Using bite-sized learning to help students with poor working memory
Introduction: What is working memory
“I have a theory about the human mind. A brain is a lot like a computer. It will only take so many facts, and then it will go on overload and blow up.”
Erma Bombeck
Have you ever had this experience where you clearly stated the lesson objective, but nobody seemed to remember it after one activity? And why is it so difficult for students to remember the acronym B-E-E-F in basketball shooting, even though it is just four letters?
If you know what working memory is, you will understand why it might be wishful thinking to expect students to remember what we say, such as learning cues and rules and apply them in their practice.
Working memory is an executive function that plays a major role in how we process, use and remember information (Jacobson et al., 2023). Every instruction we give to them is stored in the working memory for only about 20–30 seconds (Cherry, 2023). In this digital era, the average attention span has dropped to 8.25 seconds (Suk, 2023).
Not only does this memory have such a poor retention period, it is also limited in capacity. If the students have too much information to process, they can be overwhelmed by it and develop frustration and detachment. This is the result of cognitive overload (Schimming, 2022).
It is important for us teachers to keep instruction and learning tasks short and simple so that every student, especially those with poor working memory, can remember and follow. I will discuss a few ways how we can develop the habit of breaking down learning tasks into simpler and more manageable chunks for our students.
Breaking skill practice into bite-sized practice tasks
“The fewer data needed, the better the information. And an overload of information, that is, anything much beyond what is truly needed, leads to information blackout. It does not enrich, but impoverishes.”
Peter Druker
Imagine there are three cues that you want the students to learn in badminton overhead clear (Williams, 2000):
- Racket ready in backswing position
- Extend the racket toward the sky and contact the shuttlecock at the highest point
- Snap wrist forward on contact
Unless the students have regular badminton practice, it is almost impossible to follow all three cues without feeling overwhelmed. To break the overhead clear practice into bite-sized practice tasks, you can first ask the students to work in pairs to maintain a rally for as long as possible (maybe ask them to set a target of at least 5 consecutive hits).
After 5 minutes of practice, you can tell them to move to the next stage of trying to hit the shuttlecock as early as possible. To motivate them to stay focused, you can tell them that you will only move to the next stage when you see most students able to do that. Depending on your assessment, you can decide when you want to allow them to move to the next stage.
5 minutes later, you can ask them to hit only using the wrist. They might forget after some time, so constantly remind them not to use their shoulders too much. The wrist action may not be easy for many, so you may need to lower your expectations. One way to scaffold their learning could be to ask some students to demonstrate.
5 minutes later, if you feel there’s still time for the next bite-sized practice task, ask them to practice the habit of bringing their shoulders back before hitting. Explain to them they only do that if the shuttlecock is above their head.
If you feel each bite-sized learning task should be longer than 5 minutes, please do what suits your students. The aim is to avoid cognitive overload so that the practice can be effective. Therefore, when you plan the task, think if the instruction can be shortened. If you have to explain too many things for the task, you may want to consider dividing the task into simpler developmental tasks.
Breaking a modified game into short developmental stages
“The result of information overload is usually distraction, and it dilutes your focus and takes you off your game.”
Zig Ziglar
Imagine you wanted to ask the students to play a 2v2 modified basketball game to exaggerate dribbling. In the game, the students must dribble the ball for at least five seconds before passing it to their partners. Although this game seems like a game that does not require much instruction, some students, especially those without much prior basketball experience, can find the game too much to manage. Therefore, you can build the habit of starting with a game they can do first as you develop into the game you want them to play.
For example, you can first inform the students what the lesson’s learning outcome (LO) is — to be able to dribble in a possession game. Then, tell them to try dribbling with a passive defender within the grid. Try not to explain too many things at once. If there are other concepts you want the students to understand, you can explain them later before the next stage.
To prevent the students from forgetting the LO, you can constantly move around to remind them of the purpose of playing the 1v1 game. After 5 minutes, you could ask them to play a game where the ball carrier tries to dribble it for at least 5 seconds within the grid to score 1 point.
Every five minutes, you give instructions for the next stage and one or two observations. Breaking down the game into short developmental stages also helps you assess whether the students have the skills to play a 2v2 possession game.
Short games in developmental stages make it easier to give differentiated instructions to students of different readiness levels. For example, students with good basketball skills can move straight to 2v2 or 3v3, whereas students struggling with dribbling could move up the stages slower.
