Working memory is a critical factor in school success. It helps students with things such as
retrieving information from long-term memory and holding on to it long enough to use it (short-term memory);
hindsight (learning from the past), forethought (being able to plan by remembering the information), anticipatory set (to predict based on memory), sense of time (to remember events and activities), and awareness of self-storing and remembering appropriate behaviors (Tam, 2014, pp. 351–353);
remembering instructions, especially with complex tasks; and
paying attention and staying on task.
Students who have problems with working memory may experience the following:
Have difficulty remembering sounds and words and forget what they have read
Have difficulty memorizing facts
Have difficulty remembering the steps of a process and stop in the middle if they start the process at all
Start talking and forget what they are saying in midsentence
Have difficulty forming letters for writing and remembering the sequence for spelling
Have difficulty remembering directions for completing assignments especially as directions become more complex
Initiate a task, then stop before completing it
Have a blank stare on their face
Check the work of others to see what they are doing
Consistently make the same errors in spelling and math
Demonstrate poor self-checking skills
Complete assignments but forget to submit them
Have difficulty remembering rules and procedures
May not profit by what they have previously learned
May not be able to predict what is going to happen based on previous experience
FIGURE 2.1 How Working Memory Builds on Long-Term Memory in the Learning Process
How Does a Difficulty in Working Memory Impact Student Achievement?
Students who have difficulty in working memory face numerous challenges in the classroom. Moyes (2014) reminds us that our students in general forget 90 percent of what they learned within the first thirty days and much of it soon after class ends. If we want them to remember, we need to repeat information often (p. 66). It is helpful if that information is repeated in different ways. Students with working memory problems face even larger hurdles, and many benefit from learning that involves sensory activities. This can be accomplished with learning letters by saying the letter, tracing the letter, and making the letters in sand. This is a multisensory approach that can have a positive influence on memory.
Kaufman (2010) states, “Given the dramatic impact that comparatively weak working memory can have on academic functioning, it is important that instruction be delivered in ways that minimize amount of information (e.g., directions, content) students with working memory problems must hold at any one time on their smallish ‘cognitive desktops’” (p. 84).
The behavior and social/emotional well-being of a student may also be impacted by a deficit in working memory. In school, when a student has difficulty remembering rules and procedures, it may appear the student is not trying or is purposefully not complying with the rules and procedures of the classroom. This inability to remember rules and procedures may cause the student to feel anxious and confused about how to respond. Without intervention and specific strategies to help with working memory, the child may fall into a downward spiral of behavioral and social/emotional issues. According to Moyes (2014), it is important to consider the student’s struggle with working memory and reward remembering while not punishing forgetting. We go a step further and advocate rewarding the appropriate use of strategies also.
In addition, a working memory deficit has social/emotional implications beyond the academic setting. If not sufficiently addressed in school, a working memory deficit may impact a person throughout his or her lifetime. Each day, a person with a working memory deficit struggles to remember tasks that need to be completed in the home and work settings, as well as important events and meetings, dates and times for medical appointments, social gatherings, and the like. The inability to remember this kind of important information can result in the loss of jobs and friendships, leaving the person with feelings of failure, low self-esteem, loneliness, and frustration.
Supportive Strategies With Cards for Working Memory
The following are examples of supportive strategies to teach students that can help them with goals related to the EF area of working memory. It is important to note that all strategies will not work for all students. Step 3 in the 7-Step Model provides help in choosing appropriate strategies for students while considering UDL and metacognition, and step 4 will guide you through the teaching process. Steps 5, 6, and 7 address data tools for the assessment of strategy effectiveness, revision if needed, and the celebration of success with the strategy or strategies before moving on. Blank templates, modifiable versions of materials, and strategy cards can be found at http://resources.corwin.com/ExecutiveFunctioning.
Mnemonics
Scruggs and Mastropieri (2000) report student success with the use of mnemonics. A popular mnemonic, Every Good Boy Does Fine, is used to learn and remember the notes on the treble clef. The possibilities are endless for constructing mnemonics specific to learning tasks. Scruggs and Mastropieri (2000) also advocate using the alphabet to aid memory. The ABC Memory Strategy does just that. This strategy is designed to support the ability to use working memory.
ABC Memory Strategy (for a list or a process)
To use the ABC Memory Strategy, start by choosing a theme. Next, think of words related to that theme beginning with letters of the alphabet, in order (A–Z). For example, if the theme is the seven continents and the task is to recall them the ABC Memory Strategy would prove helpful. The letter A would be paired with four continents and when put in alphabetical order they would be Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia in that order. The student would find no continents starting with the letters, B, C, or D so these letters are skipped. There is a continent starting with the letter E and that is Europe. The student would find no continents starting with the letters, F, G, H, I, J, K L or M so these letters are skipped. There is a continent starting with the letter N and that is North America. The student would find no continents starting with the letters, O, P, Q, or R so these letters are skipped. There is a continent starting with the letter S and that is South America. This makes the seventh continent, so once these are learned in order, the task of recalling and naming the seven continents in ABC order is complete.
Flashcards are used to help the student remember the information. To create the flashcards, print the letter of the alphabet on the front of the card and the word that begins with that letter on the back of the card. A graphic representation of the word may also be used for unfamiliar words. Apps like StudyBlue can also be used to create flashcards for the ABC Memory strategy. When there are multiple items for a particular letter, such as A for the continents, the four A cards in alphabetical order could be numbered 1, 2, 3, and 4.
Start by having the student learn the word on the back