Memory Learning Log

What?
This week we studied Chapter 6, "The Learning and Cognitive Processes." We focused a lot of our attention on memory and how we remember things. In the three component model, we can see how memories are processed and how they are eventually stored or lost. (see image below)



I learned a lot of new things about memory that I didn't know before. For instance, I didn't realize that all of our memories are tied to emotions or senses. As I thought back to some of my earliest memories, this theory held true. I remembered mostly traumatic events or things that were tied to a smell or feeling. We also talked about how one's prior knowledge and beliefs play a major role in the meanings and memories that people construct. We used the idea of a filing cabinet as a visual metaphor for how the things that we learn and remember are stored. We also talked about the different ways we can help our students to "encode" or access prior knowledge in order to help them remember the new knowledge. Some ideas are: Rehearsal, Meaningful Learning, Prior Knowledge, Organization, Elaboration, Visual Imagery, Enactment, Mnemonics, and many other strategies.

So What?
This information will come in very handy in teaching. If we expect our students to actually remember what we are teaching them, we need to use different encoding strategeis to help them connect to the material. The more connections we assist our students in making, the more they will remember what we have taught them. It is our responsiblity as teachers to assist in this process and not to assume that our students can do it on their own. We should use different methods in order to help students discover which works best for them as an individual.

Now What?
I would be interested in learning more about how we can help our studnets make more connections with our content. Many students have absolutely no interest in English but if I can help them engage in the content, they will not only enjoy the material but they will also be able to remember it. I'm also curious at what age students can figure out what method helps them recall information. It seems like the concept of actually "remembering" could be a complex one.