Habits for Success
CHAPTER 6
Memory: Maximizing Recall For Test Success
Keys to Effective Learning, 6e Carol Carter, Joyce Bishop, and Sarah Lyman Kravits © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Habits for Success
Habit for success:
Put your senses to work “Intelligent people know that all information gets into the brain through the sensory pathways…Those whose sensory pathways are more open and alert absorb more information from the environment.” Art Costa Keys to Effective Learning 6e,Ch06
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Habits for Success
How does memory work?
Keys to Effective Learning 6e,Ch06
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Habits for Success
Memory is the foundation for test success. If you can remember something, you can answer questions about it and use it. Keys to Effective Learning 6e,Ch06
Š 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Habits for Success
Your brain processes and stores information in three stages: 1. Information goes into sensory registers (a few seconds) 2. Some information goes into short-term memory (about 30 seconds) 3. With effort, you keep the most important information in long-term memory (your brain’s more permanent storehouse)
Keys to Effective Learning 6e,Ch06
Š 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Habits for Success
Long-term memory stores three types of information • Procedural memory – how to do things like ride a bike or drive • Declarative memory – memories of facts, ideas, formulas • Episodic memory – memories of events linked to personal experiences
Keys to Effective Learning 6e,Ch06
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Habits for Success
With all this brain hardware, why is it so easy to forget? It takes focused, regular review to keep information in your long-term storage memory bank.
Keys to Effective Learning 6e,Ch06
Š 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Habits for Success
How can you improve your memory?
Keys to Effective Learning 6e,Ch06
Š 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Habits for Success
Active strategies anchor information in long-term memory. • • • •
Find an emotional connection Understand the meaning Think critically Recite aloud, rehearse in your head, write it down • Use flash cards, MP3 players, podcasts • Study in short, frequent sessions Keys to Effective Learning 6e,Ch06
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Habits for Success
Organizing items can help. Some ways to organize what you need to remember: • Separate main points from unimportant details, and focus on the important stuff. • “Chunk” material – divide it into smaller sections that are more manageable. • Use organizational tools (outlines, think links) to map out the logical connections among items. Keys to Effective Learning 6e,Ch06
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Habits for Success
Key strategy: Use what you have learned, and you will remember it better. • • • •
Apply it to new situations Teach it to a friend Give yourself a flash card quiz Do problems that require it
Keys to Effective Learning 6e,Ch06
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Habits for Success
How can mnemonics boost recall?
Keys to Effective Learning 6e,Ch06
Š 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Habits for Success
Mnemonics use visual pictures to connect new information to what you already know. They help you create a “hook” on which to hang what you want to remember. Keys to Effective Learning 6e,Ch06
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Habits for Success
The “mental walk” strategy stores ideas in familiar locations.
Keys to Effective Learning 6e,Ch06
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Habits for Success
Use the DAP method to remember vocabulary.
Keys to Effective Learning 6e,Ch06
Š 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Habits for Success
An acronym is a word or phrase formed from the first letters of a series of words.
Keys to Effective Learning 6e,Ch06
Š 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Habits for Success
Why do you need a good memory when you have the Internet?
Keys to Effective Learning 6e,Ch06
Š 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Habits for Success
Your potential as a thinker depends on having a reservoir of facts in your memory – not just on your Internet pages.
Keys to Effective Learning 6e,Ch06
Š 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Habits for Success
Real People Put Their Senses to Work Henry Gustav Molaison
Keys to Effective Learning 6e,Ch06
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Habits for Success
“The more mental gymnastics you do, the more agile and the quicker your brain becomes.” Nathan Tublitz
Keys to Effective Learning 6e,Ch06
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.