本系列英文内容来自https://www.edx.org/course/the-science-of-learning-what-every-teacher-should-know，翻译是自己练习，如有发现不妥请批评指正！
Working Memory
工作记忆
We want all of our students to be successful, to thrive, to grow, and to feel challenged and supported as they learn in our schools.
我们希望我们的所有学生都能成功，成长，并在他们在学校学习时感受到挑战和支持。
That's not always easy.
这并非易事。
Especially with the diversity of children we often teach.
特别是随着我们常教的孩子的多样性。
In this session, we will introduce you to the concept of cognitive load and why being mindful of it as we design lessons for our students, can help enhance their learning in many ways, while at the same time, avoiding the frustration of overloading them.
在本次课程中，我们将向您介绍认知负荷的概念，以及为什么在我们为学生设计课程时留意它，能够以多种方式帮助他们提高学习效率，同时避免让他们超负荷的挫败感。
Let's begin by reviewing what we learned about how memories are made in our last session.
我们首先回顾一下我们在上一次课程中了解的记忆是如何产生的。
Our memory model illustration will help us visualize this.
我们的记忆模型插图将帮助我们想象这一点。
Recall that learning is mostly about transferring information that enter short-term memory, into long-term memory, where it is stored for later use.
回想一下，学习主要是关于将进入短期记忆的信息转移到长期记忆中，以供将来使用。【课程开始带领复习上一节内容】
It's the dialogue between these two that causes memories to be formed.
这两者之间的对话导致了记忆的形成。
We are only conscious of the information currently being held in our short-term memory and we are largely oblivious to the enormous amounts of information stored in long-term memory, that is, until it is retrieved back into short-term memory for use as we interact with it in the world around us.
我们只是意识到目前在短期记忆中存在的信息，而且我们很大程度上忽视了存储在长期记忆中的大量信息，也就是说，直到它被调用到短期记忆中以用作我们在我们周围的世界中与它互动。【这里的it指代的是谁呢？】
Recall too, that we said short-term memory has limited capacity and duration.
回想一下，我们说短期记忆的能力和持续时间有限。
For example, try to remember this number once it disappears from the screen.
What is it?
例如，尝试记住该号码，一旦它从屏幕上消失。它是什么？
Pretty easy to remember, right?
很容易记住，对吧？
But also notice that it has begun to fade from your short-term memory already, unless you've rehearsed it in some way.
但是请注意，它已经开始从你的短期记忆中消失，除非你以某种方式排练过它。
Information in short-term memory lasts only a few seconds, usually less than 30.
短期记忆中的信息仅持续几秒钟，通常少于30秒。
Now, let's try to remember this number.
现在，让我们试着记住这个数字。
Any luck?
运气好的话？
Probably impossible for most of you to remember that one.
大多数人可能不可能记住那一个。
Why?
为什么呢？
Well, our short-term memory can hold only about seven, plus or minus two bits of information.
那么，我们的短期记忆只能保存大约七个，加上或减去两位信息。
Notice I'm calling this short-term memory, since it refers to single bits or chunks of information.
注意我称之为短期记忆，因为它指的是单个比特或大块信息。
You can keep it in short-term memory by rehearsing it periodically, using the little voice in your head called phonological loop, or by visualizing it, using the visual sketchpad.
您可以通过周期性排练来保持短时记忆，使用称为语音循环的脑海中的小声音或使用视觉画板将其视觉化。
What's working memory then?
什么是工作记忆呢？
Working memory is holding information in mind and then manipulating it in some way.
工作记忆会记住信息，然后以某种方式操纵它。
For example, consider this number, a number your short-term memory has little trouble remembering once it disappears from the screen.
例如，考虑一下这个数字，一旦数字从屏幕上消失，你的短期记忆在回忆时就会有点麻烦。
Got it?
明白了么
Now, let's do some work with that same number.
现在，让我们对相同的数字做一些处理。
Remember, it's seven four eight three two.
请记住，它是七八四二三。
Next, take each number in sequence, add one
and then say the resulting five digit number out loud.
接下来，依次取每个数字，加一，然后大声说出最后的五位数字。
What did you get?
你得到了什么？
Here's what you should have ended up with.
这是你应该结束的。
This is clearly harder.
这显然更难。
Why?
为什么？
You had to hold the numbers in your short-term memory and manipulate or work them in some way.
你不得不在短期记忆中保存这些数字，并以某种方式操作或处理它们。
Hence, we call this working memory.
