Working memory in students

Working Memory by Judy C (Reference Librarian)

Recently I was searching for information on  short term memory  and found the whole topic so fascinating that I wanted to share some of what I learned.

Generally psychologists use the term, working memory, to refer to the ability to both store and manipulate information over short time (few seconds). 

Working memory is made up of 3 components:

• Central executive, located in the frontal region, controls attention and higher level processes.
• Verbal short term memory (phonological loop),  located in the left hemisphere, stores all speech based information.
• Visuo-spatial short term memory, located in the right hemisphere, stores images, pictures and location information.

The central executive communicates with both short term memories and coordinates information, but the 2 short term memories are quite separate.  Therefore a person can have one short term memory that is much stronger than the other.

Each person has different working memory capacity, and children have less working memory than adults.  Generally a person can hold 6 to 7 units of information, and once the working memory is lost, it’s lost permanently.

Strategies to boost working memory:

• Chunking information – grouping units of information to create meaning
• Rehearsal – repeatedly saying it over
• Reduce distraction  – lower  background noise made up of conversation, white noise is not distracting

If you want to read more about the topic, you can contact the Professional Library for the “very readable” book, Working Memory & Learning: A Practical Guide for Teachers by Susan E. Gathercole & Tracy Packiam Alloway.

 Judy Chyung – Reference Librarian

PS:  this can be a serious issue with children because it is an ‘invisible’ disability and therefore it can take some time before it is recognized and diagnosed. My high school son has this: too much information can overwhelm and fatigue him (he’ll give up and put his head down on the desk); and I find that at the  secondary level many of the teachers have a strong subject specialty but they are not so great on implementing accommodations for kids.  Lets face it, most of the strategies listed by Judy benefit all students regardless of their abilities.   Rowan

 

Great new books

Here are 4 new titles with attracative  covers (this is important not just for kids) and lots of classroom content:

• Fun with finance: Math+literacy=$uccess by Carol Peterson, 2009. Contains 12 readers theatre scripts, activities and flashcards, grades 4-6.
• Helping students with dyslexia and dysgraphia make connections: Differentiated Instruction lesson plans in reading and writing, by Virginia Beringer and Beverly Wolf, 2009. Includes main 4 units, each with many lessons; includes teacher material and student response sheets.
• The musical classroom: backgrounds, models and skills for elementary teaching, 8th ed., by Carolynn Lindeman and PatriciaHackett, 2010. Includes info on theory or philosophy of teaching music,  progressive activities for the different grades, model lessons, great bibliographies for each chapter.  This would be a must if you taught elementary music!
• Story starters and science notebooking:Developing student thinking through literacy and inquiry, by Sandy Buczynski and Kristin Fontichiaro, 2009. Grades 3-6. Includes fun units with titles like Magnetism: The Dance of  the Magnets or Temperature and Heat: The Porridge Case.

TDSB teachers can contact the library to borrow these: (416) 395-8289.

Rowan

Students with emotional needs

We have 2 new books on this topic, very readable, with suggestions for the classroom teacher or special education consultant:

• Reaching and teaching children who hurt: Strategies for your classroom, by Susan Craig, 2008
• Lost at school :Why our kids with behavioral challenges are falling through the cracks and how we can help them, by Ross Greene, 2008

TDSB teachers may contact the Library to borrow, (416) 395-8289.

Rowan

TDSB Research Reports

TDSB has a research department that has many different responsibilities, one of which is to investigate, analyze and report on things pertaining to TDSB data and school/student programs, and to investigate education issues that  inform the board about best practices. It is serious research based on data, literature reviews etc.

Many of their reports are available on the TDSB web site <here>. They are buried deep on the web site, but you can click your way there: TDSB ->Top 10 side bar ->About TDSB ->Key Information -> Research -> Research Publications.

Check it once in a while  for newly released reports.

Rowan

Chris Spence’s Vision

Chris Spence, TDSB Director of Education, has been seen and heard on TV and Radio recently particularly regarding his recommendation that  TDSB create an all-boys school.

This is one recommendation amongst many that are included in a PowerPoint Report that was presented to the Planning & Priorities Committee on October 20th. The report will be presented to the Board soon.  The report is titled A Vision of Hope and is available on Chris’ Page on the TDSB internet site, under speeches. He creates a vision of what our schools can become to improve learning and student success, to become more caring, to reduce the achievement gap, to graduate students ready to participate in a global economy.

