Teach the Brain Forums

Hi, I am a K-3 sped teacher and am interested in discussing information processing with others. Particularly, I have an interest in the measurement of working memory's capacity for information processing. I know that working memory is measured by the digit span test. I have given a few of my students this digit span test, courtesy of the Brain Builder program that I bought. Some of my students have digit spans of 2 or 3. This is definitely a deterent to their processing.

How can I get their digit spans up to at least a 5 so that they learn easier and quicker? The Brain Builder program is good, however, I do not have time to do this with each of my students and teach the needed skills required per the curriculum. Also, it is very boring, and my students hate it, knowing that the kids next to them are doing something much more fun on the other computers.

I know I can help them to compensate for the processing issues - extra time, breaking down skills, not requiring memorization, use of manipulatives, mnemonics, kinsethetic, project-based (constructivist) activities, etc. However, I would just like to "fix" the problem. I know that if I could get the digit spans up, they would be able to learn more information at a time, and I wouldn't have to use compensatory methods or repeat instruction day after day, the same skill that doesn't seem to stick to poor short term memories.

What activities can I do to increase their digit spans that might be tied into the curriculum? In other words, is there a way to teach the curriculum, without compensation or repetition, that would increase digit spans in the process?

Am I making any sense?

justme Wrote:Hi, I am a K-3 sped teacher and am interested in discussing information processing with others. Particularly, I have an interest in the measurement of working memory's capacity for information processing. I know that working memory is measured by the digit span test. I have given a few of my students this digit span test, courtesy of the Brain Train program that I bought. Some of my students have digit spans of 2 or 3. This is definitely a deterent to their processing.

How can I get their digit spans up to at least a 5 so that they learn easier and quicker? The Brain Train program is good, however, I do not have time to do this with each of my students and teach the needed skills required per the curriculum. Also, it is very boring, and my students hate it, knowing that the kids next to them are doing something much more fun on the other computers.

I know I can help them to compensate for the processing issues - extra time, breaking down skills, not requiring memorization, use of manipulatives, mnemonics, kinsethetic, project-based (constructivist) activities, etc. However, I would just like to "fix" the problem. I know that if I could get the digit spans up, they would be able to learn more information at a time, and I wouldn't have to use compensatory methods or repeat instruction day after day, the same skill that doesn't seem to stick to poor short term memories.

What activities can I do to increase their digit spans that might be tied into the curriculum? In other words, is there a way to teach the curriculum, without compensation or repetition, that would increase digit spans in the process?

Am I making any sense?

Hi JustMe,
It seems to me that you are confusing short term and long term memory?
Given your concern with 'repeating instructions day after day'.
Short term memory is the Working Memory that is used for current thinking.
Most of which is wiped from our memory within seconds.
Otherwise our brains would quickly become overloaded with useless information.
The brain needs to select what it is to be retained for later retrieval.
The 'compensations' that you mentioned, are the means of initiating the commitment of information to long term memory. Though this still requires some degree of ongoing reinforcement to maintain it within long term memory.
Perhaps you might like to have a look at the Thread on Experiential Learning, which looks at this issue. Where you might reconsider what you define as 'compensations'. As an Experiential model of teaching?
Where your question might become; how to put it into practise?
Geoff.

I knew I wasn't being very clear. I am well aware of project-based learning, or experiential learning, as you are referring to it. I find that it doesn't have much of a place in a K-3 resource room. I teach phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension - beginning reading skills to students who have learning disabilities, most of whom I am finding are just dyslexic. I have no use for project-based activities in my room. It's straight up reading instruction. Project-based if fine for those who are reading to learn. My students are still learning to read.

It is well-documented in research that students with reading difficulties, dyslexia included, have small digit spans. I have tested my students digit spans. They fall in the 2 to 4 bit span. The low average kids (yes, we qualify them left and right) have the same digit spans as the dyslexic (avg IQ) kids, and seem to have all of the same reading problems. The speed part only seems to be a problem for the low average kids, where the high IQ dyslexic kids tend to have mostly phonological processing problems without speed as a problem. I do have a few students with both speed and phonological processing problems. I think someone once called this the double-deficit hypothesis, with fluency (speed) and phonological processing problems.

