Working memory involves the use of short-term memory and information processing simultaneously. It enables your child to raise their hand and remember what they are going to say at the same time; it means they can remember the numbers they have to add together; it helps them write a sentence while still keeping in mind the whole story. Children who have difficulty with working memory will often be slow to learn reading, maths and science.
Working memory is the small amount of information that can be held in the mind in a readily accessible form to be used in mental tasks. Its like a post-it note in the brain. It is proposed to be the central cognitive control process that focuses the mind, directs mental efforts, accomplishes tasks, and ignores distractions’ (Kincaid and Trautman).
Some children can be quite good at rote learning but find it hard to remember what they’ve learnt to work things out ‘in the moment’ when it matters.
We use working memory for mentally jotting things down like:
- mental arithmetic such as calculating how much 2 or more items will cost at the canteen
- remembering a new password, PIN, or web address while we are trying to find a pen
- following spoken directions such as ‘go straight over the bridge, take the second left at the school on the right opposite the church’
Other links
Understanding Working Memory: A Classroom Guide by Professor Susan Gathercole and Dr Tracy Packiam Alloway.
Cogmed is a program for improving attention by training working memory.