Using an inquiry approach
If you are up for the challenge, you can develop a habit of using an inquiry approach to break learning tasks into bite-sized chunks that are accessible to every student. The purpose of using an inquiry approach is to help students develop the habit of simplifying the learning task if they feel the game is too challenging to meet the learning goal. Students must understand that learning tasks are most beneficial when the challenge is just beyond their capabilities or zone of proximal development (ZPD)(Mcleod, 2024).
Imagine you are teaching a floorball lesson where the learning outcome is maintaining possession by moving into space to receive a pass in a 2v2 possession game.
You can start by using a game-based approach in which the students play a 2v2 possession game. To win one point, they have to make three consecutive passes. You might have other concerns, such as students standing too close to make the three passes or the defenders being too aggressive. But as mentioned before, too much information might cause more confusion. Therefore, you can just tell them about the learning outcome for the day and how to score in the 2v2 possession game.
After 5 minutes of the game, you ask the students to discuss in their small groups one challenge they are facing that prevents them from getting into free space. Then, you ask them to set one rule so as to eliminate the challenge.
For example, if they feel the defenders are too close to them, making it difficult for them to pass or receive the ball, they can set a rule that the defender must stand 1 metre away from the offensive team. I have seen students develop creative rules, such as defenders not being allowed to run or use the floorball sticks. If you assess that the class has difficulties coming up with ideas, you can use a direct instruction approach to tell them to choose one of the two rules you suggested.
It is possible that the students might still face problems in running into space to receive a pass for many reasons. They may not be proficient in passing, so they are not quick enough to look at where their teammates are. It would be good to regularly get the students to come together after 5–6 minutes of the game to discuss their challenges and develop new rules.
Instead of giving too many rules at the start, which could cause cognitive overload, the students add a new rule one at a time. You can also suggest that students practice without a defender or play a 2v1 with 1 student as the peer coach.
The good thing about using the inquiry approach is that it is an active learning strategy. Students devise the rules to solve their problems, so it is unlikely they will forget them (Koblin, 2021).
Using an inquiry approach aims to constantly get the students to think about their learning to see if the challenges suit their abilities. They are developing the habit of simplifying learning tasks if the challenge is too high instead of continuing to struggle to learn. If they find 2v2 too easy, allow them to play 3v3 using a larger area, then self-assess if they are able to meet the learning goal in a 3v3 game.
Conclusion
“A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.”
(Herbert A. Simon)
As humans, teachers, too, have limited working memory capacity. As such, if we want to try bite-sized learning, we should also break down the strategies into simpler, doable steps (Bradford Research School, 2023). We practice one step for a few weeks till we have developed the habits before moving on to the next step.
When you use bite-sized learning, you not only cater to the needs of students with poor working memory but also help everyone else reduce the chance of cognitive overload. Each bite-sized learning task has only one or two learning focus. Hence, students can improve faster because there are no other instructions to distract them.
Students who are good at the sport may also have a poor working memory, so giving bite-sized instruction prevents the frustration of remembering too many modified rules. If they are poor in the sport, bite-sized learning tasks help prevent the frustration of learning so many things simultaneously.
As we constantly break down learning outcomes into bite-sized learning tasks, we are helping the students understand that to perform any skill, they should simplify the skill into manageable practice tasks so that the practice can be effective. When the students develop the habit of simplifying complex skills into learning tasks that are within their ZPD, they will enjoy learning. In the long run, they could develop into lifelong learners.
References
Bradford Research School. (2023, October 20). Effective professional development: managing cognitive load. Bradford Research School. https://researchschool.org.uk/bradford/news/effective-professional-development-managing-cognitive-load
Cherry, K. (2023b, May 9). How Short-Term Memory Works. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-short-term-memory-2795348
Jacobson, R., Cruger, M., PhD, & MEd, L. H. (2023, October 30). What is working memory? Child Mind Institute. https://childmind.org/article/what-is-working-memory/
Koblin, J. (2021, January 22). Active learning: Optimise for retention — sprouts — learning videos — social sciences. https://sproutsschools.com/active-learning/
Mcleod, S., PhD. (2024). Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development and Scaffolding Theory. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/zone-of-proximal-development.html
Schimming, C., MD. (2022, March 18). Cognitive overload: When processing information becomes a problem. Mayo Clinic Health System. https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/cognitive-overload
Suk, J. (2023, December 21). What is bite-sizedd Learning and Why is it Important? Hurix Digital. https://www.hurix.com/what-is-bite-sizedd-learning-and-whys-it-important/
Williams, K. (2000, August 6). PEC: Physical Activity CUES. https://www.pecentral.org/lessonideas/cues/badmintonoverhandclear.html
