One student in particular in Room 4 seems to struggle getting things into his long term memory though many also seem to struggle to follow instructions so I did a little research to see what I could do differently. Mostly I found strategies that I have been using but sometimes tend to forget when time is limited or you are trying to do spontaneous activites which have not been pre prepared. In particular this is for maths which has a focus on getting things into students long term memory by repetition and mastery of concepts instead of answering a few questions right then moving on. This however does not seem to be working for David. One of the suggestions is have students write out their steps as they can see their method in another form and the act of writing it down helps to consolidate.
As MathsBuddy is all online David may need encouraging to write his answers and working out instead of doing it in his head even if he can. Check to see if this along with some of the other strategies suggested make any difference when it comes time to take diagnostic test. Possibly find another way to check his understadning rather than diagnostics as he seems to also have a mental block about these. Paper test, oral test??
1. Give directions in multiple formats
Students
benefit from being given directions in both visual and verbal formats.
In addition, their understanding and memorizing of instructions could be
checked by encouraging them to repeat the directions given and explain
the meaning of these directions. Examples of what needs to be done are
also often helpful for enhancing memory of directions.
2. Teach students to over-learn material
Students
should be taught the necessity of "over-learning" new information.
Often they practice only until they are able to perform one error-free
repetition of the material. However, several error-free repetitions are
needed to solidify the information.
3. Teach students to use visual images and other memory strategies
Another
memory strategy that makes use of a cue is one called word
substitution. The substitute word system can be used for information
that is hard to visualize, for example, for the word occipital or
parietal. These words can be converted into words that sound familiar
that can be visualized. The word occipital can be converted to exhibit
hall (because it sounds like exhibit hall). The student can then make a
visual image of walking into an art museum and seeing a big painting of a
brain with big bulging eyes (occipital is the region of the brain that
controls vision). With this system, the vocabulary word the student is
trying to remember actually becomes the cue for the visual image that
then cues the definition of the word.
4. Give teacher-prepared handouts prior to class lectures
Class
lectures and series of oral directions should be reinforced by
teacher-prepared handouts. The handouts for class lectures could consist
of a brief outline or a partially completed graphic organizer that the
student would complete during the lecture. Having this information both
enables students to identify the salient information that is given
during the lectures and to correctly organize the information in their
notes. Both of these activities enhance memory of the information as
well. The use of Post-Its to jot information down on is helpful for
remembering directions.
5. Teach students to be active readers
To
enhance short-term memory registration and/or working memory when
reading, students should underline, highlight, or jot key words down in
the margin when reading chapters. They can then go back and read what is
underlined, highlighted, or written in the margins. To consolidate this
information in long-term memory, they can make outlines or use graphic
organizers. Research has shown that the use of graphic organizers
increases academic achievement for all students.
6. Write down steps in math problems
Students
who have a weakness in working memory should not rely on mental
computations when solving math problems. For example, if they are
performing long division problems, they should write down every step
including carrying numbers. When solving word problems, they should
always have a scratch piece of paper handy and write down the steps in
their calculations. This will help prevent them from losing their place
and forgetting what they are doing.
7. Provide retrieval practice for students
Research
has shown that long-term memory is enhanced when students engage in
retrieval practice. Taking a test is a retrieval practice, i.e., the act
of recalling information that has been studied from long-term memory.
Thus, it can be very helpful for students to take practice tests. When
teachers are reviewing information prior to tests and exams, they could
ask the students questions or have the students make up questions for
everyone to answer rather than just retelling students the to-be-learned
information. Also, if students are required or encouraged to make up
their own tests and take them, it will give their parents and/or
teachers information about whether they know the most important
information or are instead focused on details that are less important.
8. Help students develop cues when storing information
According
to the memory research, information is easier retrieved when it is
stored using a cue and that cue should be present at the time the
information is being retrieved. For example, the acronym HOMES can be
used to represent the names of the Great Lakes — Huron, Ontario,
Michigan, Erie and Superior. The acronym is a cue that is used when the
information is being learned, and recalling the cue when taking a test
will help the student recall the information.
9. Prime the memory prior to teaching/learning
Cues
that prepare students for the task to be presented are helpful. This is
often referred to as priming the memory. For instance, when a reading
comprehension task is given, students will get an idea of what is
expected by discussing the vocabulary and the overall topic beforehand.
This will allow them to focus on the salient information and engage in
more effective depth of processing. Advance organizers also serve this
purpose. For older students, Clif Notes for pieces of literature are
often helpful aids for priming the memory.
10. Review material before going to sleep
It
should be helpful for students to review material right before going to
sleep at night. Research has shown that information studied this way is
better remembered. Any other task that is performed after reviewing and
prior to sleeping (such as getting a snack, brushing teeth, listening
to music) interferes with consolidation of information in memory.
From
http://www.readingrockets.org/article/10-strategies-enhance-students-memory
Link to Teaching Standard
- Develop learning focused relationships with learners, enabling them to be active participants in the process of learning, sharing ownership and responsibility for learning.
Questions I might ask myself
- Do I understand effective pedagogy as described in the NZC?
- What are ways that I can successfully engage ākonga?
- Strategies
- Discussing my practice with colleagues and being open to new ideas.
- Understanding and using a range of innovative, co-operative and inquiry learning approaches.
