How can we better support children with poor working memory in the classroom?

Working memory is a system that allows us to store and process limited amounts of information over a short period of time. It is essential for many classroom activities, including reading and language comprehension. However, despite its importance, teachers receive limited training on how to support children with working problems. My PhD research project examined: (1) whether people can enhance their performance on working memory tasks by focusing on particularly important information; and (2) whether educational professionals understand working memory and how it impacts upon learning. The first research question was examined through a series of experimental studies in which adults and children were told that certain pieces of information were more important than others. From this, it was found that individuals could prioritise particularly important information in working memory. Evidence of this has implications for researchers interested in the relationship between working memory and attention. It also identifies a potential way in which memory for important information could be enhanced in the real world. The second research question was investigated using an online questionnaire that assessed educational professionals' understanding of working memory. This revealed that educational professionals have a basic understanding of working memory, although several important misconceptions were apparent. There was also a clear desire for further training, with 90% of respondents reporting they would like more information about working memory.

The proposed fellowship aims to develop these findings in several ways:

(i) Share the findings with academics. The findings will be presented at a large international conference and through peer-reviewed publications. This will ensure that other researchers are familiar with the findings and can use them to inform their future work.

(ii) Provide training to teachers about working memory and common misconceptions. This will be achieved in several ways. Firstly, a working memory workshop will be developed and delivered in 20 local schools. This workshop will be designed to be scalable so that they can be used to enhance educators understanding of working memory across the country. One of the workshops will also be recorded and posted online, thus allowing teachers from around the world to access it. In addition to this, a summary will also be developed containing key information. This will be shared with the questionnaire participants (1425 educational professionals), online, and through our existing links with local schools and the Department for Education. Finally, in order to ensure maximum impact, I will pitch ideas for articles about working memory to several journalistic outlets aimed at teachers.

(iii) Conduct further related research. Two studies will be completed. Study 1 will further examine some of the findings in a large sample (approximately 13,500 children). Study 2 will then investigate whether the findings observed in my PhD project are observed in a task that is more similar to classroom-based activities.

(iv) Enhance my research skills and collaborative networks. By completing the additional research described above, I will enhance my data analysis skills and develop new collaborations with experts in the field. These skills and collaborations will therefore allow me to conduct additional research projects in the future which aim to further examine working memory and cognitive development.

(v) Develop funding applications. During the fellowship, I will apply for two further funding schemes. The first will examine how directing attention towards certain information affects memory in classroom-based tasks. The second will use existing datasets to answer important questions relating to children's early experiences, cognitive development (such as working memory and language abilities), and educational outcomes.