Let's start with an exercise. First, say and internalize this phrase: "We can't heal the pain, but we can help heal the brain." If you are one of those with an exceptional memory, later on, these words will be easily retrieved. For many of us, this phrase will escape the brain as fast as a new memory tries to work its way in. By the time I finish the day's to-do list, I will have quickly forgotten this phrase - a phrase I created to help me remember why working memory is so important in the classroom. However, with a few strategies of my own, I could rescue the saying. With a little help in retaining, we could all remember the information that is important in our lives.

Many school children experience trauma or pain that cannot always be healed. Research has shown that these experiences, without the proper help and support from adults, can have an adverse impact on student learning and achievement. The National Scientific Council on the Developing Child calls this "toxic stress" or the prolonged activation of the body's stress management system. Prolonged activation can damage the part of the brain called the hippocampus, which is primarily associated with learning and memory. As educators and caring adults, we all wish we could erase the pain caused from traumatic experiences in a child's life. We might not have that elusive power, but we can be there during those critical times to help "heal the brain" from interrupted development. This can be done by creating a positive and safe classroom community.

Enhancing the working memory of a trauma sensitive student is rooted in the belief that a safe and supportive environment is foundational to changing the brain. Eric Jensen, author of Teaching with Poverty in Mind, suggests that fostering a mind-set of hope, determination, change, optimism, and security will combat chronic stress and the effect it has on the brain (Jensen, 2009). In a research update, Jensen (2014) states "Among the many amazing things about our brain is its plasticity. This refers to the capacity to change through neural reorganization. Memory (working OR short-term) can be enhanced through several strategies". Building memory skills come through practice and purposeful teaching. This can be done in an engaging and meaningful way that will have students coming back for more.

As a first grade teacher with a classroom full of students who have working memory deficits, I continually ask myself, "How am I going to remember to teach memory building skills into our day when we already have so much going on?" The trick is that memory building skills can be integrated into every aspect of the day. Amanda Morin, writing for Understood, an organization that supports students with learning and attention issues, suggests eight easy to implement memory boosting ideas to improve a child's recall. Several of these ideas can be used during instruction. For instance, having the child teach someone else allows him or her to explain and make sense of information learned from a lesson. Or, helping the child to make connections to previously learned information will bridge the gap between prior knowledge and new material. The brain training does not stop when instruction ends. Recess and movement breaks are a great time to build working memory. "We now know that we can grow new neurons through our lifetime and that they are highly correlated with memory, mood, and learning. This process can be regulated by everyday behaviors, which include exercise." (Jensen, n.d.) 

In the ACTIVATE [TM]learning program, designed and developed by C8 Sciences to improve cognition, physical exercise is one of the three main components. It has over 100 different physical exercises for kids that are written for either physical education teachers or general classroom teachers. Is also includes carefully designed computerized exercises that have been shown to improve not only attention and memory, but also have been associated with improvements in reading and math.

Need more ideas for improving working memory? Consider the working memory series by Learning Works for tips and strategies. Happy retaining!

While good memories can help us feel that we have lived a purposeful life, a good memory or ability to recall information can also enhance our lives in many, many ways.

Memorizing Facts and Figures. When we look at Bloom's, rote memory is way down at the bottom of the hierarchy. Pure recall. Yet it trips up many students. If students aren't accurate with math facts, then all the reasoning in the world won't help them come up with the correct answers. Or spelling? The more words a person spells correctly, the faster writing tasks can be completed. Even if one is unsure of a spelling, that uncertainty causes us to pause. It, in essence, slows down our work. If your misspelling isn't even close to the correct spelling, spell checker may be of little help. Then of course there are scientific formulas, historical dates, and even rules for punctuation and grammar. Facts, facts, and more facts.

Even with our technology today, memorizing is an important academic and life skill. We memorize routes, bus schedules, birthdays, and dates of upcoming events. Even with MapQuest and electronic calendars, it helps to remember some things independently without Google support. And if you are like me, you even like remembering that you are going to a concert on Friday or meeting a friend on Saturday.

