Memory Interventions that Enhance Academic Learning

Milton J. Dehn, Ed.D., NCSP Schoolhouse Educational Services November 2014

Notice of Copyright, 2014

This PowerPoint and accompanying materials are copyrighted by Milton J. Dehn and Schoolhouse Educational Services, LLC. All rights reserved. No photocopying, electronic display, or electronic dissemination of these materials is allowed without written permission. For permission, contact [email protected]

Workshop Information Sources

• • • • • • • Chapter in Essentials of Planning, Selecting,

and Tailoring Interventions for Unique Learners

Working Memory and Academic Learning

Long-Term Memory Problems in Children Helping Students Remember Essentials of Processing Assessment, 2 nd

www.psychprocesses.com

Ed.

www.SchoolhouseEducationalServices.com

Presentation Overview

1. Reducing cognitive load in the classroom 2. Working memory accommodations 3. Working memory strategies 4. Working memory exercises 5. Long-term memory strategies

Memory Interventions

1. They are evidence-based; brain-based 2. One-on-one, small group, classroom wide 3. Through trained parents/teachers 4. Includes direct and consultation/training 5. Kindergarten through adulthood 6. Exercises vs strategies 7. Some tied with academic skills & study skills 8. Accommodations included

Working Memory Definition

1. ST retention + processing = WM 2. “WM: the limited capacity to retain information while simultaneously manipulating the same or other information for a short period of time” 3. Keeping information in mind from moment to moment 4. STM is part of WM; WM “manages” STM as needed Video Link

Approaches to Improving WM

1. Reduce the “cognitive load” imposed on the student (Tier I) 2. Directly increase WM capacity through the use of training exercises (Tiers II and III) 3. The student can make more effective use of existing WM capabilities by learning to use strategies (Tiers 1 – 3)) 4. Accommodations

Cognitive Load Theory

1. WM is a combination of processing & storage 2. “Cognitive Load” is the processing portion 3. Processing & storage both draw on WM capacity 4. Can focus attention on only 1 aspect of WM at a time 5. The greater the processing demands/longer the processing, the more info. lost from WM/STM 6. If focus on retention, processing may suffer 7. Cognitive load is the main determinant of retention in WM (and STM)

Retention as a Function of Cognitive Load

What Causes High Cognitive Load

1. Novelty 2. Complexity 3. Disorganization 4. Multi-tasking 5. Verbosity 6. Environmental distractions 7. Irrelevant thoughts

Coping with Cognitive Load: Switching

1. To retain info. in WM, one must frequently switch from processing to refreshing the info. 2. If the processing (cognitive load) is demanding, there will be less switching and more info. will be lost 3. Example: remember steps while completing an online task 4. Switching is difficult for young children

Cognitive Load in the Classroom

1. Instruction easily overloads WM 1. By the nature of the material 2. By the manner it is presented 2. Focus on designing instruction that reduces cognitive load 3. Typical classroom learning activities easily overload WM 4. Load also created by the learner’s processing

Reducing Cognitive Load

1. Well designed instruction reduces load 1. Leaves capacity for retention & encoding of info.

2. Or, allow processing without need to remember; e.g. facts in writing are available 3. Or, processing reminders are available 4. Teach students to alternate between processing and refreshing 5. Students learn under low load conditions

Reducing Cognitive Load

1. Only one step, process at a time 2. Allow time for processing and rehearsal 3. Allow self-paced processing 4. Provide external memory aids 5. Quite learning environment 6. Organized materials and presentations 7. Worked, partially-completed examples 1. Keep adding more for student to complete

Reducing Cognitive Load

1. Sequence material from simple to complex 2. Present material in an integrated way 3. Include visual presentation 4. Side by side information (being able to see as all the information in an integrated fashion) better than stacked information ( e.g. computers) 5. Deliver directions “just in time”

Cognitive Load and Automaticity

1. Mastery or fluency frees up WM resources 1. Reading decoding and reading comprehension 2. Math problem solving 3. Written language 1. Organization and coordination 4. Long-term structures free up WM 5. Automaticity equals faster processing

WM Accommodations

1. Extended testing time 2. Repeating information 3. Repeating information in a simplified manner 4. Providing written checklists and reminders of step-by-step procedures 5. One task at a time 6. Slow down presentation 7. Preferential seating to reduce distraction 8. Provide prompts and cues

