Making working memory work for educational psychologists

Working memory is the ability to hold information in mind for short periods of time, and to manage this information in the face of distraction. For example, holding numbers in mind while calculating a running total in a mental maths problem could be thought of as an everyday use of working memory. Working memory capacity varies between individuals and is thought to be critical to learning, particularly in primary school. Recent work has shown that working memory is composed of many interacting elements, including capacity, susceptibility to distraction, use of strategy, and how quickly an individual forgets information. All of these elements are distinct from one another, yet interact during complex working memory tasks. While Educational Psychologists have an understanding of the broad concept of working memory, the aim of this grant is to provide them with resources that not only allow them to fully appreciate the most recent developments in research on working memory and learning, but also to provide dynamic assessment activities for use within their practice to aid assessment of children who may present with memory difficulties. This will allow more targeted intervention to take place for a child who may be experiencing memory difficulties. The project itself will produce four short information films for use in training and continuing professional development, which will each address a different aspect of working memory and demonstrate how that aspect can influence a child's performance in the classroom. The films will be permanently and publicly hosted online, on the University of Bristol website and the film channel youtube. Each film will be accompanied by a pdf factsheet on the University of Bristol website and an online memory game, which can be used as a dynamic assessment activity for Educational Psychologists to examine children's performance when different elements of working memory tasks are manipulated, therefore providing a more detailed interpretation of a child's ability. The films and games will be developed in conjunction with Bristol City Council Educational Psychology Service and trialed with them initially, prior to rolling out the resources nationwide through email lists and posting flyers and posters to all UK Educational Psychology services. A workshop with international experts in applied working memory research and practice will be held towards the end of the grant to further publicise the resources to the educational community. The investigators will present the work from this project at the British Academy of Sciences Science Communication Conference, to demonstrate the effectiveness of presenting academic material on film and through games for a professional audience. The project as a whole will allow the investigators to disseminate their work beyond the bounds of academic journals and provide real and useable tools for a professional, non-academic audience. The project also aims to introduce a growing yet experienced production company of film makers and web developers (Microfilm) to scientific communication, which will allow them to develop their contacts in this field and have a significant impact on their economic footprint.

Educational psychologists around the UK will benefit from the resources produced by the project, which will be publicly and freely available online. They will also be given the opportunity to attend a day workshop with leading figures in applied working memory research and assessment. Our partners in Bristol City Council's Educational Psychology service will directly benefit from this work as they will be involved from the outset in designing the resources to match their needs. They will gain resources for continuing professional development in the form of the films and factsheets, and be able to demonstrate that they are leading the way in adopting research-led scientific concepts in their assessment of children.

Our other partner, the media production company microfilm, will directly benefit from this work as it will open opportunities for them in science film making and educational gaming which is one of their strategic aims for the future. There will be a direct impact on the economy, initially through microfilm employing 16 people during the production phase of the project, but also as they expand into this area in the long-term.

Impact will be achieved in a number of ways. The resources produced by the project will be made available via web outlets which will outlast the life of the grant. Educational psychologists will be directed to these resources by a staged roll-out of our publicity that will eventually cover the whole of the UK. In addition, educational practitioners will be invited to an end of grant international workshop where the importance of working memory in education and the relevance of our resources will be discussed. We will also hold two screenings of our films, joint with microfilm, aimed directly at those working in areas of the media interested in science communication. We will present our project at the British Science Association Science Communication Conference, where the approaches taken to engage the professional education community with academic research will be discussed.