Have you ever finished a lesson feeling proud of how well it went?
Your students answered the questions.
They joined the discussion, and even smiled as they worked through the activity.
Then two days later you asked a simple question, and you saw blank faces.
One student looked at you and said, “I don’t remember learning that.”
One student looked at you and said, “I don’t remember learning that.”
Another quietly added, “I don’t think we ever did this.”
If you have experienced that moment, it happens to some other educators too.
Spanish educator Dorie Conlon had that feeling well. She noticed that students often told her, “You never taught us that.” The interesting part was that she had taught those concepts, sometimes more than once.
Instead of assuming her students were making excuses, she began asking a different question. What if they really believed they had never learned it?
That simple shift changed how she approached teaching and memory. The story was shared in 2024. MindShift article published by KQED, which explores why students forget and what educators can do differently.
Her students often insisted she had never taught a concept, even though she clearly had. Instead of assuming they were making excuses, she chose curiosity over frustration. She asked herself a different question.
What if they truly could not remember it?
That question changed everything.
Maybe you have asked yourself the same question after a long day in the classroom.
“Did I move too fast?”
“Did I explain it clearly enough?”
“Am I expecting too much?”
Before you blame yourself, there is something important you need to know.
What Your Student Needs Most Is Not Another Reminder
Image by Yan Krukau
Your students may not be forgetting because they were not paying attention.
They may be forgetting because their brains are working incredibly hard just to keep up.
For many students with ADHD or autism, working memory is one of the biggest hidden challenges in learning. Think of working memory as the brain’s small workspace.
It holds information just long enough for us to use it. If that workspace becomes full, new information has nowhere to go. It disappears before the brain has a chance to store it for later.
That does not mean your student is not smart.
It does not mean your lesson failed.
It certainly does not mean your student is not trying.
Hear What a Psychologist Has to Say
Dr. Tracy Packiam Alloway is psychologist and internationally recognized expert on working memory.
Dr. Alloway, a psychologist and expert on working memory, explains that students can appear bright and capable, yet still forget instructions because their working memory becomes overloaded.
She has also written extensively about how this affects students with ADHD, autism, and other learning differences.
“Working memory is the brain’s Post it note. It allows us to hold information in mind while using it.” ~ Dr. Tracy Packiam Alloway
Image by Mikhail Nilov
The next time a student says, “I don’t remember,” pause before you assume they were not listening. You may be looking at a brain that is working twice as hard to hold on to information that others store with ease.
When you understand that difference, you stop asking, “Why aren’t they trying?” and start asking, “How can I help this lesson stay in their long term memory?” That one question can change the way you teach and the way your students learn.
Prof. Sherley’s Reflection
Every child who walks into your classroom brings more than a backpack and a notebook. They bring a unique way of thinking, learning, and experiencing the world.
Some students will learn quickly. Others will need more time. Neither tells you how far they can go.
As an educator, your greatest responsibility is not to make every learner fit the same mold. It is to create opportunities for every learner to succeed in their own way.
When you choose curiosity instead of assumptions, patience instead of frustration, and understanding instead of judgment, you do more than teach. You help students discover what is possible.
Keep making room for every mind to thrive.
With gratitude,
Prof. Sherley Louis
About Prof Sherley Louis
She is a Global Inclusive Sensory-Informed Leader based in the UAE. She supports neurodivergent learners, families, and educators through practical strategies, parent guidance, and inclusive education resources.
More practical strategies and educational resources are available at sherleylouis.com
You can also follow @professorsherleylouis for ongoing parent support and inclusion content.
References
https://www.understood.org/en/articles/working-memory-what-it-is-and-how-it-works