WM and Written Expression

1. Signs of WM overload during written expression: omitting words, repeating words, forgetting what was going to say, can‘t start 2. Have the student express it orally first 3. Teacher “stores” it and says what student said as student writes 4. Teacher writes part of sentence so that student just needs to use closure to finish

WM and Math

1. Math demands a lot of both WM and LTM 2. Lighten the load by allowing written step-by step procedures 3. Help to identify story problem words that indicate the math procedures involved 4. Allow access to arithmetic fact tables 5. No timed math tests 6. Allow calculators

WM and Basic Reading Skills

1. Support student during decoding and blending 2. Prompt by saying the first phoneme in a syllable 3. Say the segmented phonemes/syllables slowly after student has sounded them out 4. Have student say blended word smoothly again after correct pronunciation

WM Rehearsal Strategies

1. Most have by age 10; 1 st graders can learn 2. Serial and cumulative repetitive process 3. Good maintenance if overlearned 4. Increase length of list as student progresses 5. Require trainees to do during WM exercises 6. More effective than elaborate strategies?

Rehearsal Training Steps

1. Repeat first word until next delivered then add next word to the repetition if cumulative 2. Or, deliver and repeat entire sequence at once 3. Have student repeat sequence several times, then pause, then ask for response 4. Listen to see if student maintains correct sequence while rehearsing 5. Have the student say the words faster 6. First aloud, then whisper, then subvocal

Criteria for Effective WM Exercises

1. Consistent high cognitive workloads 2. Processing and storage required during task 3. Program is adaptive 4. Extensive practice time 5. Evidence base cited 6. More than visual-spatial; some kind of verbal processing and retention required 7. Encourages/requires a conscious strategy

Cogmed Training Details

1. Adaptive, game-like, internet-based training, records everything 2. 25 sessions, 30 minutes each with 8 exercises, over 5 weeks 3. Child can do without assistance 4. Should not encourage use of strategies Link

Research on Cogmed Training

1. Improved WM, especially visual-spatial 2. Fluid reasoning sometimes improves 3. Math and reading sometimes improve 4. ADHD kids improved in WM; less hyperactivity 5. Holmes et al. found substantial and sustained gains in WM and math 6. Two reviews critical; poor research design 7. Recent study with proper design: WM improved

Lumosity and Brain HQ

1. Numerous exercises; more than memory 2. Exercises based on research 3. Lots of n-back exercises 4. Are adaptive and appropriate 5. Affordable yearly, family plans 6. Can monitor learner’s progress

WM Training Impact on Brain

1. Takeuchi et al. (2010) 2. Adaptive training with 2 N-Back visual tasks 3. Increase in white matter correlated with amount of training & improved performance 4. Mainly adjacent to the corpus callosum and in white matter parietal region 5. Increased transfer of info, at the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, location of executive WM

Why WM Brain Training Works

“the experience of taxing WM to its limits over a sustained period of time may induce long-term plasticity through either improving the efficiency of neuronal responses or extending the cortical map serving WM. The training program may also promote self-awareness and the development of compensatory strategies.” Westerberg et al., 2007).

Hands-On, WM Exercises

1. Compliance with online training is a concern 2. Oral responding not allowed with online training 3. A trainer, parent, or peer administers these 4. With all exercises, require a longer span as progress is made

Oral WM Exercises

1. Letters, numbers, words, sentences 2. Non-words are ideal 3. Remember last word in sentence 4. Paraphrasing 5. Require aloud rehearsal when child can not maintain sequence 6. Practice switching

Hands-On Exercises: N-Back

1. Challenging task but easily administered 2. Shown to improve WM capacity 3. Remember stimulus n-items back 4. Do it repetitively 5. Deck of cards ideal; prevents practice effects 6. Parents and children can practice at home

7.

n-back task 8. What strategy would you teach the child for succeeding at this?

N-Back Procedures

1. Display cards one at a time for 1-2 seconds 2. Start over after 1 st error 3. Should get 10 consecutive correct 3 times before going to next N 4. 10-15 minutes of daily practice for 4 weeks 5. More challenging: A double n-back 6. Establish baseline 7. Encourage strategy use; example of how it works

Using Arithmetic Flashcards

1. Learner calculates and states the answer 2. Remember the answers in sequence 4 + 3 = 7 9 – 3 = 6 Response: 7, 6

Counting Span

1. Count the number of items on each card 2. Remember the total on each card in correct sequence

Visual-Spatial Recall

1. Use a grid and put pieces in various locations 2. Learner views for 5 seconds 3. Must place pieces in correct locations 4. Enlarge grid and add more pieces to keep it challenging 5. Most challenging, rotate grid after viewing

Concerns About LTM Interventions

1. With multiple steps, strategies create too much cognitive load (a dilemma) 2. Exercises need to be daily for extended number of weeks 3. Some strategies difficult to generalize; content specific 4. Does improved memory functioning transfer to improved academics?

