Knowing More and Remembering More

The development of working memory is crucial to pupil engagement and academic success, especially when it comes to reading. To retain what they’re learning; pupils need to develop strategies that support their memory and ultimately improve their ability to retain information and learn.

Working memory refers to the ability that we have to hold and manipulate information in the mind for short periods of time. There’s a limit to the amount of information that can be held in the working memory and, if this limit is exceeded, at least some of what we are trying to remember is forgotten.

At Berkswell CofE Primary School, our curriculum is systemically structured to enable our children to know more and remember more.

Concepts in each area of the curriculum are sequenced in small steps to avoid cognitive overload and to ensure children deepen their knowledge and are able to apply this knowledge in accurate and meaningful ways.

Retrieval

Retrieval practice is about bringing knowledge back to mind regularly so that it becomes part of the long-term memory.  When children remember what they have learned, they can build on it, make connections and apply it in new ways.

How we use retrieval practice in school

Retrieval practice happens in many ways across the school.

From Year 2 to Year 6, all classes start the day with ‘First Things First’.  This gives the children the opportunity to revisit prior learning (through a variety of activities) that has taken place across all curriculum areas.  Children may be asked to recall/retrieve knowledge from the previous day, week, month or year.

Every day our children carry out ‘Basic Skills’ sessions, where they are asked to recall and practice maths (number and calculation), handwriting, spelling and vocabulary knowledge and skills that have been previously taught.  This allows the children to regularly revisit and embed vital maths and literacy knowledge and skills which they can build upon and apply in new ways.

At Berkswell CofE Primary School, we have developed a range of strategies to help children to remember more.

These include:

• The use of Rosenshine's Principals in lessons.
• The use of questioning to help children understand the subject.
• The use of rhymes and songs.
• Making learning exciting.
• Encouraging active learning.
• Using visual aids.
• 'Over-learning' to help knowledge to stick.
• Regularly checking for understanding.
• Spaced retrieval (quizzing) so that long-term memory and recall are strengthened away from the recency of knowledge.
• Pre-teaching to enable children to access the curriculum

In our EYFS and Key Stage One classrooms flashcards are used to recap previously taught phonics and vocabulary.  These are also displayed in the classroom along with the Common Exceptions Words/Tricky Words so the children can refer to them and are constantly reminded of their learning.

In our Key Stage Two classrooms, retrieval tasks may take the form of practising explanations, low-stake quizzes, mind mapping and rapid questioning. 

In all curriculum areas, the learning process begins with teachers checking pupils’ understanding of prior learning. These connected knowledge checks help to ensure that children are building on secure prior knowledge and are able to make connections between existing knowledge and new knowledge. Examples of assessing prior learning include: mind mapping, discussions, pre-unit quizzes, initial assessment tasks, etc.

For curriculum subjects, Knowledge Checks are also carried out after a unit has been taught.

We understand that retrieval practice improves pupils' memory and recall. In turn, it can also improve children's application skills and their ability to transfer their knowledge to new concepts and new situations.  By focusing on retrieval, reflection and application, we are helping our children to know more and remember more.

At our school, we want every child to not only learn new things but to remember and use what they’ve learned as they move forward in their education.