Memories

Good learning is the result of cognitive processes to build memories. Research on human memory can provide us with some guidelines for what classroom work is most likely to have long-term learning effects.

The ancient Greeks understood the importance of manipulating instruction to use memory processes and developed many basic techniques. Marilla Svinicki, an expert in college pedagogy, states that students learn best when teachers provide (or students create) appropriate organizing structures. Here are some tips on memory tricks to help your students remember course information better.

Attention

Memory begins with the information that is interesting enough to battle through all the other stimuli so it can be processed further.

Make it Dramatic. Use an image or a story to attract interest. Pick images that are striking. What would Disney or an advertiser use (they are memory experts)?

Make it Meaningful. When connected to something important, presentations get greater attention. Add challenges or questions or examples that link to issues of importance to your students.

First and Last. When presented with a list, most people will tend to remember the first and last items on the list better. If you can't place your most important points at either end, make a special effort to highlight it.

Highlighting. There are a variety of tricks -- colors, font choice, pictures, and spacing -- that handouts and overheads can be modified to separate out memorable material. If your materials look monotonous, they will be harder to remember.

Rehearsal

The first level of processing attention-getting information keeps it available for short-term use. Rehearsal and simple organization become key techniques students can use.

Flash cards. A traditional tool that helps to build a working knowledge of a field.

Mnemonics. There are lots of clever ways to develop acronyms or phrases to aid recall. VCR3 stands for visualize, concentrate, relate, repeat, review (the main steps to remember something)

Notes. Show students how to take notes that aid memorization. Random underlying or sequential lists are not very effective. Cluster ideas, organize key terms, draw diagrams, draw time lines, write summaries. Ask the CIRT for a chapter on good study practices and devise assignments that have students practice them.

Long-term Structures

Long-term memory retains ideas by constructing a cognitive framework for sets of ideas or information. Use these tips to provide frameworks for your students.

Charts. Have students create charts to compare or contrast information by key categories.

Matrices. An outline gives a student only one point of reference. Matrices give multiple (and more meaningful ones) making the information easier to retrieve. Develop matrices for specific course content. For some examples, ask the CIRT for a brief chapter outlining the use of matrices for learning and studying.

Knowledge Maps. Have students create maps of the chief concepts in a lesson. There is a helpful article we can send you that summarizes a number of types and discuss their use in the college classroom.

Stories. Narratives provide compelling memory frameworks. Stories of how people used or did not use course material can be powerful aids in recalling.

Challenge. Information that is used in complex ways, like critical thinking or problem-solving activities, is more likely to be remembered longer. Without a suitable challenge, students might resort to lower order cognitive processes, like rote memorization.

Use charts, matrices, and maps as overheads or slides to guide students in your lecture.

Final Comments

The beginning of a good memory is the connections that are formed between new information and existing knowledge.

Teachers who present material in a way that aids cognitive organization increase the chances that the content will be remembered. Students who learn some of the techniques that enhance their memory capacity will retain information longer. The hints in this week's tips suggest that teachers either prepare their presentations around such memory aids or that they deliberately encourage students to develop their own.

This Teaching Tip was first published by Indiana State University’s, Center for Teaching and Learning on March 16, 1998.