We learned from Dr. Orey that one of the key principals of cognitive learning theories is information processing. How well we remember information is based on how deep, or how many connectors, we make with the information. Long-term memory, which is the goal of teachers, is a network of memory. Paivio’s theory is that we have a dual coding process. Images are easier to remember than text and when we remember the images, we also remember the label and possibly other senses such as smell. Dr. Orey’s discussion of Elaboration reminds me of association, which is how I learned to remember different facts for tests in high school. In using elaboration, we create more connectors to the memory thus deepening the memory so that we can recall the connection to the memory when needed. Forgetting doesn’t mean we don’t have the memory, it means that we loss the connection to the memory. Memory can be one of three different types:
Declarative – facts
Procedural – how to do something
Episodic – events in our life
Episodic memory is the most powerful, so anything that we as teachers can do to create these kinds of memories will be a powerful teaching tool. This is where I believe the relationship between Cognitive Learning Theories and the instructional strategies lie.
Cognitive tools, such as advance organizers, cues, questions, note-taking and summarizing serve as a mind-extension. Short-term memory is only able to remember 7 (+/- 2) new pieces of information at once. Summarizing and note-taking (which is just short bits of information on the main idea and sub-ideas) simplifies the information to weed out irrelevant information.Therefore, by simplifying through summarizing or note-taking we reduce the amount of information to process. Using cues and questions guides us to the connectors of the memory . Finally, using advance organizers, such as concept mapping, we are visually representing the organized network of memory, which, in turn, helps us to remember the specific concept.
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3 comments:
Janice,
You have a great summary of these weeks material. This is the first time I've used a mapping tool and I can really see the benefits. I took almost the same notes you did from Dr. Oreys' discussion.
I too believe the episodic memory is the most powerful teaching tool as a teacher and as a parent.
Hey Janice, your comment of episodic memory really struck a cord with me. I was talking with a teacher today about how things like plays and programs tend to stick with kids, even though they sometimes take a lot of time.
When I heard that it really stuck with me. As I remember WAY back to my school years, I can mostly remember the events (Science Fair in 8th grade, experiments done, making wooden race cars and racing them, etc).
I, too, found that as I worked with the mapping tool, I could see the benefits of using this with students.
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