The Role of Memory in Learning

Working memory and learning

You can think of working memory as a mental notebook, where we hold information for a short period of time - just a few seconds - while we carry out other relevant mental activities.

The ability to do this is important in everyday life, and for many school and college activities – from following instructions, to learning to read, to recalling mathematical rules or historical facts. It’s the foundation upon which learning is built, and as learners progress, it becomes increasingly crucial for more complex tasks, like comprehension and analysis, not to mention time management, setting and working towards goals and regulating behaviour.

Barriers to developing working memory

Some learners will find developing working memory more challenging than others. They may, for example, be distracted by competing thoughts, by feelings of anxiety, or by the learning environment itself. Each one of us also has a personal limit as to how much information we can hold in our working memory. These things combined mean that a task that may be comfortably within one learner’s capability will present significant challenges for another. 

Where working memory is poor, cognitive overload can mean learners struggle to remember instructions or to understand the detail of tasks. They might lose track of – or fail to complete – an activity. Almost always, poor working memory will lead to poor academic progress.

Identifying poor working memory

Typically, learners with poor working memory:

• Are well-adjusted socially
• Are reserved in group activities, rarely volunteering answers
• Behave as if they have not paid attention
• Frequently lose their place in complicated tasks, which they may then abandon
• Make ‘less than expected’ academic progress, especially in reading and mathematics
• Are considered to have short attention spans and to be easily distracted.

Supporting learners with poor working memory

While there's no single intervention strategy, there's much that can be done to support learners:

• Create a culture where learners feel at ease requesting the information they need – even when it’s being repeated or needs to be broken down further.
• At the planning stage, anticipate and reduce working memory demands where these might be difficult. For example, shorten sentences that need to be written, or reduce the number of items learners need to remember.
• Make learning meaningful through scaffolding. Recalling, recapping and retrieving bridges the gap between old learning and new.  
• Break complex tasks into a series of smaller, more manageable steps.
• Use memory aids like spelling lists, topic mats and graphic organisers to support recall and minimise stress on working memory.
• Provide regular opportunities to practice and apply new skills.

The theme of Memory for Learning is further explored in our Specialist Spotlight Session on Thursday 6 March at 3.45pm, and is also covered in one of our Online SEND CPD units, which were developed as part of the Universal Services programme, which is funded by the Department for Education. These 20 units help practitioners explore some of the most commonly observed barriers to learning in classrooms and other learning environments regardless of age, label or area of need. Explore today: https://www.wholeschoolsend.org.uk/page/online-cpd-units