Module 4: Information Processing blog

King-Friedrichs (2001) stated that "new learning must be connected to what the students already know" (pg.1). We must make our classroom instruction relevant to their personal lives. Students must be able to relate to the content that they are being taught. We have to show students that what they are learning has a meaning and a purpose in their lives. We must elaborate on key concepts by showing students that they can apply what they are learning to their everyday lives. We can use food or strings to illustrate the concepts in our classrooms. We must use physical and mental cues so that students can use their memory in order to retrieve information when they are asked for it. Teachers can use portfolios and report cards in order to chart a student's progress in the class. The use of portfolios will show the parents that their child is learning various concepts in the classroom. Also, portfolios would show the parents that their children is able to use constructions in order to display their overall learning.

All of us can memorize things but we must note that it is more important for you to recall what you have learned over time. Recalling things can help you as you go towards placing things in your long term memory. The memory is exercised when we are able to process information in our minds at a slow pace. If we read materials quickly, it will be hard for us to bring it into our long-term memory. Overall, being a gamer is a serious thing. You have to create mental palaces that will help you to remember the information that you see. But it all begins with practice. If you do not practice memorization, you will not be able to master placing information into your long-term memory.

Guidance during instruction helps students as they begin to learn the concepts in a classroom. We must continue to guide our students until they feel that they are at a level where they can guide themselves through the use of their own prior knowledge. Kirschner (2006) found that "advocates of this approach imply that instructional guidance that provides or embeds learning strategies in instruction interferes with the natural processes by which learners draw on their unique prior experience and learning styles to construct new situated knowledge that will achieve their goals" (pg. 76). Minimal guidance could result in low student achievement and students could be guiding themselves in the wrong direction. Unguided instruction interrupts the human cognitive architecture/long term memory because the support from the teacher is minimal. Marsh & Butler (in press) found that "Performance during learning is a poor predictor of future performance because it reflects the momentary accessibility of knowledge (i.e. retrieval strength) rather than how well it has been stored in memory (i.e. storage strength)" (pg. 4).

As a student, I believe that I learn better when lots of instruction  is given in my classes. The instruction that is given helps me to internalize the material so that I can apply my learning to the homework that I will complete later in the evening. The seals at Sea World are trained to do tricks for many hours each day. Because of their extensive training, they are able to perform with their trainers when people come to see them. Without the training/practice on a daily basis, the seal would not be able to perform (almost) flawlessly at each performance.

References:

King-Friedrichs, J. (2001). Brain-friendly techniques for improving memory. Educational Leadership, 59(3), 76-69.

Marsh, E. J., & Butler, A. C. (in press). Memory in educational settings. In D. Reisberg (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of cognitive psychology. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Foer, J. (2011, February). Secrets of a mind-gamer: How I trained my brain and became a world-class memory athlete. New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/02/20/magazine/mind-secrets.html?hp.

Kirschner, P., Sweller, J., Clark, R. (2006). Why minimal guidance during instruction does not work: an analysis of the failure of constructivist, discovery, problem-based, experiential, and inquiry-based teaching. Educational Leadership, 41(2), 75-86.