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Hello Mark,
If I read you correctly, you are referring in part to ‘lines’. Lines discreetly underpin a great deal of what we do, both in movement - physical and mental activities such as thinking – and in the holding of a ‘still position’ such as a conceptualisation, a pose, an opinion. The difficulty to subjectivise lines (dimensions, directions, handwriting, shoelaces) makes it difficult for us to organise our thoughts, our things, our world. This has consequences for memory, in that we are not able to simplify the problems that we require memory to manage. So, memory function is impoverished at the same time as having to do a great deal more work to hold elements, ideas individually, rather than as a group, a pattern, or a rhythm.
So, to respond more directly to your question.
The good news is that improving the relation to lines is relatively straightforward, and quite quickly productive. If he is not able to tie shoelaces, showing him how (step by step) is a first step. Exercises working with knots will develop this further. I will probably have real effects on the one teaching him too.
MOZI BLOCKS – are a tool for addressing precisely these kinds of issues, working with lines in space/time. (it includes straight lines, curves, tangents, diagonals, rotations, etc).
This should have the effect of increasing the field of dexterity beyond which a subject is overwhelmed/disorientated, and which state poor memory is one of the symptoms.
Memory: In my experience, what presents as memory deficit is usually the consequence of a vital function. That of a limit point that prevents the subject from becoming overwhelmed. (The consequences of forgetting are usually relatively trivial, while the consequences of not being able to forget is an acute suffering). So, often it remains as a constant as other things change, including higher and higher levels of performance. (Eg, we can be in a position of always expecting our memory to do too much and it is precisely what provides the reading (blip0 that tells us to stop.)
If he has time to work on memory directly, there are memory training games on line. I haven’t tried any in particular but I guess that they will afford some improvement, without taking a way that issue.
Mind Mapping, both hand-based and computer based should also improve matters somewhat.
Kind Regards,
Penny
Penny Georgiou
Access 1st
Needs Assessment, Advice and Support Services
For Disabled Students in Higher Education
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From: Discussion list for disabled students and their support staff. [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Mark Phillips
Sent: 25 July 2012 09:13
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Study skills targeted at improving memory
Hello All,
I'm looking to provide some study skills support specifically targeted at improving memory. The support is for a Musical theatre student with Dyslexia. The course he is studying is very practical and therefore his literacy skills are having the most profound impact on reading. The student has to attend rehearsals and auditions where he needs to quickly read and perform direct from script. The student's Ed Psych report highlighted difficulties with working memory which I suspect is a major contributing factor to his difficulties. Does anyone know of any courses which could help the student develop strategies to become familiar enough with lines to perform them. At present the student is concerned his performance is suffering due to concentrating all his energies on decoding the text.
Many thanks,
Mark Phillips
(Needs Assessor)
Assessment Centre, Cardiff 
