6.1--Higher Order Thinking (analyze and create): How could you, as the teacher create an activity that would yield to working (or short term) memory and make it easier for students to put into long term memory?
6.2--Lower Order Thinking (remember, understand, and apply): What are some ways to create a meaningful learning experience? As a learner which do you prefer? As a teacher?
Ciera,
ReplyDeleteI want to first start off by saying how funny it is that we chose the same topic. I can honestly say I did not read anyone else questions before coming up with my own. I found that interesting, and thought I would share it with you! Also, I think you labeled your questions correctly!
(6.1) When I was in middle school, my teacher made up a song to help us remember all of the different prepositions. She used the "yanky doodle" song for the melody. I remember loving this song, and it really helped me remember the prepositions. In addition, I already knew"yanky doodle," so I did not have to spend any effort memorizing the tune, which allowed me to focus on the prepositions. This is a great way to help students remember information, and I will definitely use it in my class. Also, students love mnemonic devices! For example, I could not get the saying, "KING HENRY DIED MONDAY DRINKING CHOCOLATE MILK" our of my head even if I tried. I actually used it this summer for my biology class. Also, PEMDAS is another one that I will never forget! Therefore, songs and mnemonic devices are great ways to help students take what they know and store it into their long-term memory.
(6.2) In my opinion, students remember things when they can relate it to their prior knowledge, past experiences, and personal memories Therefore, it is always important to help students make those connections when learning new information! Next, I know children really love games. So as a teacher, i might come up with a game to help them learn the material. Finally, I have always been a fan of practice. Some information just takes time, and no matter how many games you play, they still need practice. Therefore, I feel that rehearsal is important. The more time you spend on something, the more you remember it. In fact, it becomes muscle memory over time!
As a teacher, it is obviously better for students to store the information in their long-term memory. The more you remember a certain skill, the less time you have to spend going over it. Also, if I could go back to elementary school, I would try a lot harder to learn the basics!
As a student, I think it is important to be able to decipher what information you will need for the future, and what information you will never use again. While I hate to even say this, it's true. A lot of what we are learn in school we will never use again, and the brain can only hold so much information at one time. I do not mean to sound like I don't think learning is a bad thing. I simply just mean that students have a lot on their plates as it is. If I could give teachers advice, it would be to spend more time assigning meaningful homework, and less time filling the day with random assignments. I might be completely wrong, but I feel that students try harder when they have less work.