This video discusses memory and note-taking strategies for students with ADHD. The core issue isn't long-term memory, but working memory, crucial for transferring information to long-term storage. The video proposes a three-column note-taking method: jot key points during class, then elaborate in your own words afterward. Pre-reading and exploring accommodation options are also recommended to improve encoding and recall. so why can't I remember things? bare with me while I tried to explain an intensely complicated process and a solution for hacking it in less than five minutes. it might not be as entertaining as cat videos but it's so much more educational -oh what the heck. let there be cats. working memory, which includes short-term memory, is like our mental plate. it's where we keep information while we're using it. for example: remembering a teacher's question while we think of the answer and then raise our hand to answer it. or remembering what the teacher said long enough to write it down. that's working memory. it has a lot to do with paying attention and it's one of the executive functions that's really impacted by our ADhd. which is why sometimes we know what to do but halfway through doing it, no. completely forgot. why is that a problem? because working memory is what we used to transfer information from short-term memory into long-term memory. this process is called encoding and it's the first and critical step in the memory process. and, again, usually where things go wrong. the process of encoding always involves recoding which is basically taking the information from the format in which it was delivered to us and translating it into something we can actually understand. for example, a teacher could say that the first phone call was made in 1876 but those are just words until you picture the numbers 1876 next to a telephone and imagine hearing the inventor, Alexander Graham Bell, say into the phone, "mr.. Watson,. come here. I want to see you" In school, class lectures are often when we begin encoding, or learning information, and taking notes can really help with this process. taking notes helps keep students focused and engaged while the teacher is talking. super important because you can't remember what you weren't paying attention to in the first place. And it also gives something they can study later.. that's probably why many teachers actually require that their students take notes, although they don't seem to bother to teach them how.. but for those of us with ADHD, this is a double--edged sword. taking notes can be helpful, in some classes even essential, but it can also be overwhelming and frustrating because it relies so heavily on our working memory.. think about what taking notes requires: not only do we have to pay attention to and process what the teacher is saying, we have to decide what's important enough to write down and hold it in our brains while we actually write it in a way that we can actually go back and read it later, all while the teacher's still talking!.