Working Memory

Working Memory refers to the ability to retain and manipulate information in the short term, such as while reading a text or engaging in conversation. These are two critical activities for any project-based learning environment!

Here are some activities I am experimenting with to support building working memory and accommodating students who have poor working memory:

• Assigning reinforcing readings: instead of one material, assign multiple readings and/or videos that cover the same material from different angles, and split the material across students so they do not have too much to read. Have students annotate the readings as they go, and then review the class's notes to reconstruct core argument(s) in class.

• Maintain a class "glossary" of common terms and jargon, so that students have a reference to fall back on.

• Give time guidelines for assigned work, and support students in determining how to break up work into manageable chunks of time. For example, how to skim a paper for key points before going back to read in-depth later.

• Have regular group reflection points where we review what has been learned and what the next steps are on projects together.

• Collaboratively create maps, diagrams, and reverse outlines for key concepts and readings.

• Create checklists for students to evaluate their work against before submission.

In parallel, these are the considerations I make for ungrading related to working memory:

• For the work completion grade, acknowledging that some students will naturally find it harder to complete this work than others, especially complex readings that require holding complicated arguments in working memory. Allow students to revise work after submitting a draft based upon in-class discussions and feedback sessions, including with the submission of evidence from a design journal. As long as there is a sincere attempt ahead of the class period, work will be marked complete even if it is finalized after class.

• Embrace that there are many ways to "complete" a work, and that completed work is shared with others in class to form a shared deeper understanding. One student's factual retelling of a reading is an equal contribution to another student who identifies compelling quotes but misses the throughline of the argument. Sensemaking happens together; effort happens individually.

• Clearly communicate the purpose of the "completion" grade and the separation of judged "completion" from quality of submitted project work and process followed. Work that is not high quality should still be considered "complete" if it represents an earnest attempt at the material.