Trouble in School Linked to Poor Working Memory
Often times, teachers attribute poor performance in school to low intelligence or lack of attentiveness, but new research from the UK indicates that as many as 10% of children suffer from poor working memory that seriously affects their school performance. Researchers from Durham University, surveyed over three thousand children and used their results to design the world’s first tool to assess working memory capacity right in the classroom. The tool combines a checklist called the Working Memory Rating Scale to allow teachers to identify children who might have working memory problems, with a computer program called the Automated Working Memory Assessment to evaluate these children.
Working memory describes the ability to hold information in your mind and manipulate it mentally, like being given two numbers and being asked to calculate sums in your head with a pencil or calculator. Children need to use working memory during the school day to follow a list of instructions spoken by their teacher or to write paragraphs or do certain types of math problems. Children with working memory problems can have trouble understanding directions or staying on topic in a conversation.
Identifying children with working memory problems, which may be genetic, can change the way teachers perceive these students, and allow them to be taught special coping skills to help them succeed in school. If you’re child has problems with working memory, breaking down tasks and instructions into smaller components can help, along with regularly repeating information that is necessary to complete a task.
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