Chapter 4 Working Memory~
1. This chapter focuses on working memory which can help you remember visual and spatial information, coordinate your cognitive activities, and plan strategies. It talks about short term memory and introduces long term memory. The working-memory approach with was proposed by Baddeley has several key components: central executive, visuospatioal sketchpad, episodic buffer, and the phonological group. Each of these is different in it's own way.
2. I think that this ties in well with chapter 2. In chapter 2 we focused on attention and consciousness.
3. I am still confused on the central executive. I have done a little research on the internet and I keep finding the same stuff over and over. According to the book it says that it helps you decide what to do next. I think that I use this an awful lot especially just now. I couldn't load a tv show on my computer here at school so I decided to write this blog instead. I guess that means that I am using the central executive approach!
4. I think this applies to us everyday in life. For example, I know I use the visuospatial sketchpad every time I coach. I am always having the kids visualize what they are doing. Today, in my 8th grade math class, I had my 8th graders use their visuospatial sketchpad by visualizing the area of an object. After they got the visualization in their heads, I simply made them draw what they were visualizing!
5. I am going to be honest and I have never heard of these terms before. I think the author does prove it because I can relate to what they are saying. After thinking about it, a lot of the things that they say is true!
6.I think it's important as a teacher to know these terms so we can get to know what is going through our students minds. We can also see how their working memory really works. For example, I teach a lesson one day, the next day to start the day off we do problems of the day. These are problems from the prior lesson. I think if they were listening, understanding, and paying attention then they should have been storing it in their working memory. If they do not get it, then I know the information was not stored!
7. I am thinking this is used everyday and for any student.
8. Well I wish that in some kids I could store the information myself, but I think that might be impossible. The most annoying thing is when you try so hard to teach a lesson and the next day a kid comes in and has no clue of what you are talking about. Obviously they didn't store ANY information in their working memory!!

--I can breathe now! Learned a lot about working memory and a lot of new terms. Very interesting!! ok game time!:) See you next week with long term memory! WOOHOOO!