因此，我们称之为工作记忆。
Here's another example of working memory.
这是工作记忆的另一个例子。
Multiply these two numbers in your head.
把这两个数字相乘。
43 times 21.
43乘以21【原来乘法是这么表示的】
Again, pretty hard to do because you had manipulate or work with what was in your short-term memory.
再次，很难做到。因为你在你的短期记忆里工作或处理信息。
Multiplying 43 by 21.
用43乘以21
Most people try this calculation in one or two ways.
大多数人以一种或两种方式尝试这种计算。
Visually or phonologically in their head.
在视觉上或脑中默念出声音。
That is, you visualize the numbers in your working memory, or a little voice in your head recited the numbers as you tried to do the multiplication.
也就是说，你可以直观地看到工作记忆中的数字，或者当你试图进行乘法运算时，用头脑中的一点声音记下数字。
Some people use both pathways when they are processing things in working memory.
有些人在工作记忆中处理事物时同时使用这两种途径。
Others of you might have used a strategy retrieved from your long-term memory by breaking the multiplication into parts.
你们中的其他人可能会使用从您的长期记忆中检索出的策略，通过将乘法分解成多个部分而计算。
43 times 20 equals 860 plus one times 43 equals 903.
43乘以20等于860再加一个43等于903
We often augment our working memory through using long-term memory.
我们通常通过使用长期记忆来增加我们的工作记忆。
This all means that working memory is even more limited than short-term memory.
这一切意味着工作记忆比短时记忆更受限制。
When processing or manipulating information in working memory, learners are able to manage fewer items of information, depending on the type of cognitive processing required.
在处理或操作工作记忆中的信息时，学习者能够管理更少少的信息项，这取决于所需的认知处理类型。
Sometimes, much less than the seven plus or minus two chunks of information for the short-term memory.
有时候，比短期记忆的七个加或减两块信息要少得多。
Now why is all of this important for learning?
为什么这些对学习很重要？
Well, it's in working memory where we do our thinking, decision-making, problem-solving, reasoning, and just plain making sense of the world around us, both in terms of incoming sensory information and what we retrieve from long-term memory.
那是因为，我们的思考，决策，问题解决，推理，以及对我们周围世界的理解，无论是传入的感官信息还是我们从长期记忆中获得的信息都在工作记忆中进行处理。
For example, think about trying to decide what you want to order at a restaurant.
例如，思考关于你决定要在餐厅订购什么。
You will likely process a variety of factors as you decide, both from your immediate environment, the menu, what people at the table with you suggest, what you see or smell in the restaurant, what the waiter says, and also, what you retrieve from your long-term memory.
您可能会根据各种因素来做出你的决定，包括您的直接环境，菜单，与您同桌的人的建议，您在餐厅看到或闻到什么，服务员说什么，以及您从你的长期记忆中检索的内容。
What you ordered before at this place, what a friend previously recommended, your dietary restrictions, how hungry you are, and so on.
你之前在这个地方点的东西，朋友以前推荐的，你的饮食限制，你有多饿，等等。
You might also be distracted by the conversation going on at the table, or your cell phone vibrating in your pocket.
你可能会因桌上的谈话或你的口袋里的手机震动而分心。
All of those things will be held in working memory at various times as you make a decision about what to eat.
任何时候当你决定吃什么时，所有这些东西都会调用到工作记忆中。
That same thing happens when our students are learning something new in school.
当我们的学生在学校学习新东西时也是同样的情形。
We take in relevant information from our learning environment and at the same time, usually retrieve information from our long-term memory in order to make sense of what we are seeing or hearing.
我们从我们的学习环境中获取相关信息，同时通常从我们的长期记忆中检索信息，以便了解我们所看到或听到的内容。
But at the same time, we might be distracted in various ways, which will take up part of working memory in less-than-productive ways.
但与此同时，我们可能会以各种方式分散注意力，它会以占据工作记忆的一部分的方式以降低效率。
Since memories are formed through that dialogue or active processing between working memory and long-term memory, as we discussed in the last session, having working memory operating at its maximum capacity is important for optimal learning.
由于记忆是通过对话或工作记忆和长期记忆之间的积极处理形成的，正如我们在上一次课程中所讨论的那样，让工作记忆以最大容量运行对于最佳学习非常重要。
So it is critical that our students are able to process things in working memory efficiently and flexibly without overwhelming its capacity.
