![]() ![]() In order to understand the relationship between working memory and academic performance, it is necessary to first provide some theoretical detail.īaddeley's (2000 2003) working memory model is the best known, most researched and most widely accepted theoretical model, although many other equally feasible models exist (for example, Anderson 1983 Cowan 2008 Ericsson & Kintsch 1995 Miyake & Shah 1999 Oberauer 2005). Furthermore, measurements of working memory ability taken at the commencement of formal education are much stronger predictors of success in reading, spelling and mathematics than IQ scores (Alloway 2008 Alloway & Alloway 2010) and short-term memory ability (Engle, Tuholski, Laughlin & Conway 1999). There is considerable evidence linking performance on working memory tasks to vocabulary acquisition (Engel de Abreu, Gathercole 2006 Gathercole & Martin 2011) early academic success in reading (Gathercole & Alloway 2008 Stevenson, Bergwerff, Heisera & Resinga 2014) mathematics (Arndt, Sahr, Opfermann et al 2013 Bull & Scerif 2001 DeStefano & LeFevre 2004) and comprehension (Cain, Oakhill & Bryant 2004 Seigneuric, Ehrlich, Oakhill & Yuill 2000). Why is working memory so important for childhood learning and education? In answering these questions, I critically consider the effective translation of current research findings to the school and home learning environments. In this article, I pose and answer five questions related to working memory and its application to childhood education, learning and development. Understanding how working memory operates and can be enhanced has relevance for all aspects of our lives, and particularly for how children learn, since it is heavily implicated in classroom activities that involve following instructions, focusing and completing tasks (Gathercole & Alloway 2008 Holmes & Gathercole 2014). Furthermore, most working memory research has focused predominantly on adult populations, with considerably less attention paid to working memory in children. Translation of laboratory findings to everyday application is often a major challenge, and one needs to be cautious when extrapolating from such tightly controlled research environments to uncontrollable everyday situations. However, while much research has focused on the theoretical aspects of working memory, far less work has been concerned with how an understanding of working memory can be applied to everyday situations. It is therefore unsurprising that working memory is one of the most widely researched constructs in education and psychology (Cowan 2014). It interacts closely with long-term memory and enables us to plan, reason, solve problems, read, write and abstract the gist of information (Baddeley & Hitch 1974 St Clair-Thompson, Stevens, Hunt & Bolder 2010). The process that enables humans to mentally hold small amounts of information in a readily accessible state and to use them in complex cognitive tasks is known as working memory. Introduction: Taking a construct from the psychology laboratory and theory to the practice of childhood education Keywords: academic success, cognition, development, learning, working memory These aspects include the role of the different components of working memory in early childhood learning, ways in which working memory is assessed in children, how verbal and visual working memory develop, how working memory difficulties manifest in children, and ways in which working memory can be improved. ![]() In this paper, five key aspects regarding working memory are considered and their implications for early childhood development, learning and education are discussed. Far less research has explored the application of such theory in order to understand how children perform in educational settings and to support and improve their academic performance. There is considerable research on several theoretical aspects of working memory. Its functioning is distinct from the vast storage capacity of long-term memory and is crucial for optimal learning and development. Working memory is the mental ability to temporarily store and manipulate Information. The role of working memory in childhood education: Five questions and answers ![]()
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