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Session 1 – The working and long-term memory

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Session overview:

For learning to take place there must be a lasting change in the pupil’s understanding and capabilities. But what can teachers do to support pupils to learn effectively?

In this session you will explore:

The impact of the working and long-term memory on learning
The limitations of the working memory

Approximate session length: 55 minutes

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�A model of the mind�

Listen to the module expert Ben Riley, the Executive Director of Deans for Impact, as he explains what we know about how pupils learn best, and the role that memory plays in this process.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noTvKPxlHbE&feature=emb_title

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�Working and long-term memory�

Long-term memory can be considered a store of knowledge that changes and grows as pupils learn. The knowledge remains in the long-term memory until it is needed, when it enters the working memory. For example, if you were asked the question how many legs a spider has, you would remember that the answer is eight. This knowledge has been drawn into your working memory from your long-term memory.

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�Working and long-term memory�

Working memory is the site of awareness and thinking, where we hold information that is being actively processed by our mind. The working memory draws upon both the environment and long-term memory to process things. It is very small in capacity and, unlike long-term memory, its capacity cannot be changed.

Within your working memory might be the things you are noticing from your environment, such as the temperature and light levels, as well as things you are currently thinking about. When teaching, it is important that you reduce distractions that will take the focus of the working memory away from what is being taught. For example, ensuring that there is a purposeful learning environment, free from distracting behaviours, or making sure the content you are teaching is pitched correctly in terms of your learners’ abilities. This will ensure pupils are focusing on the new learning, rather than other potential distractors.

The working memory also processes information into long-term memory for storage and later retrieval. It is important to note that the working memory has a very small capacity. Pupils with a learning difficulty that affects their working memory may have a smaller capacity still and will require information to be provided in small steps. For all pupils, the limitations of the working memory have fundamental implications for the process of teaching and learning. This is explored in the next section of the module.

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Activity

Having heard from Ben Riley and read further around the Willingham model of the mind, consolidate your understanding of this topic by answering the following question:

What is the role of the working and long-term memory in the process of learning?

Prepare to share this explanation with a partner, or with a mentor at a later date.

Long-term memory can be considered a store of knowledge that changes and grows as pupils learn. The knowledge remains in the long-term memory until it is needed, when it enters the working memory. For example, if you were asked the question how many legs a spider has, you would remember that the answer is eight. This knowledge has been drawn into your working memory from your long-term memory.

Working memory is the site of awareness and thinking, where we hold information that is being actively processed by our mind. The working memory draws upon both the environment and long-term memory to process things. It is very small in capacity and, unlike long-term memory, its capacity cannot be changed.

Within your working memory might be the things you are noticing from your environment, such as the temperature and light levels, as well as things you are currently thinking about. When teaching, it is important that you reduce distractions that will take the focus of the working memory away from what is being taught. For example, ensuring that there is a purposeful learning environment, free from distracting behaviours, or making sure the content you are teaching is pitched correctly in terms of your learners’ abilities. This will ensure pupils are focusing on the new learning, rather than other potential distractors.

The working memory also processes information into long-term memory for storage and later retrieval. It is important to note that the working memory has a very small capacity. Pupils with a learning difficulty that affects their working memory may have a smaller capacity still and will require information to be provided in small steps. For all pupils, the limitations of the working memory have fundamental implications for the process of teaching and learning. This is explored in the next section of the module.

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�The limitations of the working memory�

The fact that the working memory is limited in its capacity has profound implications for teaching and learning. To experience the limitations of the working memory, try to work out these maths problems without writing anything down.

2×3
6×7
12×15
183×587
1983×1874

As the questions became more complex, it is likely that you did not know the answer and couldn’t therefore retrieve it from your long-term memory. You would have attempted to hold some information in your working memory and manipulate it. As the numbers got larger still, you may well have tried to remember and manipulate more than your working memory could handle. If this was the case, you would have experienced working memory overload and either become frustrated or given up, feeling that it was impossible to complete.

You may be able to recall times when you noticed that your pupils were experiencing working memory overload, and they put their head down on the desk or became disengaged from a task that they have been working on. If you had been allowed to write down the numbers, or you knew the times tables relating to the questions, the amount of information being processed by your working memory would have been less, meaning that you were having to hold and manipulate less information at the same time.

As a teacher you are introducing pupils to new information all the time, with the intention that they process, manipulate and transfer this knowledge into their long-term memory. Therefore, understanding the limitations of the working memory is critical. The way you deliver new learning to your pupils has a profound impact on whether they learn it or not.

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�Avoid overloading the working memory�

Learning involves a lasting change in pupils’ capabilities or understanding. If you want your pupils to learn and retain new information, you need to avoid overloading the working memory, giving the knowledge a chance of becoming stored in the long-term memory. In this section, we will explore how the capacity of the working memory can be protected by building on pupils’ prior knowledge.

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�Considering prior knowledge�

Learning involves a lasting change in pupils’ capabilities or understanding. If you want your pupils to learn and retain new information, you need to avoid overloading the working memory, giving the knowledge a chance of becoming stored in the long-term memory. In this section, we will explore how the capacity of the working memory can be protected by building on pupils’ prior knowledge.

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Considering prior knowledge

When you are deciding how to introduce new knowledge, carefully consider the three questions below to help pupils use their prior knowledge to support their understanding:

What existing knowledge and vocabulary do pupils need to have in order to be able to access and understand the new idea or concept?
What are the key ideas and concepts that you want your pupils to learn?
How could you link these key ideas and concepts to their prior knowledge?

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Considering prior knowledge

Listen to Teacher Educator and History teacher Lee Donaghy talk through how he assessed his pupils’ prior knowledge, and how he built on this in an effort to avoid overloading the working memory.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OToo6B6DVW4&feature=emb_title

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Considering prior knowledge

Consider the following questions

What existing knowledge and vocabulary did the pupils need to have in order to be able to access and understand the new idea or concept?
What are the key ideas and concepts that Lee wanted his pupils to learn?
How did he link these key ideas and concepts to the pupils’ prior knowledge?

As Lee explained, when planning his unit of work, he selected a number of key facts, essential concepts and skills that he wanted to ensure that pupils would be able to commit to their long-term memory. If pupils have a secure number of key components committed to memory, it means they can call upon them to support their thinking as the complexity of the learning increases. Through his planning he was able to provide opportunities for all pupils to learn and master these critical components, and he ensured that he focused his pupils’ thinking on these key historical ideas.

Where prior knowledge is weak, pupils are more likely to develop misconceptions, particularly if the new ideas are introduced too quickly. It is important to ensure that the necessary foundational knowledge is secure, as Lee did, so that critical thinking or problem solving can be developed.

In the next session we will look at ways to introduce new knowledge to pupils that do not overload the working memory, and thus help to avoid the development of misconceptions.

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Reflection

Consider a new idea or concept you have taught, which pupils struggled to understand.

On reflection, what knowledge and/or vocabulary did you assume that they had? How did this impact on their learning?

Prepare to share your reflections with a partner or with your mentor at a later date.