Understanding the importance of Working memory

In every class,  every teacher will tell you that no matter how carefully they explain a task there are always children who don't know what to do once the lesson begins and it is the same children every day.

Everyday,  parents ask their children to get ready for school and give a string of instructions only to find the child has only managed to remember one of the things they are asked to do.

But why? 

Very few adults would see this as a sign that the child has working memory difficulties. 

As many as 1 in 10 primary school students have working memory impairments which impact their performance in school and at home.

Recent research by Maehler and Schuchart shows that working memory is an important predictor of school success.  Those with good working memories perform well academically but those with poor working memories underachieve. Studies by Susan Gathercole show that working memory difficulties have substantial impact on learning particularly in the early years of education.

However, few teachers really understand what it means in practice and they often do not correctly identify those children with working memory difficulties. They often describe them as having attention problems or simply not listening.

These children are often told off or criticised for a genuine difficulty they can not control.

Why is there so little awareness of this important issue?

Memory is complex and there are many types of memory.  It is not as simple as having a good memory or a bad memory.  Each type of memory may not function at the same level.  You could have a good visual memory and a poor episodic memory for example.

A child can have an amazing memory for facts, particularly in topics that interest them or they may recall previous events in great detail but they can not remember an instruction a teacher has just given. It is this inconsistency that confuses many adults. Often it can seems like a child is not trying hard enough rather than a having a specific difficulty.

Working memory can be described as the brain's notepad,  it is the part of the brain which we use to temporarily hold information while we process it or act upon it.  We also use it to process information so that we can store it in our long term memory.  For example it is the part of the brain you use to write down a telephone number, but once you have written it down it is forgotten. Its capacity is limited and can vary greatly from person to person. This is another source of confusion for parents and teachers, when so many children can remember a series of instructions with no difficulty, why can't everyone.

Learning in the early years of school relies heavily on working memory.  When you are reading for example and are sounding out a word you need to remember the sounds to blend them together. In order to understand a sentence you have to remember the beginning by the time you get to the end. Writing is even more demanding as while you are trying to work out the spelling of a word, you still need to remember the sentence you intended to write.  In maths, when you perform a calculation you need keep one number in your head while you add on another. Many tasks that are typically presented in a primary school classroom have a series of steps that need to be followed.  Those with working memory difficulties will often forget what all the steps are.  They may lose track of where they are and miss out or repeat a step.  They may not be able to complete a task because they don't know what to do.

In addition as working memory is important for remembering information long term, those with working memory difficulties can struggle to learn number bonds and times tables or spellings.  If too much information is given in a lesson it will not be processed sufficiently to be remembered long term.

Although, we still do not completely understand how the working memory works we can clearly see what happens when it is overloaded.   

Common signs of working memory difficulties are:
 - forgetting the sentence while in the middle if writing it down
- only remembering one of a series of instructions
- not remembering materials taught from the previous day
- missing or repeating steps in a longer task
- seeming distracted

Teachers and parents need to be proactive in predicting when task relies heavily on the working memory.  They need to consider how they can offer support and encourage success. Giving shorter instructions and asking the child to repeat back what was said is helpful. As is providing checklists of tasks that need to be done or the steps within tasks.  Establishing routines were activities are always done in the same order reduces the need to use the working memory. Also making it acceptable for students to ask for instructions to be repeated.  Teachers can actively encourage the use of memory aids like visual checklists and help to teach children memory strategies.

See my article on Supporting working memory difficulties for more practical suggestions.

Being Dyslexic

Time to Move!

Children are meant to move and be active, it is part of their natural development.  Movement has a purpose, it helps their muscles grow and bodies develop.  Movement leads them to explore their environment and learn through all their senses.  This is the very foundation of all our future learning.

Just because a child can sit still and inhibit their movement, it doesn't mean that they should. Of course as children get older they have to realise that different behaviours are expected in different situations. When you travel in a car it would be dangerous to be jumping around.  On a plane there are other passengers to consider and you should try not to move around. But in a park you are free to move and should do exactly that.

Schools should be mindful of the important role of movement in learning.  As there is pressure for children to achieve academically at a younger and younger age, it is the practical, active learning that seems to be lost. Schools should be the places where children can move and learn in a way that it natural to them.  Children should learn largely by doing and exploring. These experiences are often much more memorable and meaningful than simply being told the information by the teacher or reading it in a book.  As parents we know that some the best learning experiences for our children arise when they are playing, exploring or visiting a new place.

As adults we know there are many skills that can only really be learnt through experience. When we learn to drive we all know that we can not do it by simply reading a book or being told how to do it. Of course we have to know the highway code but we can not learn to drive a car without getting into a car and trying to drive. We also know that it takes practice and we need practical, hands on experiences again and again to master a skill.

Yet both teachers and parents try to by pass these practical, hands on experiences because of the pressures of modern life.  Teachers are under pressure to deliver an overloaded curriculum and are judged by their children's achievement in certain areas.  Very often there isn't time to find interesting objects to look at to trigger discussion, questions and observation.  Instead to save time we use a picture or a video clip and tell the children the answers. As parents, limited time and tiredness mean we let an ipad entertain our children rather than playing a board game with them or encouraging them to use their imagination make something from junk materials.

