Making it stick......T2P Module 3

I have one hour a day, five days a week to get as much Spanish into my students  as possible.  I have to really work that working memory.

 What is working memory?

"In essence, working memory is the component of memory in which active thinking occurs (Ormrod, p167)."  In an article for the National Center for Learning Disabilities, Dr. Tracy Alloway refers to working memory as "The Brain's Post-it note." 

We have a lot to put on one post-it note.

I found this video on what happens if a teacher isn't clear in her directions and how a student could get lost. 

I could see this happening in my room. It has happened in my room.  I can gauge it by one of my all-time favorite students.  When I lost him, he'd take a bathroom break. How do I keep from losing them?

While world language learning involves grammar, culture, conversation, and reading,  I'm going to use vocabulary as my example.  How would I get a class of 25 students with all their quirks and personalities to learn a Spanish vocabulary list?

 First I type it up on paper or a website.  There are always twenty words and they go together.  This week we are talking about reflexive verbs, so all the vocabulary is part of a morning routine/personal care.  (I'm shuddering at where it could go, but oh well....)

 I keep the directions and activities SIMPLE. I may ask all of them, what color is you toothbrush?

Until I feel they all understand the word.

 Instead of repeating the list over and over, my students work in groups.  They use visuals and manipulatives to say the words to each other.  One group will brush a doll’s hair while another will pretend to brush teeth.  One group will be playing bingo and another group will describe pictures.  After five to ten minutes, they switch groups.   Working together, changing activities, and movement helps the vocabulary stay in working memory.  Silly props help too.  A class will always remember the word for "head" if you hold up a decapitated Barbie (true story).


When I first started teaching, my principal told me to always end a lesson by reviewing exactly what I wanted the student's to remember. After a session of group activities, I'll ask review questions and the majority of them will be able to answer me. I keep the vocabulary parameters.  The questions and conversations can all relate back to the list.  If I were to ask a student, "what do you do in the morning?" I've left it too open ended.  If I say, "Do you take your shower in the morning or at night?" I've given them a choice and an opportunity to succeed without being overwhelmed.

Teaching within a framework, keeping the unit organized, and changing the activities have all contributed to my students remembering not only for a test, but also for using the words and phrases during classroom conversations.  For language to enter long-term memory, I have to be really active in the working one.