Dr Tracy Alloway’s Workshop on Working Memory
Working memory is a crucial cognitive skill that in layman’s terms, may be represented figuratively as a “mental Post-it note”. Working memory is the ability to process and remember information and also to work with that information at the point of need.
In her research, Dr Alloway worked with five-year old children, and followed them up six years later. She found that working memory is the best predictor of success in the classroom. It signals the potential of how well you are able to learn and perform.
Here are some interesting snippets on working memory that Dr Alloway shared from her research:
- • Working memory is a better predictor of academic success than IQ. One can have a high IQ and still struggle in school.
• Working memory is not affected by family background or socio-economic status
• Approximately 10 per cent of students have poor working memory, which seriously affects their learning.
• Poor working memory can be improved through brain training, which in turn leads to better academic performance.