Autumn week 2
Mentor materials
Discussion - integrating strategies to support the working memory in classroom practice
Duration: 60 minutes.
Outcome
By the end of this session your ECT will have:
- articulated why it’s important to avoid working memory overload
- identified 2 tricky concepts in their subject or phase
- considered the prior knowledge needed by pupils to access these concepts
- worked collaboratively to break the material in these tricky concepts into smaller steps
- considered the most effective way to teach these steps, taking into account pupils’ working memory capacity
Reference materials
- Considering how to introduce new knowledge to pupils
- Explanations and modelling
- Identifying concepts, knowledge and skills
- Sequencing teaching and learning
- Helping pupils to master important concepts, knowledge and skills - part 1
- Helping pupils to master important concepts, knowledge and skills - part 2
Key questions and talking points
- What are the key skills you have identified that your pupils will need to develop for your current scheme of learning, unit or topic?
- How have you identified the concepts, knowledge and skills needed?
- Select 1 subject-specific skill. What prior knowledge would pupils need to have?
- Have you identified the foundational knowledge pupils will need to have and the vocabulary they will need to know?
- What instructional procedures or strategies will you implement to develop key skills (consider those shared in the training session)?
- How can you break down 1 key skill into smaller steps (its component parts)?
- Why does breaking down content into smaller steps or parts support a pupil’s working memory?
- Why is it important to avoid overloading the working memory?
- How else could you support your pupil’s working memory? (prompt for - clear expositions or retrieval and spaced practice, combining graphics and visuals, and so on.)
- Let’s agree on an area of focus for this half term, linked to developing subject-specific skills.