Learning

2 Memory is the way in which we record the past and later utilize it so that it can affect the present

3 Learning Three aspect in the “Memory Process” –Acquisition First one must be exposed to the information and learn it –Storage or Memory Traces Information must be squirreled away and held for later use –Retrieval Recall this memory from all the others stored, this is where most failure comes from

4 Acquisition Encoding –The form in which an item of information is stored Sound patterns, the instructor speaking Letter sequence, writing and taking notes Meaning, reading and understanding

5 Acquisition Encoding –Tests Recall, you are asked to produce an item or set of items –Essays or fill in the blank Recognition, you are shown an item and indicate if you have seen it before –True or false, multiple choice, matching

6 Acquisition VARK –Visual Mind maps, graphic presentations, charts, clustering, handouts, observations… –Auditory Tape recordings, audio cassettes, active participation in study groups, study verbally aloud

7 Acquisition VARK –Read/Write Rewrite class notes, index cards as study materials, reading the assignments, reading supplemental materials, study sheets –Kinesthetic Hands on experiments, simulations, practice problems, drawings, practical experience

8 Storage Encoding Theory –Short Term Memory or Primary Memory Holds information for a fairly short interval It is still in your conscious This memory is exceedingly limited Your Memory Span is the number of items an individual can recall after just one presentation, usually 7, plus or minus 2

9 Storage Encoding Theory –Long Term or Secondary Memory Information is stored for a much longer period The information is no longer in your conscious The capacity for this type of memory is enormous But the information must first pass through the Short Term Memory

10 Storage Stage Theory –Short Term Memory Your mind is like a loading platform into a huge long term warehouse Parcels that stay on the short term platform long enough may be picked up and placed into the warehouse (long term memory)

11 Storage Stage Theory –Short Term Memory Why do you forget? –Decay, the memory trace becomes eroded over time, details become less distinct –Displacement, items are pushed out of memory by other items

12 Storage Stage Theory –The transfer from Short Term Memory to Long Term Memory Rehearsal, repeating an item over and over Primacy, you recall the first item Recency, you recall the last item

13 Storage Stage Theory –How to overcome the bottleneck? Remember 7, plus or minus 2 Reorganization by chunking –1,4,9,1,6,2,5,3,6,4,9,6,4,8,1 –1,4,9,16,25,36,49,64,81 –Pack the information more efficiently

14 Storage Stage Theory –How to overcome the bottleneck? Remember the underlying relationship –C,I,A,F,B,I,A,T,F,D,E,A –CIA, FBI, ATF, DEA

15 Storage Other Theories –The Mental Work Bench Knowledge is sorted, manipulated and organized More elaborate the processing, the greater the likelihood of later recall and recognition

16 Storage Other Theories –The Depth of Processing What is remembered depends on how it was originally encoded Recode the information into meaningful parts –3492 to a runner this may mean 3 minutes, 49.2 seconds a world record mile

17 Storage Other Theories –Understanding the process or system

18 Storage The procedure is actually quite simple. First, you arrange things into different groups depending on their makeup. Of course, one pile may be sufficient depending on how much there is to do. If you have to go somewhere else due to the lack of facilities that is the next step, otherwise you are pretty well set. It is important not to overdo any particular endeavor. That is, it is better to do too few things at once than too many.

19 Storage In the short run this may not seem important, but complications from doing too many can easily arise. A mistake can be expensive as well. The manipulation of the appropriate mechanisms should be self- explanatory, and we need not dwell on it here. At first, the whole procedure will seem complicated. Soon, it will become just another task.

20 Storage Mnemonics –Organize by Verse ABC’s Thirty days has September Mozart’s in the closet

21 Storage Mnemonics –Organize by imagery Chunk as a picture A doll, a chair and a flag Unified as one image

22 Retrieval Retrival –The best prescription for recall is to organize and understand the material at the time it is learned

23 Retrieval Accessing the Memory Trace –Physical Places Recall is more likely if the context at the time of retrieval approximates that during the original encoding What we learn in the water is best remembered in the water, SCUBA is taught in the water We take tests in the same room that we learn

24 Retrieval External Memory Aids –Pictures –Calendars –Memo pads –Shopping lists

25 Retrieval Memory Search –You can increase your memory by thinking of the context in which acquired the information Students in P.E., Math, dances –If someone’s name is on the tip of your tongue, think of the first letter of the persons name

26 Retrieval Memory Search –Prior knowledge helps us in retrieval and encoding We’re able to encode and recall a series of numbers by knowing square roots We’re able to encode and recall an activity by understanding the process of doing the laundry We’re able to recall what happen in an inning by knowing how to play baseball