A trip down memory lane: I dusted off some of my old notes from my undergraduate Chemistry degree. It was my physical chemistry module notes that caught my eye. I saw a whole host of numbers and symbols and derivations, and I asked myself how did I manage to do that? What was it that allowed me to work through the threshold of hard difficulty to complete proficiency? Apart from the hours of prior practice and thinking. Why did my brain not let me down, how was it able to bring so many functions together at will and when I needed it most, like answering the unseen exam question in my finals? Off course the human mind is an analytical force and I stumbled upon this term that researchers called the “working memory” (WM) little did I know we use it all the time! It is an active processing system, rather than a passive storage buffer. It integrates all the necessary information for tasks you need to complete and binding information from subsidiary systems. Including comprehension of text, retrieval of facts, activation from long-term memory, connection of ideas from different subject areas and your senses of perception all into an executive control within working memory (Baddeley, 2000). It does it all rapidly and if you’re a high performer well then it does it automatically, wow!
Just like anything in life, you need to put effort into it. It is hard to do because you have to call upon your WM. There are limitations to this, it can be overloaded, and if you do not have the background information or procedural knowledge to work with, everything you learn just becomes that much more effortful (cognitive load-theory) (Willingham, 2009). An example I want to share was a conversation I had with my wife. She said ‘I hated learning about physics in Secondary school (high-school). The teacher would ramble on, speak fast, pull out numbers and formulas’ she said she was totally lost. Reminded me of my first module in quantum mechanics, an absolute mind field. It’s obvious to me now, I did not have any of the functions which I could use to relate to or in understanding a topic. Like my wife, we were working from a blank canvas (poor schemas), lying to ourselves that we understood things we had no clue about. However now we understand that assimilation is a real thing, in fact we never learn from a blank canvas, it is almost always from what we already know. We are constantly building our schemas of knowledge and we do so with great effect by increasing our WM capacity, this in turn limits decay or displacement of information.
It may well be possible to carry out more functions in a given time to increase our WM capacity. Habits like reading will undoubtedly lead to higher levels of comprehension and better associations. Making meaning of information as opposed to seeing them as disconnected facts. Deep learning, through semantic knowledge, is far more useful to the learner than the more-shallow learning effects like the isolation of facts, using shapes or pictures of how it looks, rhymes or sounds (Kirschner, 2020) (SEE MY PREVIOUS BLOG on thinking deeply…). It might be obvious but the more you already know the more time and effort you can spend on the information you do not. In a job interview, I remember vividly I was asked about a chemistry question that I had not covered for a very long time, however I remembered practicing it during my academic studies as a student. As a result, I drew upon and was able to piece together using my WM how to answer the question whilst being put on the spot, that is exactly what the working memory can do for you. If you are well versed or familiar in an area, you can problem-solve, evaluate, and use your domain specific procedural knowledge (encoded and processed) from your long-term memory when required.
Keep them on their toes!
As teachers we find ourselves frustrated and perplexed when we witness examination papers answered incorrectly after going through similar questions during the term. upon reflection, it was clear to me that to recall information or use any type of active recall method was more stressful to students due to the effortful nature of the task. Surprisingly, my students are happy copying from a board if it means they do not have to think or explain what they are learning. It is this high mental effort that often becomes a barrier! Some students are working very hard to actively process what the teacher is saying whilst others are more relaxed in approach. This is a consequence of their sense of perceived difficulty and acquired level of expertise. Their depth of processing information are tested and questioned all the time. As an example, some A-level and GCSE exam questions require students to read 3 paragraphs of text and use this information to then answer the Question. A highly effortful task which needs to be practiced with the correct conditions. A sidenote, A class full of distractions and noise means less attention to detail, this will affect their WM and subsequent performance. Once recognized, it is important to give them the tools of instruction or substantive knowledge to deal with the difficult or challenging questions. I personally like any derivative of the “I DO, WE DO & YOU DO” practice and commit. Your high expectations should not falter, because it is you who will be delivering the expert knowledge to the cognitive apprentice! (Kirschner, 2020).
Students get to see the teacher work through the problem. The teacher expertly accounts for the metacognitive approaches required to deal with the question, such as any visuals or key ideas they need to attend to. In a science case this could be highlighting variables, ratios, data, and associations linked to the question before commencing. Followed by class collaboration, here the teacher may well ask students to elaborate and use diagnostic questioning on their thought process; “explain why and how such, and such takes place?”. After all that is complete, its now the apprentices turn to work independently on a task. This practice builds their schemas and associations to fulfil their own working method. This process in turn reduces the cognitive load experienced by a student, as they now have a set of instructions and the metacognitive approaches to follow. They can subsequently practice and master these skills for themselves in the future and work on new problems.
Put the odds in your favour!
I took this idea from James Clear’s book on atomic habits (James Clear author, 2018) and applied it to my teaching. External forces are always present so be aware of them, A student is less likely to perform if they have slept late the previous night or working during the late hours, as well a plethora of other life events. On the positive side, students can train themselves to improve their ability to learn and use their WM more effectively. From my own experience, this mindset shift is a team effort, of teacher, parents, guardians, friends and the individual. How can we do it? Bring some joy in the learning process. Have activities which rely on active recall methods, every lesson. Whether it be through mini-white boards, blurting, quizzes you choose the assessment for learning task. At home, start to incorporate memory exercises. The teacher can then test them at school! They can teach themselves or their family members at home. Some parents might want to get involved and quiz their child on what they learnt today. Make a habit of reading books. Small but often. Start with 5 minutes, it is that action of integrity that gets the curiosity rolling. Be accountable and provide the best conditions you can. The adult can guide them on this journey, after which it is an individual’s choice and intent that will drive them to succeed. Praise the pupil when he/she performs well or is engaged. It is paramount to develop a classroom culture, where getting questions wrong is absolutely ok! and not to be vilified when doing so (Lemov, 2021). Learning to guide the student on how to answer correctly is a masterful back and forth that you can develop in bringing out their best. This feedback formulates experiences that will help develop their learning further.
There is always something that you can do to make a lesson easier to understand, it is dynamic, evolving and a whole lot of fun! Just make sure it is accessible to your working memory before you deliver it!
REFERENCES
Baddeley, A. (2000). The episodic buffer: A new component of working memory? Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 4(11), 417–423.
https://doi.org/10.1016/S1364-6613(00)01538-2
James Clear author. (2018). Atomic habits: An easy and proven way to build good habits and break bad ones : tiny changes, remarkable results / James Clear. Random House Business., ©2018.
Kirschner, P. A. (2020). How Learning Happens: Seminal Works in Educational Psychology and What They Mean in Practice (1st edition.). Routledge.
https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429061523
Lemov, D. (2021). Teach like a champion 3.0: 63 techniques that put students on the path to college (3rd Edition). Wiley.
Willingham, D. T. (2009). Why Don’t Students Like School: A Cognitive Scientist Answers Questions About How the Mind Works and What It Means for the Classroom (1. Aufl.). Wiley.