversation with those students that feel anxious about being called upon​. Perhaps you could make an agreement that allows them to be attentive during class but not nervous about being called upon ("I'll only call on you when I'm standing in front of your desk...that way you can relax during class").
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