Having a more active curriculum would have huge benefits for everyone.  Movement is important for all children and but perhaps even more important for children with learning difficulties.  Children with ADHD may be constantly moving and interventions are often focused on controlling the movement. We often think that the movement is distracting and will stop the child from learning. However current research by Michael Kofler suggests that the excessive movement does in fact have a purpose. It is the body's way of trying wake the mind up to be alert and focused enough to learn. Any strategies that we employ should not be about inhibiting the movement but encouraging it. Very often when we ask a child to stay still, they put all their energy into not moving  and as a result they are not able to listen to content of the lesson. If we allow them to move they are actually more likely to listen and participate in the lesson. As a teacher I have observed children who read better when they are allowed to fidget and move than when they are made to sit still.

Movement is particularly necessary for tasks that require working memory, which is known to be a deficit in many children with ADHD (and other learning difficulties).  Studies have shown that more demanding the task in terms of working memory the more movement is observed.  If we want children with ADHD to perform well in school we need to look at ways of incorporating movement into lessons. In my opinion this should be more than allowing the use of fiddles or wobble cushions (which are helpful strategies.)  It should be more about planning activities which allow children move and explore resources and record their understanding in a range of ways. 'Seating arrangements' should be flexible there should be opportunities for children to stand and sit while listening to the teacher or working on tasks.

Again if we think of our adult work lives we naturally find ways of of incorporating movement into our day even if it is just going to make a coffee when we feel our focus waning or asking a colleague in another office a question to take us away from our desk.  Also think about what you would prefer, to listen to art lecture for an hour or go to an art gallery and wander around observing and discussing the paintings with a friend or guide and then maybe using this inspiration to do your own sketch. As adults most of us prefer active learning and we should encourage the same for our children.

Below the surface - the Hidden difficulties of Dyslexia

I sometimes read articles about Dyslexia being a "Hidden Disability" and then there are many angry comments from parents of dyslexic children saying that there is nothing hidden about not being able to read! Which of course is true, but they are missing the point.  While struggling to learn to read and write are the most obvious signs of dyslexia, underneath it are many other difficulties that are not so obvious and cause many of the stresses that dyslexics experience day to day.  I really like the analogy of an iceberg and the infographic above shows perfectly that while the Literacy Problems are the part we all see, there is so much more going on below the surface.......

While teachers and parents focus on literacy skills, there are many other issues that are over looked.  Being dyslexic can be exhausting, many everyday tasks which others consider simple or straightforward require significant additional effort. Some are almost impossible. It is these things that frustrate parents and teachers and cause classmates to laugh or tease you.

Why have you lost your coat and have no recollection of where you left it?

Why have you no idea what to do when your teacher has just spend 10 minutes explaining the lesson?

Why do you turn left when your teacher asked you turn right?

Why did you miss the punchline of the joke your friend told and have no idea why everyone is 
laughing?
 
Why did you not give in your homework even though it was in your bag?

Why did you forget the message the teacher asked you to deliver by the time you got to the person the message was for?

Why does it take twice as long to complete a jigsaw puzzle compared to your friends?

Why did you not notice the sentence starters on the worksheet that everyone else is using to complete their writing?

There is often sympathy and understanding from adults about how difficult reading is, particularly if they know you are dyslexic. Teachers and parents will work patiently and carefully with you. They will give you more time to work out a word, they will give you easier texts to read, they will read tricky words or texts for you, they will let you read with a partner.  They praise you when you try to read a word even when you get it wrong.

However, there is no sympathy for the situations above. People think you are being careless or lazy or you are not paying attention.  Very often the teacher will be annoyed or cross and will tell you off for not trying hard enough. They do not realise these difficulties are also part of Dyslexia. Unfortunately, they can not see what is going on inside your brain. They can not see the level of effort that is required or that this level of effort is not sustainable throughout the school day.  They can not see that in fact some of the things they ask are actually unreasonable as they are almost impossible for you.

We would not ask someone in a wheelchair to climb stairs, but we will ask someone with a working memory impairment to remember an instruction that is beyond their memory span.  And then we blame them when they can not do it... 

There are many hidden difficulties which many people are not aware of including working memory, auditory processing, visual processing and coordination difficulties which impact students with dyslexia. These need to be better understood by teachers and parents so that the right support and strategies are provided.

Early Signs of Dyslexia and Effective Early Intervention

 I will be speaking on the "Early Signs of Dyslexia and Effective Early Intervention" for the Dyslexia Association Hong Kong at the Hong Kong Football club on Thursday 23rd May at 7.15pm.

This will a very practical and informative talk for both parents and educational professional about this important subject.

The signs of  dyslexia can be seen from a very young age but many parents and teachers choose to "wait and see".  In the meantime children lose their confidence and the gaps widens.

There are many fun and practical ways to intervene which benefit all children.  First we need to strengthen a child's 

pre-reading skills then we need to use dyslexia interventions to help them learn to read and write.

None of these activities are harmful so why wait?

For tickets please use this link

https://www.ticketflap.com/earlysignsofdyslexiaandeffectiveearlyintervention