WordPress.com



-1905098679000Memory: The ResearchThe more you know about your memory, the better you'll understand how you can improve it. Here's a basic overview of how your memory works. In the past, many experts were fond of describing memory as a sort of tiny filing cabinet full of individual memory folders in which information is stored away. Others likened memory to a supercomputer wedged under the human scalp. But today, experts believe that memory is far more complex and elusive than that -- and that it is located not in one particular place in the brain but is instead a brain-wide process. 3248025151066500What seems to be a single memory is actually a complex construction. If you think of an object -- say, a pen -- your brain retrieves the object's name, its shape, its function, the sound when it scratches across the page. Each part of the memory of what a "pen" is comes from a different region of the brain. The entire image of "pen" is actively reconstructed by the brain from many different areas. Your "memory" is really made up of a group of systems that each plays a different role in creating, storing, and recalling your memories. When the brain processes information normally, all of these different systems work together perfectly to provide cohesive thought. Neurologists are only beginning to understand how different parts of memory are reassembled into a coherent whole. They still don't fully understand exactly how you remember or what occurs during recall. Still, there is enough information to make some educated conclusions. The process of memory begins with encoding, and then proceeds to storage and, eventually, retrieval. When an experience or piece of information sticks and doesn’t evaporate with short-term memory, it is said to have entered into the realm of long-term memory. This journey is called consolidation and takes place after prolonged exposure to a piece of information or experience. The longer the exposure, the better the consolidation, the more robust the related memories will be.Long-term memories can store much larger quantities of information than working memory and for much longer periods of time (often as much as a lifetime). These resilient long-term recollections are made up of both consciously learned facts, such as “Madrid is the capital of Spain” and subconsciously learned knowledge, such as the ability to balance and ride a bike.What if we could remember everything we experienced? As enticing as it sounds, our finite brains would quickly find themselves overwhelmed with the random details of yesterday’s thoughts and actions.Key Principles about the memory...Implications for us?We tend to remember the first and last itemsSplit learning into smaller chunks with regular pauses; make the first and last things in a lesson memorable!Finding patterns and connections helps the memoryMake links to prior learning; introduce a context which allows connections to be madeWe tend to remember things which are odd or surprising, or do not conform to patternsUse of humour, visual props or sounds will help the brain to make connectionsThe ability to recall things is improved if we review learning over timeReview and summarise learning after an hour, a day, a week, a month and three months...Place is a powerful way of anchoring memoriesUsing ideas of place allow for additional contexts to be created – some places act as emotional triggersTalking to ourselves helps us to rememberPut memory to the test by teaching what you have learnt aloud to someone elseOur brains process and make sense of information as we sleepThe memory functions less effectively without enough sleepWorking Memory is a key thinking skill that can impact academic performance in a variety of ways. It allows people to recall and utilise information while performing an activity, and is vital to activities like taking notes, following multi-step directions, and completing complex mathematical calculations. Working Memory also plays an important role in reading comprehension, and people who have poor Working Memory skills will often have difficulty remembering teachers’ instructions, recalling the rules of grammar, or completing other academic tasks that involve actively calling up important information. People with good Working Memory skills can remember and follow complicated directions and have the ability to use what they have learned in a previous experience in a new situation.41725859144000In regards to reading, Working Memory helps when learning how to decode words, aids students trying to remember specific parts of a story or lesson, and helps in recalling previously learned vocabulary while reading. Working Memory helps with maths when people are trying to keep track of multi-step problems, and is important while trying to recall the proper methods for solving problems. Working Memory also aids in recalling and applying problem solving strategies. While writing, Working Memory is important for keeping multiple ideas in mind at once, and helps kids to be aware of the proper ways to structure sentences and paragraphs. Working Memory also helps when people are trying to recall spelling and grammar rules.Improving your ability to remember and recall information may seem like a difficult task, but it can often be accomplished by practicing some simple, short-term strategies. Simple activities like repeating instructions to yourself can reinforce basic working memory skills, while writing short lists can help complete tasks more easily.14382756159500The brain is an interesting organ and is equipped with almost endless energy even when it is supposedly at rest. It is constantly busy and working and if we were able to hear the noise it makes while working it would sound like a factory at its busiest. The brain seems to do it all. It keeps our organs functioning, supports our memories from remembering to their retrieval, etc. Some people compare the brain to a computer and this may be in part true as the brain functions by what we input into it as does our computer. The computer does what we program it to do. However, the brain does not require hardware and software to function as does the computer. With a little insight to human memory we will note that the brain does need good and healthy nutrition in order to function and thereby survive. An insight to human memory tells us that besides a healthy and nutritious diet our brain needs exercise. As does our body need exercise to survive so does our brain. Not by jumping up and down and doing hand