It is also well-documented in research that reading requires a 5 bit digit span, an average of the visual and auditory digit spans forward and in reverse. Phonological information goes in the kid's brain with the 2 bit digit span and right out the other side, particulary with the ones who have low auditory digit spans. I find that this limit on their capacity is the ultimate cause of their reading difficulties, simply because the information is not getting into long term memory because of these short term memory limits. Now that we know digit spans can be increased with some direct practice, I would like to find a way to increase their digit spans while still teaching the 5 areas of reading instruction required per the curriculum. I was hoping to get some suggestions.

Thanks for your response.

Hi JustMe,
It seems that I might have misunderstood you?
When you write of 'Digit Span', I am now thinking that you are referring to 'Peripheral Perception'? Where I would add the following exercise, to confirm that this is what is being referred to:
Exercises to see how much you can read with your peripheral perception. (from Konstant, 2003)

Exercise 1
Place your pacer (finger, pen) on the first hash and move it down the centre of the pyramid. Keep your eye on the hash marks in the centre. What can you see on either side of the hash marks without moving your eyes away from the centre? Write down what you can see.

........................S # p
.....................2 E # 7 E
..................D R 8 # E 5 a
.............D 2 5 I 5 # n G 5 8 9
.......6 B 2 9 o 6 3 # R 8 3 4 2 N 1
..3 9 g 9 2 E 5 4 n # 8 5 2 I 4 u S 7 p

So I am now thinking that this is what you define as Digit Span?
Though you raise a most important issue, in this regard! Where if as you say, that you have Students with 2 to 4 digit spans.
Then read ing beco mes a ver y di scon nect ed a ctiv ity.

Though the above exercise is from from a Speed Reading manual.
Where one focus is to expand the digit span to around 20 or more.
So I might suggest that Speed Reading exercises could be worth your consideration?
Though I have also considered the Speed Reading approach, in relation to the various Autistic Spectrum Disorders. Where a common problem, is that they tend to read; 'word by word'. With the result that words lose their overall context within the sentence and statement. Loss of comprehension.
Yet with Speed Reading, with an expanded digit span of say 20 digits. One reads 'blocks of words', instead of as individual words.
Which I conclude will enable greater comprehension.

I would also add another aspect of Speed Reading, which is concerned with ; 'Sub-Vocalisation'. Which is when we make the 'sound' of words in our heads when we read. In S/R the sub-vocalisation of every word is suppressed, and used more to highlight key-words.

Yet another aspect is the overall movement of the eyes as they scan across and down a page.

So in a surprising way, I have drawn this conclusion that learning to Speed Read can assist overcome Reading Disorders?
Where it is specificaly the Exercises that develop a new way of reading.
What it highlights, is that these fundamental skills of reading. Are not actually taught within learning to read?
Anyway, I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on this?
Geoff.

Yes, you are correct. The blocks of words that you refer to are called chunks. If you are trying to learn a number such as 3578430, 7 bits, it is much easier for you to chunk it into 357 8430, which is 2 chunks or bits. The same is said for words. One number '3' takes up the same digit span space as 357. They are both one chunk.

When we teach fluency, we are to tell students to recognize groups of words. If students read one word at a time, the students with 2 bit digit spans will only comprehend two words. They may only remember 2 or 3 words in the sentence. Then we say he has comprehension problems. "He read the sentence, he just doesn't know what he read." I hear this all the time from regular teachers.

What we really mean is, he has fluency problems. Comprehension is not the problem. If he could read the sentence with fluency, he would comprehend it. This the problem with slow readers. They cannot comprehend sentences that are longer than their short term digit spans permit. I try to explain this to regular ed teachers when writing IEPs. They don't understand the limits on short term capacity and its affect on fluency. They tend to think the student has "comprehension" problems, when in fact they have fluency problems. The fluency problems can be a matter of speed or it can be a matter of decoding, or it could be both.

If we teach them to chunk words in sentences, it ultimately takes up less space, and they can comprehend. But this is a compensation. We are teaching the student to compensate for not being able to comprehend each word. We are teaching them to read words in chunks that their ST capacity will allow, more words using the same digit span. It doesn't actually fix their ST digit span problems.

You might be interested in the following website. There is a lot of information on digit spans. There is also a national, ongoing project there to increase the digit spans of people. You can take the test (link on the right of the page) to help with the project. I took the test there and my scores are as follows:

Visual 9 DS
Visual Reverse 6 DS
Auditory 6 DS
Auditory Reverse 6 DS

My scores show that I am able to take in 9 bits of visual information at a time. It also shows that I am a visual learner. I hate to listen. In fact, I cannot listen to people. If someone is lecturing, or I'm at a workshop, if they don't have a visual for me to look at, I tune them out and drift off. I hate that I have poor auditory skills. I get a lot of "Are you listening to me?" questions from friends. It requires a lot of effort on my part to 'listen' to people. Just think what our students with 2 digit auditory digit spans are going through.

http://www.nacdtheproject.com/science/processing.html

This has been a very interesting thread – the best so far.