因此，我们的学生能够高效灵活地处理工作记忆中的事物，而不会超出其工作容量，这一点至关重要。
This is where the concept of cognitive load comes into play.
这是认知负荷的概念发挥作用的地方。
Cognitive load is formally defined as the total amount of mental activity imposed on working memory in any one instant.
认知负荷在形式上被定义为任何时刻在工作记忆上强加的智力活动总量。
Unfortunately and too often in learning situations, students can be cognitively overloaded which significantly impairs their learning.
不幸的是，在学习的情况下，学生往往会被认知负担过重，从而严重影响他们的学习。
For example, consider a student studying in her room, doing history homework.
例如，假设一个学生在她的房间里学习，做历史功课。
We hope that a maximal amount of her working memory is being used to focus on her reading her history text.
我们希望她最大的工作记忆被用于关注她阅读的历史文本。
However, if she is partially attending to any text messages coming through on her cell phone and is also distracted a bit by her little sister practicing piano in the next room, then her working memory available for paying attention to her history reading, is reduced.
然而，如果她部分地注意到她的手机上传来的任何短信，并且在隔壁房间里练习钢琴的小妹妹也会让她分心，那么她的工作记忆可以用来关注她历史阅读的就会减少。
In other words, her cognitive load is high and her learning becomes less than optimal.
换句话说，她的认知负荷很高，她的学习变得不够理想。
In addition, if the history reading contains a lot of new vocabulary words, and requires some prior knowledge she can't easily retrieve or doesn't have, then what is already a high cognitive load may actually become overloaded.
另外，如果历史阅读包含许多新的词汇单词，并且需要一些她不能容易地检索或不具有的先验知识，那么已经很高的认知负荷实际上可能变得超负荷。
And as a consequence, not much learning will probably happen during the study session.
因此，在学习期间可能没有太多的有效学习发生。
The same thing can and does happen in classrooms.
同样的事情可以发生在教室里。
The challenge for us all is that the cognitive load in the same learning environment can differ from child to child.
我们所面临的挑战是，同一个学习环境中的认知负荷会因儿童而异。
Knowing how to diagnose and respond to this is one key to effective teaching, since working memory is the gateway to long-term memory and learning happens best when it is operating at full capacity without being overloaded.
知道如何诊断和回应这样的情况，是有效教学的关键，因为工作记忆是通向长期记忆的门户，并且学习在全负荷运行且没有超负荷的情况下效果最佳。
As teachers, there is much we can do and even should avoid, to help our students manage their cognitive load. For those interested in learning more about cognitive load and its instructional implications, please see the teaching strategies section of our MOOC, under Cognitive Load, for a variety of suggestions and ideas about how to translate the learning concepts in this session, into teaching strategies for your classrooms.
作为老师，我们可以做很多事情，甚至应该避免，帮助我们的学生管理他们的认知负担。对于那些有兴趣了解更多关于认知负荷及其教学影响的人，请参阅我们MOOC的教学策略部分，在认知负荷下，提供各种关于如何将本课程中的学习概念翻译成教学策略的建议和想法。
We'll talk more about working memory and its critical role in learning in future sessions, especially when we discuss multi-tasking.
我们将更多地讨论工作记忆及其在未来的学习中的重要作用，特别是当我们讨论多任务处理时。
In summary, the take-home message for this session, is that all learners can process only a limited amount of information at a time and it's the active dialogue between working memory and long-term memory where durable memories are made.
总而言之，本次会议的重要信息是，所有学习者一次只能处理有限数量的信息，通过工作记忆与长期记忆之间的积极对话，产生持续记忆。
So we need to be mindful of our role in overloading our students' finite working memory capacity to process what we want them to, for effective learning.
所以我们需要留意我们在超负荷学生的有限工作记忆能力方面的作用，以便处理我们想要他们处理的内容，从而进行有效的学习。
In addition, we also need to encourage them to be equally mindful of how and where they choose to study and learn, a topic for a future session about self-regulated learning.
此外，我们还需要鼓励他们同样关注他们选择如何以及选择在哪里学习，这是未来关于自我调节学习的话题。
The next session, we'll continue our overview of memory and learning and we'll be looking at how students' prior knowledge is a key consideration in designing effective learning environments.
接下来的课程，我们将继续我们对记忆和学习的概述，我们将研究学生的先前知识是一项在设计有效的学习环境中需要考虑的重要因素。