Basic LTM Strategies that Apply to All

1. Rehearsal (same as for WM) 2. Dual encoding 3. Elaboration 4. Semantic clustering 5. Self-testing 6. Visualizing 7. Visual Mnemonics 8. Metamemory training 9. Errorless learning 10. Accommodations

Dual Encoding

1. Instructors should make it both verbal and visual or give students time to recode 2. Instruct students to visualize verbal info.

3. Instruction students to name/describe visual spatial info.

4. Increases the number of pathways available for retrieval

Elaboration

1. Relate new info. with previous 2. Facilitates encoding and LTM organization, consolidation, retrieval 3. Teachers should provide for young child 4. In-depth versus superficial processing 5. Ties info. with appropriate schema 6. Example: Asking and answering the “Why does this make sense” question

Semantic Clustering

1. A form of organization 2. Good for both WM and LTM 3. Clusters become chunks in WM 4. Have student focus on memorizing the name of the clusters 5. When item recall fails, recall cluster and think of items in that category until specific item recognized Video Link

Self-Testing

1. Extremely effective 2. Works because retrieval is required 3. Can be self-testing 4. First quiz immediately or within a day 5. Expanding intervals like periodic review 6. Not limited to items actually tested 7. Can be self-testing 8. Encoding specificity principle

Visualizing While Reading

1. Imagining yourself in the scene, viewing things as if you were actually there 1. Imagine details and feelings 2. For literature, social studies 2. Works because the personal aspects of episodic memory are usually intact

Visual Mnemonics

1. Visual mnemonics link information to something already known that will not be forgotten 1. Act as a scaffold or bridge 2. Verbal not effective with verbal learning disabilities; info lost of mnemonic lost & might not remember what letters represent 3. History of mnemonics; the memory palace, Tony Buzan, Moonwalking with Einstein

Visual Mnemonics

1. For students with low verbal WM 2. Link info to something already known that will not be forgotten; Act as a scaffold or bridge 3. Creates associations and meaning 4. Best when student creates images 5. Interactive images best 6. Ideal for those with verbal WM deficit 7. Basic visualization without a mnemonic is also beneficial

Loci

• • • Visual pairing of items with well known objects, e.g. household furniture Follow the sequence of items or rooms Loci practice with items in student’s bedroom: Boston settlers in sequence: Native Americans, Vikings, Pilgrims, Italians • See video

Keyword

1. Highly effective 2. Combines auditory and visual 3. First, the acoustical link (keyword) 4. Then, image of linked items interacting 5. To retrieve, think of keyword first 6. Low functioning learners do better when keyword and image provided

Keyword Practice

• • • • • Use keywords for Denver, Colorado Use keyword for these Spanish words: Vaca = cow Carta = letter Escalera = ladder Make the images unique, interactive, but focused on the keyword and meaning

Metamemory

1. Teach child how memory works and its limitations 2. Teach child self-awareness 3. Inform child of personal strengths and weaknesses 4. Teach about how we can control memory 5. Have child keep a journal during intervention

More on Metamemory

1. This is ongoing through sessions 2. Always help child understand why, when, where it works or will benefit (conditional knowledge) 3. Always show the child the data 4. Reinforce progress 5. Child should become expert on his/her memory 6. See worksheets in Helping Student Remember

Errorless Learning

1. Especially for amnesic cases 2. Prevent learning of errors; unlearning of errors is difficult 3. Prevent guessing; supply most of the answer at first 4. Allows learning through implicit system 5. Learners may not recall having learned but they can learn skills

Examples of LTM Accommodations

1. Inform student of exam dates well in advance to allow for periodic review 2. Provide review sheets in same format as tests 3. Provide notes of lectures 4. Allow students procedural checklists 5. Recognition testing: word banks, etc.

6. Extended time on testing; notes during test

Memory Interventionist Training

• • • • • • • • • For school psychologists and related professionals Taught by Dr. Dehn Taught once per year, beginning in fall CEU’s from Kids, Inc.

36-hour course Includes neuropsych assessment of memory Case study with supervision Details: email [email protected]

www.SchoolhouseEducationalServices.com