Learning Science · Working memory and task demands

Notes, diagrams and other external supports

Use external records to support thinking while checking their accuracy and relation to the goal.

Use the examples to connect this lesson with the earlier topics. No specialist equipment is needed.

After reading, you can

Choose an external representation
Distinguish support use from unsupported recall

Thinking with a record

A cook uses a checklist to remember preparation steps. A designer sketches alternatives to compare them. Notes and diagrams can hold information outside immediate memory, allowing attention to work on relationships, choices and errors.

An external support is useful only if it represents the right information in a usable way. A long unstructured transcript may be harder to consult than a short labelled outline. An inaccurate diagram can make a mistake persistent and persuasive.

Match representation to the question

Use a sequence for ordered actions, a table for comparable features and a diagram for spatial or causal relations. Label units, links and assumptions. A relationship arrow should have a clear meaning; mere proximity does not explain causation.

Producing a support can also be a learning task. Reconstruct a small outline from memory, compare it with the source and repair missing links. Copying the same outline may help access during work but does not by itself demonstrate understanding.

Define the role of the support

If the goal is dependable performance with a checklist, practise consulting and updating it. If independent recall is also needed, plan an appropriate later check without it. Removing an access support simply to create difficulty can obscure the intended knowledge. Record what was used and judge the capability actually tested.

External records can fail through outdated information, ambiguous labels or a poor match to the situation. Build a verification step into their use. Ask which version is current and whether the listed conditions fit. Competent support use includes knowing when a note should be updated or an automated result questioned.

Worked example

A comparison table for two offers

Offer A is three kilograms for €9. Offer B is 500 grams for €2. How can a labelled record support a fair unit-cost comparison?

Record total price, quantity and unit separately: A has €9 and 3 kg; B has €2 and 500 g. A lower package price alone does not imply a lower price for the same amount.
Convert the quantities to one common unit: 500 g equals 0.5 kg. Calculate €9 divided by 3 kg = €3 per kg and €2 divided by 0.5 kg = €4 per kg.
Compare €3 per kg with €4 per kg. Verify that the goods are equivalent and that extra charges do not change the prices. Keep quantity needed separate from unit cost.

A has the lower stated cost per kilogram. The record preserves the input roles and exposes the unit conversion; it supports the reasoning without silently doing it or deciding which package meets the buyer’s needs.

Put both prices on a common basis

Offer A: 3 kg for €9 gives €3 per kg. Offer B: 500 g for €2 is 0.5 kg for €2 and gives €4 per kg. The same one-kilogram basis permits comparison. Assume equivalent goods and no additional charges; the quantity needed is a separate question.

Try it yourself

Think through each question before opening the answer.

Why might a beautiful mind map be unhelpful?
Show the answer and reasoning
Its links may be inaccurate, unlabeled or irrelevant to the task. Appearance does not establish a useful representation.
A polished layout can preserve a false relationship. Ask what each link means and whether the map helps answer the current question; visual neatness cannot validate its content.
What should happen when a procedure changes?
Show the answer and reasoning
Update and verify the external support, then practise the changed step. An old checklist can otherwise preserve an obsolete action.
The checklist is part of the working system. An outdated item can direct a well-practised user toward the wrong action, so version checking and changed-step practice belong to competent support use.
A comparison table lists one price per litre and another per millilitre. Is putting the numbers in adjacent cells enough?
Show the answer and reasoning
No. Express both prices for a common quantity before comparing them.
Adjacency makes the discrepancy visible but does not resolve it. A representation should preserve units so the learner can detect and correct the mismatch.

What to carry forward

Choose a representation that serves the question.
Check the support’s meaning and accuracy.
State whether support use or independent recall is the target.

References

Sources supporting the explanations and learning checks in this lesson.