I would like to share with you a book that has just been published:
Nolan, V.C. & Darby, G. (eds.), Oct. 2005, Reinventing Education: A ‘Thought Experiment’ about Education in the Future, more info at

http://www.s105145042.websitehome.co.uk/...eaflet.pdf

It is published by the following organization:
http://www.excite-education.org

chapter 17 - Harry Forster: Changing Education -Curricula and Brain Experiments describes some experiments in reading and maths. It appears that the reading portion is close to those students that justme has described. It is about a student who, due to a brain problem, can not see phonetics. It was therefor necessary to adopt a whole new teaching strategy with different goals.

I hope this article helps you.
Bea

Hi JustMe,
Thanks very much for the link to the NACD Project, which I found extremely interesting. Most importantly it is looking at the issue of Working Memory.
Which hasn't really been discussed directly here so far.
Yet it is fundamental to much of the discussion here.

So having just read the NACD pages, I am coming to understand what you have been saying? I can also now appreciate why you replied that the Speed Reading strategies I wrote of, would only be compensatory.
My first comment, is in regard to Reverse Digit Span. That initially was a mystery to me? Though on reading an explanation, I can now recognise the crucial role that it plays. Where a 2 digit reversal span, inevitably means that one has forgotten the beginning of the sentence, by the time the end of it is reached.
Of equal importance, is the effect that this has on Organizational Skills?
Where if one is unable to retain more than 2 Digits. Then one is unable to mentally organise/ plan anything that involves more than 2 Digits.
Further to this, is the effect it can have on maintaining attention?
Where one can only 'keep up' with incoming information, if it is presented in 2 Digit chunks.
Also the NACD Project is looking at Visual and Auditory Digit Span, yet this would equally apply to all other senses as well?
JustMe, this raises so many questions, so perhaps you could start a new thread; Working Memory. So that this can be more broadly discussed?

Geoff.

I was brainstorming and came up with the game Simon Says. This is a great sequential processing memory game. I loved this game as a kid. There are lots of Simon Says games online that I could use also. I think my students would much prefer Simon Says games than the boring Brain Builder digit game. Now I need to come up with ways to incorporate Simon Says into the curriculum. For my kinders, I could have them repeat sequences of sounds, like "Simon says /k/, they say /k/, Simon says /k/, /b/, they say /k/, /b/, Simon Says /k/, /b/, /n/, etc. each time increasing the bit. What do you think? Help me come up with more ways to teach phonemic awareness and phonics in the sequential processing fashion.

I think I mentioned the name of the game as Brain Train in earlier posts, but it's not. It's
Brain Builder. I like that edit button.

justme Wrote:I was brainstorming and came up with the game Simon Says. This is a great sequential processing memory game. I loved this game as a kid. There are lots of Simon Says games online that I could use also. I think my students would much prefer Simon Says games than the boring Brain Builder digit game. Now I need to come up with ways to incorporate Simon Says into the curriculum. For my kinders, I could have them repeat sequences of sounds, like "Simon says /k/, they say /k/, Simon says /k/, /b/, they say /k/, /b/, Simon Says /k/, /b/, /n/, etc. each time increasing the bit. What do you think? Help me come up with more ways to teach phonemic awareness and phonics in the sequential processing fashion.

I think I mentioned the name of the game as Brain Train in earlier posts, but it's not. It's
Brain Builder. I like that edit button.

Hi JustMe
I must say that I found the information on the NACD site most interesting, which I've been reflecting on for a couple of weeks now?
I have also directed a number of Parents with Children with reading disorders to the site, where they read and then took the Test.
Which we have then been discussing.

Where the distinction between 'Reverse Digit Span' and 'Sequential Processing' has been highlighted!
Where many of the Children had a good reverse digit span, though their problem is with sequential processing.
But more particularly with Auditory sequential processing.

I have been looking into Visual sequential processing, in relation to maths disorder of Dyscalculia. Where about 5% of people are unable to effectively form Visual mental images, and then manipulate those images.
So that they are unable to use mental imaging to do maths calculations.
Which involves sequential processing of visual mental images of numbers.

