Dear Friends,
Here is some information about "Working Memory." Something we are all trying to work on!
The information was put together by Mrs. Turse. It is a great explanation. Please let us know if you have any questions at all.
Sincerely,
Kimberly Borin
Kim Turse,
Learning Specialists
What is working memory (WM)? Working memory is when the mind can hold an assortment of ideas long enough to complete a task. Working memory varies from person to person. A working memory is important because this is where information is worked with in order for the information to be transferred to long-term memory.
A poor working memory could affect how a student learns. Research suggests that “10—15% of school kids have working memory problems.” (Holmes, 2009) Just like our body needs exercise, our brain needs exercise to improve.
Strategies:
1) Chunking: break a lot of information into smaller pieces and only work with that amount of information—slowly connect new material to previously learned material.
2) Memory Linking: link items that you want to remember with an imaginary story— making a mental movie incorporating what you want to study. (see example @ first resource’s website)
3) Journey System: pick specific places and imagine what you are trying to recall happening in that place. (see example @ first resource’s website)
4) Mnemoics: come up with a silly sentence to recall a string of information. Example: In English, the 7 coordinating conjunctions are For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So = FANBOYS.
5) Memory Games and Memory Tasks: play games that encourage the holding of knowledge or practice memorizing a poem, song, or shopping list.
Additional Resources:
• www.memorise.org/memorygym.htm
• http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/chmemory.html