stands but by being used in ways we would not normally use our brain. The old saying “use it or lose it” applies perfectly to the brain.We mentioned that insight to human memory was akin to a computer’s memory as it applies to short term and long term memory of both the brain and the computer. Short term memory can be compared to the random access memory of the computer while long term memory can be compared to information stored on a computer disk. Although, the brain is more complicated than our simple explanation, it serves the purpose.Memory and RememberingThe relationship between memory and learning is clearly an important one; an effective memory is a key aspect of life and work. Is learning the sum of all the things we remember?Definitions of learning?Learning is acquiring new or modifying existing knowledge, behaviour, skills, values, or preferences and may involve synthesizing different types of information. The ability to learn is possessed by humans, animals and some machines. (Wikipedia)464121570739000Learning is the knowledge acquired by systematic study in any field of scholarly application; the act?or process of acquiring knowledge or skill; the modification of behaviour through practice, training, or experience. ()Memory involves two different elements:Fixing the memory in the first placeRecalling the memory when you need it‘Every time you sense something, an electrochemical connection is made. It leaves a trace or pathway of connections between your synapses. Each one of these, is, potentially a memory. The more a particular pattern of connections is activated, the more likely it is that a memory will be created. For the memory to stick, however, it has to mean something: your brain has to find some meaning in it. Relevance to something you are already interested in may help a memory to stick.’A higher concentration of synapses at the synaptic junctions in the brain directly correlates to better memory. Student Memory Techniques1.) Try to connect an emotion to something you want to remember. For example, if you’re trying to remember information for a history test, consider how you might have felt if you were in that setting and connect that emotion to what you’re trying to remember. Studies suggest that if you can make a meaningful connection emotionally to something, or attach a strongly held opinion to what you are trying to remember, you are more likely to commit that information to memory. Sometimes it might be useful to generate an emotional response, such as finding a reason to be angry about a historical event or to think of something that is scary about a scientific fact.2.) Sustain your attention if you want to sustain your memories. Pay attention to what is important, because otherwise it will be discarded from your memory within 18 to 30 seconds. As a result, one needs to “download” information, in a way, to obtain it. In other words, you have to “work” to get information into your long-term memory. Taking notes, connecting information to other memories or using visualisation strategies all can offer support to retaining crucial bits of information.3.) Improve Working Memory by teaching others. Before teachers relay information, they process what they have learned in a way that prepares it for departure, consolidating information, archiving it, and making way for more long-term memory. Teaching others requires individuals to think about what they have learned and memorise it in a different way, so that they can present it to others. This illustrates the common axiom, “To teach is to learn twice.”4.) Make learning and memorisation a social experience. Study with your friends. Do a “text test” with them, exchanging short questions and short answers. Students quizzing each other is often much more successful in memorising for a test. However, make sure you stay focussed, as the social nature of studying together can deteriorate into hanging out rather than studying, so try and have a good mixture of fun and learning. In addition to the verbal and interactive components of memorisation, another person’s perspective on what is important to remember can be very useful in learning and test-taking.5.) Structure and organize the information you are studying “chunk” activities into a single action. Researchers have found that information is organized in memory in related clusters. You can take advantage of this by structuring and organizing the materials you are studying. Try grouping similar concepts and terms together, or make an outline of your notes and textbook readings to help group related concepts. Chunking breaks up long strings of information into units or chunks. The resulting chunks are easier to commit to working memory than a longer and uninterrupted string of information. Often students use Bullet points to break up information. 6.) Recap information just before you go to sleep. There have been a number of studies that indicate that if you quickly review material 15 minutes before going to sleep at night, you will be better able to tap into the information later, keeping from slipping away into dreamland. Remember, this is not a full study session before bed — which can cause stress — but rather a simple recap, like reading or verbalising out loud what you have already studied.7.) Don’t cram. Distributed learning is generally better for memorisation than cramming. What this means is that you should attempt to learn material over the course of time rather than during any single session. Many studies show that cramming is not an effective tool for learning, and the stress it brings only reinforces the argument against its use. One strategy that seems to help in consolidating memories is to periodically conduct a short test reviewing what you have studied over an extended period of time.8.) Encourage deeper processing and test comprehension to improve Working Memory. Go beyond simple memorisation! Difficulty with Working Memory can occur because you have merely heard or seen something without fully processing it. One strategy to promote deeper processing is thinking aloud. Instead of reading text in your head, find two or three main points to read out loud. If group studying, discuss these points with other classmates. Practice this type of “talking aloud” to connect, reflect, and deepen an understanding of the material you study. Discussion of what someone has read or heard often stimulates more thinking about it than simply re-reading it. ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download