It occurs to me that equally their could be a problem with Auditory mental imaging, in working memory? Where auditory sequential processing, would equate to the manipulation of auditory images in one's working memory.

So after a couple of weeks, I think that I now understand your idea of Simon Says; k/ b/ n.
Which involves the auditory mental manipulation to sequentially process the letters k/b/n into words to form a verbal statement.

I've been grappling with understanding Forward Digit Span?
Though it occurs to me that, having made a statement from k/b/n, that if we then add another letter; c/k/b/n that this utilises forward digit span?
Which has parallels with the process of working through a Maths equation?

This only highlights to me, the question of whether the focus should be on literacy and numeracy acquisition?
Or the utilization of Literacy and Numeracy as experiential activities to develop the spectrum of neural processes that support Literacy and Numeracy?
Geoff

I found lots of activities on the internet under a google search of "how to increase digit spans". You might pass this along to your parents. There's lots of fun and simple activities to do at home.

So after a couple of weeks, I think that I now understand your idea of Simon Says; k/ b/ n.
Which involves the auditory mental manipulation to sequentially process the letters k/b/n into words to form a verbal statement.

I've been grappling with understanding Forward Digit Span?
Though it occurs to me that, having made a statement from k/b/n, that if we then add another letter; c/k/b/n that this utilises forward digit span?
Which has parallels with the process of working through a Maths equation?

I just want to find a way to increase digit spans and so was thinking that if I have students repeat sequencially what I say, be it letters, sounds, numbers, words, that this would eventually increase their digit spans.

This only highlights to me, the question of whether the focus should be on literacy and numeracy acquisition?
Or the utilization of Literacy and Numeracy as experiential activities to develop the spectrum of neural processes that support Literacy and Numeracy?
Geoff[/QUOTE]


Rapid automatic naming tasks with pictures or objects in kindergarten can predict dyslexia quite early, and many believe that by doing more of these types of activities in the early years, children become better readers.

You might find this article interesting. It discusses the visual or orthographical processing difficulties in retrieval of phonological coding.

http://neuro.caltech.edu/~fumiko/jclub.f...rain05.pdf

Hi Justme,
Thanks for that most interesting reply.
The value of ; Rapid automatic naming tasks of pictures or objects, is highlighted here, in that it is also a good tool for developing visual / auditory working memory interaction.
Where it cannot be assumed that this ability will automatically fully develop?

Though you wrote:"I just want to find a way to increase digit spans and so was thinking that if I have students repeat sequencially what I say, be it letters, sounds, numbers, words, that this would eventually increase their digit spans."

Where it occurred to me, that perhaps in having students repeat 'sequences'.
What you may be doing, is the development of "Chunking"?
Where 'increasing digit span', through the use of sequences.
In fact, is 'increasing the span of individual digits'?

The crucial issue, is that a single 'Digit' can have multiple elements.
Where a phone number:
183164875923
Can be much more easily memorised as 3 Digits/Chunks.
1831 1648 5923.

So perhaps to increase Digit Span, the issue is to increase the Chunk size of each Digit? Which is what your sequence exercises seem to doing?

I recall your earlier mention that many of your Students had a digit span as small as 2.
Which if we also consider as their Chunk Span?
Would mean that when they came to reading, words would be read as 2 letter chunks ?
Which could provide an explanation for the difficulty with Phoneme acquisition, where phonemes of more than 2 letters are not recognised?

Yet, Digit Span / chunk size, extend beyond individual words, to other levels at the same time?
Where words within a Sentence are in turn, segmented into chunks.
So that Digit Span would also effect the ability to comprehend a sentence.

But just to confuse things further, sentences within a paragraph, are in turn chunked, so as to keep them in context?
Not to mention paragraphs within a chapter, and a chapter within a book?

Forgive my carrying on, though I believe that you have introduced a most important issue for reflection and discussion.

Geoff.

Justme,
You wrote:"I just want to find a way to increase digit spans and so was thinking that if I have students repeat sequencially what I say, be it letters, sounds, numbers, words, that this would eventually increase their digit spans."

I have been puzzling over potential exercises, where something rather obvious occurred to me?
Learning to Sing Songs.
Repeating words that you say, would be boring for you and the Kids.
Though, songs would be far more engaging.
Learning a song, involves an extensive use of working memory.
Which requires repeating sequentially, not just a few words.
But perhaps as many as 50 words?