Ode to a Nightingale. Perhaps some of you recall times years ago when students memorized poems as an activity in part to sharpen the brain. I remember memorizing the Gettysburg address "Four score and seven years ago..." There was something so patriotic about that. Or a line from Keat's: "Was it a vision, or a waking dream? Fled is that music:-do I wake or sleep?" Or perhaps Shakespeare, "The lady doth protest too much, methinks." Knowing Shakespeare (or Keats) was part of having a well-rounded education.

However, in recent years, memorization has gone by the wayside or taken a back seat to higher levels of thinking such as inquiry, comparison, and analysis. Yet even today, students can be heard reciting raps, participating in poetry slams, and memorizing songs. Something we sometimes even enjoy this participation that relies on remembering words, rhythms, and sounds. 

 

Memory: With and Without Apps. On a more mundane level, there are also basic ways of living that are facilitated by our memories-remember to eat from the five basic food groups, remember to chew your food thoroughly before swallowing, remember to watch for black ice on the road. While apps such as "Remember the Milk" can ease the burden on our memories, they only go so far. Then there is the need to remember how to use our technologies (how do I save a picture to Facebook? how do I turn off my PC now that I have Windows 10?). And each time there is a technological upgrade, there is something to unlearn and a new procedure to remember.

It is fascinating to consider that even in this 21st Century, when our PCs and handhelds serve as an extension of our minds, memorizing is a useful skill. Those with good memories are more likely to be in the right place, at the right time, with the right message, with or without their apps.

However, memory is also helpful for tasks that extend beyond the basics. As I travel around the US, it is helpful to know about the capitals of each state, their approximate population, and their proximity to historical sites and national parks. Perhaps even something about the climate in each region of the country, and the industries that provide the livelihood for various towns and cities. And of course, something about the culture of the area - the best restaurants, the entertainment, the sights to see. The more I am able to remember, the less dependent I am on technology and others to fill in the gaps for me. In a sense, a good memory, frees one to live, to be.

As students progress in school, their memories are stretched from a basic retention of facts, to a synthesis of information and understanding at a deeper level. Yet mix up a few facts, transplant Midwest farmers to the Louisiana Bayou, and poof! how can we even hold an intelligent conversation, how can we empathize for their plight when a drought occurs, how can we even understand the impact of a storm?

Today, in 2016, when we consider remembering, we know that there are apps to help. But what else can be done? Are there strategies that teachers can use to help accelerate learning through expediting memory, retention, and recall?

How to Help Students Remember. There are myriad ways to help students with memory, retention and recall. Verbal rehearsal, visualization, overlearning, repetition and drill are commonly used. However, there is one strategy that I believe is worthy of more time and attention from teachers. Mnemonics.

Kathy DeLashmutt (2007) conducted action research on mnemonics with her 5th grade class to teach math. DeLashmutt describes how she would introduce new math concepts to her students by chanting a rhyme or singing about the concept. DeLashmutt used mnemonics every day for two months as she was teaching about common denominators and adding, multiplying, and dividing fractions. She used surveys (with a 1-5 scale) to ask questions about the students' understanding of math concepts and attitudes about math. She also conducted individual interviews with 10 of her students. She reports that all 10 were excited about the approach she used. They stated: "This year math was easier because Mrs. DeLashmutt shows it first then I get the hang of it."  "Mrs. DeLashmutt helps you and it's like a game. It's fun!" "She makes it easier and she goes over it with us and she makes up rhymes to make it easier to learn math."

Mnemonics may a particularly important tool for students who are struggling academically. Vannest and colleagues (2008) identify mnemonics as one of the most effective interventions for students with behavioral and emotional problems. It could be that mnemonics helps to elevate study from a place of tedious and rote memorization to a more dynamic, personalized, and even perhaps creative way of learning. Moreover, researchers have found that students have increased confidence in their knowledge of information that was mnemonically learned (Mastropieri & Scruggs, 1998). Confidence in what one knows and remembers. Another important tool for freeing the mind and spirit to take on other tasks.

Gettinger, M., & Seibert, J. K. (2002). Contributions of study skills to academic competence. School Psychology Review, 31(3), 350-365.