Peter Horton - Educator

Unit 11. Memory: Short, Long Term, Innate learning, and The Input-Output theory

• Why is it Important for learning?
• Can I Improve my Memory?

Welcome, 7th graders, to the fascinating world of memory! Today, we’re going to explore why our memories are like superpowers that help us learn new things.

Our brain is like a vast, fantastic filing cabinet. It stores all the things we learn and experience. This cabinet has two unique drawers: one for short-term and long-term memory.

Imagine your short-term memory

as a small, quick-access drawer where you keep things you need right away, like the answer to a pop quiz or what you read a few minutes ago. But be careful, this drawer is tiny, so things don’t stay there for too long unless you move them to the more spacious drawer.

Long-term memory

is like the big drawer at the bottom. It’s where you keep things you want to remember for a long time, like your best friend’s name, how to ride a bike, or your favorite song. To get things into this drawer, you must practice or think about them a lot.
Understanding how memory works is not just interesting, it’s empowering! It’s like having a secret superpower that can help you learn better. For example, if you review your notes daily, you’re not just studying, you’re strategically moving that information from the short-term drawer to the long-term one. That way, when it’s time for a test, you’ll confidently remember what you studied!
For teachers, understanding memory can help them teach better. They can create fun activities that make the information stick in your long-term memory. They might also remind you of things you learned before to help connect new stuff to what’s already in the big drawer.
So, remembering is a big part of learning, and the more you practice, the better you get at keeping that information safe in your brain’s awesome filing cabinet!

How can students improve their memory for school?

Now, let’s dive into some practical tips that can supercharge your memory for school. These are strategies that you can use in your everyday school life to boost your memory power and ace those tests!

Stay Organized:

Keep your notes neat and your study space tidy. It’s easier to remember stuff when it’s not all jumbled up.

Use Mnemonics:

These are like little fun tricks to help you remember things. It’s like creating a secret code that only you know! For example, to remember the order of operations in math, you might use “Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally” (Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication and Division, Addition and Subtraction). It’s like a fun puzzle that makes learning more exciting!

Repeat, Repeat, Repeat:

Going over something often helps move it from short-term to long-term memory. It’s like practicing a song until you can sing it without looking at the lyrics. For example, if you go over something 7-9 times it will go into your short-term memory for a day or week and then you start forgetting. Long term memory needs to see, read, listen to or use the thing we what to remember about 75 times for it to go into our long term so we can remember for a month or year. However, it is best study something then reviews later, then some point in time study it again, review, it again at a later date in time. Don’t let it escape the memory.
Teach Someone Else: If you can explain what you’ve learned to Someone else, it means you know it. Plus, it’s a great way to ensure it sticks in your brain.
Take Breaks: Your brain can’t focus for hours and hours without getting tired. Take short breaks while studying to keep your mind fresh.
Get Plenty of Sleep: Sleep is like a magic time when your brain sorts through everything you learned during the day. Make sure you get enough rest so your brain can do its job.
Eat Healthy Foods: Fish, nuts, and blueberries are brain foods. They help keep your memory sharp.
Stay Active: Exercise gets blood flowing to your brain, which is suitable for memory and thinking skills.
Make Connections: Try to connect new information to things you already know. It’s like building a bridge between new and old information.
Use Visual Aids: Draw pictures or diagrams to help you remember information. Seeing information differently makes it easier to remember.
Remember, everyone’s brain is unique, just like you! So, don’t be afraid to try different methods and see what works best for you. It’s all part of your learning journey, and it’s perfectly normal to find your own special way of remembering things.

Because of the two ideas, methods and strategies of learning below.
Innate learning
Innate learning is the inherent ability or knowledge that organisms are born with, which doesn’t rely on external instruction or experience. Animals, for instance, naturally know how to engage in behaviors such as migration and mating rituals, which are embedded in their genetic makeup. In humans, this form of learning is evident in reflexive responses and some elements of language development.
Recognizing the significance of innate learning is crucial as it underscores the instinctual abilities and natural skills that influence behavior and the learning process. It also provides insight into the biological underpinnings of learning, suggesting that specific competencies or information are pre-installed in our genetic code.

The Input and Output theory

The Input and Output theory in language education is not just a theoretical concept, but a practical approach that can significantly enhance your language learning journey. It stresses the necessity of absorbing language (input) by listening and reading and employing language (output) by speaking and writing. This concept posits that to effectively learn a language, individuals must be immersed in it (input) and also engage in its active use (output). The input acts as the foundational material for learning, while the output engages learners in active processing and application of the language, leading to enhanced understanding and memory. So, the next time you’re learning a new language, remember to balance your input and output activities for optimal results.
The method you’ve described, involving students reading aloud, engaging in shadow reading, and copying texts, is not just a theoretical approach, but a strategy that has yielded real results. It merges input activities, like hearing and reading the language, with output practices, such as speaking and writing it. This combination can boost language proficiency. The experiences of your students, who began to dream and think in English, indicate that they were assimilating the language effectively. So, the next time you’re wondering about the effectiveness of a balanced mix of input and output exercises, remember these students’ success stories.