Some of the recommendations include:

• creating full-service schools (make the school a fully integrated participant in the community beyond just education, especially health);
• bringing 21st century technology and networking  to the schools and classrooms (if the kids are comfortable using it at home, it should be in the schools); 
• a single sex all boys school (if you have one for boys; you’re going to need one for girls);
• creating a parent academy (creating greater opportunities for parents to be involved with their children’s education);
• launching 8 ARC s=Accomdation Review Committee=school and program changes in location or configuration=school closure;
• making the schools greener, especially regarding energy savings.
• finding ways to finance programs by increasing attendance of international students, improving energy efficiency, and through property redevelopment.

Much food for thought!

Rowan

Social acceptance in inclusive classrooms

In the latest issue of Education Canada (v. 49 #4)  there is an article by Judith Weiner titled Fostering Social Acceptance in Inclusive Classrooms. The author states that “the mere presence of students with learning disabilities in general education classrooms is not inclusion.  Inclusion involves meaningful participation by these students, achievement in accordance with their abilities, and social acceptance by teachers and peers.” How perfect are those two sentences! Students with special needs often have no friends; they  can be ignored, or  bullied and not accepted into the classroom and playground.  The author did an observation study of a successful inclusive classroom and this article discusses their findings.

Contact the library for a copy of the article, and any others on this topic. (416) 395-8289.

Rowan

New Books

Here we go again with some new book titles.  These titles reflect some of the more interesting books, not the standard teaching students to read, write,  do math or science ….of which we have thousands.

• 425 seriously fun ways to enhance learing and make it stick. (Sterns, 2009)s
• The book whisperer: Awakening the inner reader in every child. (Miller, 2009)
• Catching up or leading the way: American education in the age of globalization. (Zhao, 2009)
• Eco-fun. (Suzuki And Vanderlinden, 2001)
• Ecological intelligence: How knowing the hidden impact of what we buy can change everything. (Goleman, 2009)
• Fires in the middle school bathroom: advice for teachers from middle schoolers. (Cushman and Rogers, 2008)
• Great teacher projects K-8 (Mayne, 2009)
• Letting go of perfect: Overcoming perfectionism in kids (Adleson and Wilson, 2009).
• Once upon a time … Storytelling to teacher character and prevent bullying: Lessons from 99 multicultural folk tales from grade K-8. (Pearmain, 2006)
• Owning up curriculum: Empowering adolescents to confront social cruelty, bullying and injustice (Wiseman, 2009).

Contact the library if you want to borrow any of them (416) 395-8289.

Rowan

Critical Literacy

The Literacy Numeracy Secretariat (Ministry of Ed) has posted the August 2009 issue in the Capacity Building Series titled Critical Literacy.  In the writers say “it is not something to be added to the literacy program as it is  a set of skills, dispositions and strategies”. 

It incorporates differentiated instruction (by understanding the diverse interests, backgrounds and values of your students and ways that they can respond to a variety of tasks); global and social  issues; multimedia; debate and conversation in respectful classrooms; thinking and analytical skills.

If you are intrigued by this concept , the library can always search and email articles on this topic to TDSB teachers. Contact us at  (416) 395-8289.

Rowan

Achieving Believing and Caring

Chris Spence’s new book Achieving believing and caring: Doing whatever it takes to create successful schools, has arrived and is available for borrowing.  Contact the Library (416.395-8289) to borrow or get on the request list.

Read Dr. Spence’s web page, in particular his speeches, for  an overview of his philosophy and passion.

Rowan

Nursery rhymes

Judy A submitted this October 9, 2009

This week an interesting article in the National Post caught my eye. Its headline read “Nursery rhymes too old fashioned for kids”. It was referring to the results of a survey carried out in Britain for National Bookstart Day, which takes place today. The Bookstart program gives free books to every child in the UK and encourages the sharing of books and rhymes with children. This year’s theme was “my favourite rhyme”. To my surprise, the survey results indicated that many parents think that nursery rhymes are too outdated to interest their children. Only a little over a third of parents who responded to the poll said they regularly recite nursery rhymes to their children and almost a quarter said they never have.

Research has shown that the ability to recite nursery rhymes is one of the best predictors of future reading success. Through nursery rhymes, children become familiar with the rhythm and sounds of oral language which leads to the next step of literacy development—the written word. The literature states that the more developed a child’s phonological and phonemic skills are by the time they begin learning to read; the better that child will be able to recognize the relationship between sounds and letters. So, old fashioned or not, keep reciting those rhymes!

Here are a few links that might be of interest:

• http://www.booktrade.info/index.php/showarticle/23595
• http://www.isd300.k12.mn.us/ES/kinder/KINDERGARTEN%20INFORMATION/nursery%20rhymes%20handout.pdf
• http://www.linguist.org.cn/doc/uc200701/uc20070107.pdf
•  http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/assets/content/bcc/docs/schools/eps/pat/rhymes_sample.pdf

 Judy A, Reference Librarian