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Produce the best evidence brief for teachers on how to support children with poor working

memory in the classroom.

Definition and research context

Fundamentally, weak working memory is related a variety of empirical challenges that relate to

studying but which extend to other executive functions. Weak working memory to a certain degree

relates to below-average level of intelligence and reduced working memory is an important identifier for

developed disorders in learning. Working memory enhances the learner to stick in mind and mentally

integrate information of short periods at the verge of distractions, (Rowe et al., 2019). Children with

poor working memory can be helped by building a simple strategy that would deem effective in their

daily lives. For such learners, it is recommended that an educational approach be adopted whereby the

teacher monitors the daily classroom activities to ascertain that the child works within their working

memory capacity, (Melby-Lervåg & Hulme, 2013). Teachers should consider the quality of their

interaction with their students, rather than introducing more academic materials, this transforms the

students learning experience, (Elliott et al., 2010). A review by Sammons & Bakkum (2014) suggest that

teaching behaviors should be analyzed and linked with student’s achievement. This evidence brief

focuses on how the teaching staff could play an eminent role in helping children with poor working

memory.

This article provides an overview of what teachers ought to do to assist children with poor

working memory and bases its findings on four recommended literary workings. The articles offer

reliable information relying on well-conducted experiments with analyzed data indicating how credible

the conducted research was. The brief also indulges information from an external source in alignment

with the intended context. It is humane for every teacher to support children with weak working

memory in classrooms.
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Providing education sensitive environment

This ensures that children work in an environment that doesn't strain their well-being in any

way. Offering a friendly amount of cognitive load on children has a high propensity on improving a

child’s working memory, (Allen et al., 2015). It is known that poor WM skills at a tender age relate to a

series of academic constraints that deter class concentration, (Elliott et al., 2010). Teachers should

acknowledge that it isn't a complex task to devise more suitable means to minimize academic

underachievement considering the various method of improving learning environments.

One of the most vital approaches to an educative-sensitive environment was to help teaches

gain an underpin on the child's struggles.  Allen et al., (2015) in their research purports that this would

help the teacher gauge the working rate scope in which the child fits and assist the child by putting into

practice more friendly strategies that lower demands of their WM resulting in potential in high-quality

learning. Some teachers aren't always sympathetic and this pushes children to appear disheartened

altered focus, and disengage cognitively resulting in poor academic performance. Children's adaptation

to their learning environment study showed that there was a positive situation after teachers applied

strategies. However, this intervention provided no proof that modifying the classroom surrounding in

non-appearance of direct training could improve a child’s WM. Speculation on children's daily lives

should be explored to assure whether they can provide an ecologically valid method of improving

memory other than the computerized WM training.

Training Skills that may impact WM

Physical activities stimulate the brain's functionality by instigating the growth of new cells which

enhances memory growth. Teachers should be equipped with the relevant skills which can directly

impact a child’s working memory. In a bid to achieve a successful WM, computerized schemes that

demand the WM to its limits under increased series have steered an increase in both fluid intelligence
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and increased WM (Lee et al., 2007). It was realized that mental training and music sessions had an

optimistic influence on the WM. Melby-Lervåg & Hulme (2013) conducted a meta-analytic review on

WM training where memory component scores were achieved; it reflected greater benefits in

visuospatial STM. The training gains that were achieved across all the prospects possessed a theoretical

interference as the components highly appeared to have alternating neural underpinnings. Three

contemplates that carried out direct WM preparing without technique detailed enhancements. The

study uncovered that all intercessions fixings were ELWM obligation and it delivered undeniable levels

of the result.

However, in an “intervention targeting working memory in 4-11 years old”, the teachers have to

clearly understand that a non-computerized direct WM alignment intrigues constructive outcomes on

the prepared, but they have to understand the evidence of near and far transfers, (Rowe et al., 2019).

The training criteria discussed by Holmes et al. (2009) says that after a series of tests on 25 children aged

8-11 years, MANOVAs purported that there was no clear distinction between an adaptive and non-

adaptive groups at pre-training. This implicates that however much training skills might be important

they can also fail to cover distinct aspects of poor WM. The plasticity of the neural system bases every

component to be triggered by intense training contrary (Westerberg et al., 2007) to evidence that WM is

heritable and alters environment experience. A contradiction seems to exist on the two vital ways of

improving children's WM. This shows that teachers should closely monitor the implication that a given

mode of improving WM may inhibit the other from becoming so effective.

Conclusion

The available literary works offered numerous ways in which poor WM could be mitigated by

teachers, although instances of experimental clarity seem to be an issue. Most work suggests much on

training skills to improve the WM but still reveals problems that accrue from the analyzed results. This
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would question the credibility of the experimental theories applied in the research. The articles had a

better intuition on how teachers could help improve student's work memory. Environmental concerns

and training interventions have been rendered a green light as the most effective ways of improving

WM. However, a contradiction deems to exist between the two discussed methods of improving WM.

The suggested points of this brief evidence imply to every person dealing with a child with a poor WM.
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References

Allen, L., Bridget Burke Kelly, & Council, R. (2015). Transforming the workforce for children birth through

age 8 : a unifying foundation. The National Academies Press.

Elliott, J. G., Gathercole, S. E., Alloway, T. P., Holmes, J., & Kirkwood, H. (2010). An Evaluation of a

Classroom-Based Intervention to Help Overcome Working Memory Difficulties and Improve

Long-Term Academic Achievement. Journal of Cognitive Education and Psychology, 9(3), 227–

250. https://doi.org/10.1891/1945-8959.9.3.227

‌Holmes, J., Gathercole, S. E., Place, M., Dunning, D. L., Hilton, K. A., & Elliott, J. G. (2009). Working

memory deficits can be overcome: Impacts of training and medication on working memory in

children with ADHD. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 24(6), 827–836.

https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.1589

Lee, Y., Lu, M., & Ko, H. (2007). Effects of skill training on working memory capacity. Learning and

Instruction, 17(3), 336–344. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2007.02.010

Melby-Lervåg, M., & Hulme, C. (2013). Is working memory training effective? A meta-analytic

review. Developmental Psychology, 49(2), 270–291. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0028228

‌ Rowe, A., Titterington, J., Holmes, J., Henry, L., & Taggart, L. (2019). Interventions targeting working

memory in 4–11 year olds within their everyday contexts: A systematic review. Developmental

Review, 52, 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dr.2019.02.001

Sammons, P., & Bakkum, L. (2014). Effective teaching.

https://www.educationdevelopmenttrust.com/EducationDevelopmentTrust/files/98/98ad6340-

0ef6-4e1d-a541-db6018afce7d.pdf
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Westerberg, H., Jacobaeus, H., Hirvikoski, T., Clevberger, P., Östensson, M.-L. ., Bartfai, A., & Klingberg, T.

(2007). Computerized working memory training after stroke–A pilot study. Brain Injury, 21(1),

21–29. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699050601148726