STUDY GROUP OUTLINE

• WM is the name for information that we are using when we think (Pg 63),
• WM can hold only a very small amount of information at any one time—if it is overloaded, the extra simply backs up and cannot be accessed (63),
• WM can only do one job efficiently at a time; it can serve as an information storehouse but cannot process that information OR it can hold very little information but can process that in many ways (Pg 63, 64),
• WM contains both thinking and linking parts and how a person uses these two parts determines how quickly or slowly he can read (Pg 64),
• WM seems to be more effective for people who are good at reasoning (Pg 64),
• WM is intimately connected to long-term memory (Pg 64),
• WM involves several different parts of the brain at the same time (Pg 64),
• WM “stores words using a kind of ‘talking to yourself’ process which can be merely repetition, which is not effective in improving WM, or it can be a connection-making process where one idea leads logically to another (Pg 65),
• WM is necessary for reading, understanding, and solving problems; it is responsible for retaining meaning of the beginning of a sentence or a question throughout the entire length of those words (Pg 65),
• WM operates more efficiently when information is linked to other information (Pg 66),
• WM retains information in “chunks,” especially when the information is organized into logical categories (Pg 66), and
• WM “increases as reading skills improve” (Pg 67).

1. Create a lesson plan for your specific class level that uses the information above to introduce students to working memory.
2. Since working memory can only remember accurately a very small amount of information how can you repackage your classroom presentations so you present tiny chunks of related information?
3. Have you ever played logic games with your students? If so, did they enjoy the games, and did they solve the logic problems more quickly the second and third times you did the activities? If not, how could you include a logic activity in your lesson plans on a regular basis?
4. When your students are reading silently at their desks have you ever observed them mouthing words as they read? (Pgs 65, 68) Are these your better, poorer, or both kinds of students? Have you ever asked one of the students to explain what he was doing and why he did it? What was the response?
5. Working memory is necessary for reading because it keeps the question prominent in the mind while the answer is sought in the reading passage. (Pg 65) ABE teachers: What kinds of reading assignments could you use that enhance this connectedness between questions and answers? ESOL teachers: Do you think that working memory is equally necessary for listening and speaking? What kinds of activities could you do that strengthen the connectedness between hearing the question and formulating the answer?
6. Linking new information to existing information increases both the amount of information that can be contained in working memory and the speed with which similar and related information can be retrieved from long-term memory (Pg 66). Create a graphic organizer on an overhead transparency or on the blackboard for a classroom topic that links new information that you are presenting with information that students probably already know.
7. An unusually high percentage of adult education students have one or more learning difficulties. The author lists short-term memory problems common to students with reading disabilities (Pg 66). Design a lesson targeted towards these students that specifically addresses their needs.
8. The author refers to some “short tests . . . that can help separate students who have reading problems because of processing problems from those who had bad instruction or have been out of school for many years.” (Pg 69) Are you familiar with these types of tests and do you know where they can be acquired? Why might knowing which students fit into which categories help you as a teacher? Can you make any predictions about how different categories of students would use working memory based on the text material?

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