Also notably, it involves a more extensive use of working memory.
Where each line as it sung, needs to be located within the overall song.
Where multiple verses may be involved.
As well as perhaps returning to the chorus after each verse.

So that various overlapping layers of working memory are involved.
Utilising both reverse and forward digit span.

Another benefit of songs, relates to a study I read of which identified a problem with 'Pitch Discrimination' as a causative factor for some reading disabilities.
An additional study, identified a lack of a sense of 'Rhythm' as a causative factor.
So that the use of learning and singing songs, could address multiple issues?

Geoff.

I have been puzzling over potential exercises, where something rather obvious occurred to me?
Learning to Sing Songs.
Repeating words that you say, would be boring for you and the Kids.
Though, songs would be far more engaging.
Learning a song, involves an extensive use of working memory.
Which requires repeating sequentially, not just a few words.
But perhaps as many as 50 words?

Yes, and I have a student that CANNOT remember songs. I was teaching my students rhyming and found a cute rhyme online to use. We did this every day for probably 2 weeks, and my student with a 2 bit digit span never could repeat the rhyme, eventhough everyone else caught on quickly. It goes like this, "Cat, cat, the word is cat, and cat rhymes with bat." They supplied the last new rhyme that continued the next sequence and we wrote down all the words that we came up with. We would change rimes (-ot, -et, -at, -it) after we made up a few words that rhymed.

Also notably, it involves a more extensive use of working memory.
Where each line as it sung, needs to be located within the overall song.
Where multiple verses may be involved.
As well as perhaps returning to the chorus after each verse.

So that various overlapping layers of working memory are involved.
Utilising both reverse and forward digit span.

Another benefit of songs, relates to a study I read of which identified a problem with 'Pitch Discrimination' as a causative factor for some reading disabilities.
An additional study, identified a lack of a sense of 'Rhythm' as a causative factor.
So that the use of learning and singing songs, could address multiple issues?

I will try to come up with more rhyming songs to use. Thanks for the idea.

Hi,

Thanks very much for this! This is a fascinating subject. Musical associations can have a powerful enhancing effect on memory. From an evolutionary perspective, what could be the adaptive function of this? What neurobiological mechanisms or properties underlie this enhancement? Given the great potential of music as a memory mechanism, why isn’t it more heavily incorporated into the curriculum?

Very interesting.
~Christina

OECD expert Wrote:Hi,

Thanks very much for this! This is a fascinating subject. Musical associations can have a powerful enhancing effect on memory. From an evolutionary perspective, what could be the adaptive function of this? What neurobiological mechanisms or properties underlie this enhancement? Given the great potential of music as a memory mechanism, why isn’t it more heavily incorporated into the curriculum?

Very interesting.
~Christina

Hi Christina,
Your raising of the evolutionary perspective of music, was interesting.
Within the context of my previous mention of rhythm and pitch discrimination as fundamental to literacy development.
Perhaps in fact, language evolved from the primitive development of music?
Where music served to increasingly refine and define the potential variability within rhythm and pitch discrimination.
Yet given that music was apparently used in primitive peoples, within ritualised contexts?
Then this would create a mental conceptual association between certain rituals and certain music?
Where patterns of rhythm and pitch manipulation would become associated with their ritual?
Where as a spectrum of different musical rituals evolved, in association with different activities.
The different musical patterns, would in fact represent a vocabulary?

Where for example, the first rain of the season, could have its own musical ritual/ pattern?
In turn, just a segment of the 'musical pattern', is enough to trigger an association?
Afterall, if you hear just a few notes of a piece of music that you know reasonably well. You will often immediately recognise the piece?
So that in turn, the musical pattern/ ritual for 'the first rain of season'. Could be recognised from the first few musical notes?
Where those few notes, are equivalent to spoken words?

So perhaps the development of human language, was simply a result of having a good memory for music patterns?
Where language evolved from what we now call music?
Or more specifically, the manipulation of pitch and rhythm?

Also, here's an article from BBC News on some research into Rhythm and Dyslexia:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/2144790.stm

Geoff.

Thanks for this fascinating speculation Geoff. Music certianly has a communicative quality. Related to this, how does music communicate emotion? Some have argued that technological literacy tools that associate music with text can help children with autism extract a text's emotive quality. Does music represent an alternative access point?

All the best,
Christina