For many people, the zoning out is just a symptom of something else in overload in our lives. Once the trigger is identified, you can learn to prevent it. Others of us are not as fortunate in being able to control the overload and can happen in quite a few areas of our daily lives.
Here is an living example: A mid thirties man has a job in a fast paced working environment. There are job duties that require flexibility and others that depend on set procedures for quality. He is known as "Minute Max" by all the staff. Some use descriptors such as "flighty, out there, unreliable, or inconsistent." For a management team that requires great higher order thinking skills and consistency, this great guy is a nightmare to work with.
Or, take a cheerful young learner who has difficulty learning to read. By the time she has sounded out all of the five to seven short words in the sentence, she has forgotten the first few words. Getting flustered, she starts all over again by sounding out all of the words until she gets so disoriented and embarrassed that she just gives up. Teachers may say she is inconsistent with her abilities and just needs to try harder.
When this "zoning out" seems to become like a label for a lack of ability, the mental fatigue is the symptom of working memory overload.
By adopting the following strategies, it is possible to improve working memory! Start by reducing the load on your working memory.
1. Reduce the amount of material to be remembered by:
- finding patterns
- learn material in a variety of ways (hands on, auditory, visual presentations)
- rely on what is already stored in long term memory
- chunk, or group, information as it goes in using patterns and link it to previous knowledge in your long term memory
- prompt recall by rehearsing it and using memory aids
2. Increase the meaningfulness and familiarity of the material
- let automaticity take over for what it knows so your working memory is free to explore and become familiar with the specific content goal.
- use existing knowledge and structure
- "KISS": Keep It Simple, Stupid
3. Simplify mental processing
- Support the new with repetition, scaffolding, and memory aids
- modify information for comprehension
4. Restructure complex tasks
- Define simple steps in procedures
- Identify the familiar first
- monitor comprehension
Want to learn more about working memory? These notes were expounded on from the book Working Memory and Learning by Susan E. Gathercole and Tracy Packiam Alloway published in 2008.
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| amazon.com |
Here's a link to a free online publication by the authors:
Some other great links:
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| Lumosity.com |