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Meaning and New Learning. Dorothy Caufield Linking the Brain, Mind, Teaching, and Learning Friday, October 11, 2002. SENSORY REGISTER. System for screening sensory data Large capacity Short duration to reach the immediate memory Sight, hearing, and touch contribute most to new learning
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Meaning and New Learning Dorothy Caufield Linking the Brain, Mind, Teaching, and Learning Friday, October 11, 2002
SENSORY REGISTER • System for screening sensory data • Large capacity • Short duration to reach the immediate memory • Sight, hearing, and touch contribute most to new learning • Self-concept and past experiences can affect the sensory register
Immediate Memory • Holds data for about 30 seconds • Data affecting survival will be processed first • Data affecting the emotions will be processed next • Data for new learning will be processed after the first two • Teachers should have a classroom climate that reduces danger • Teachers should use the emotions to teach new information • Information put in briefly until the brain decides how to use it
Working Memory • Can handle on average seven items of information at a time • Can deal with information for only 10-20 minutes (adolescents and adults) • Chunking is an effective way to enlarge the working memory’s capacity
Long Term Memory • Unlimited Capacity • Sense – can the learner understand? • Meaning—is it relevant to the learner? Sense Meaning
Retention Lecture Least Effective Rote Rehearsal Practice Teaching Methods Rehearsal Hands-On and Teaching Others –Most effective Elaborative Rehearsal Guided & Independent Practice Primacy-Recency Effect Circadian Rhythms and Sleep Chunking
Primacy-Recency Effect Teachers should structure lessons this way to increase retention Prime Time One We remember best that which comes first We remember second best that which comes last We forget most that which is in the middle Down Time Prime Time Two
Implications for Teachers • Use as many of the senses during elaborative rehearsal to increase the probability of long-term storage • Teach new material first and avoid using prime time periods for classroom management tasks • Do closure during prime-time two • Use active participation—by asking students to recall previously learned information • Increase “wait time” after asking a question since students’ retrieval rates can vary • Chunk information when possible • Use mnemonics to help retention • Avoid teaching two very similar motor skills • Attach sense and meaning to all learning