What did  you think of the cartoons? Which one did you like best?Why?

Task 3 - Understanding Memory

For my own memory gain (lol), I'll REPEAT below some parts which called my attention from the Youtube video Understaning Memory, the WIKI , and  the article How the Memory Works in Learning. In fact, the parts I stressed below are the parts I believe fundamental for teachers to keep in mind when planning their classes, thus enabling them to choose the best activities to meet students' learning needs:

From the video:

Memories are less like a film strip and more like a complex network of stored sensations. One way to improve memory is:

a)    By Repetition: repeating information multiple times each day – the neural connections created by the memories are strengthened… The brain applies a use it or lose it principal when it comes to memories.

b)    By relating information: to something you already understand by applying concepts to your own life in the form of IMAGES, EXPRESSIONS or MNEMONICS (by understanding the shape we can see what the word means);

c)     By avoiding distractions: eg.: Studying in a quiet room with the door shut can help improve your memory ability.

From the WIKI:

Learning involves 3 steps for memory formation – 1. ENCODING 2. CONSOLIDATION and INTEGRATION 3. RECALL. Sleep is vital for the 2nd stage. The last 2 hours of our sleep is most critical for consolidation and yet our sleep is often cut short. Sleep physically changes the geography of memories. After sleep the location in the brain of our learning has actually moved.

From the ARTICLE:

“ […] IQ is not fixed at birth and brain development and intelligence are “plastic” in that internal and environmental stimuli constantly change the structure and function of neurons and their connections. Teachers have the opportunity to help all children build their brains beyond what was previously believed to be fixed limits based on learning disabilities or the predictions of test scores or achievements. […]

“ [… ] It was once believed that brain cell growth stops after age twenty. We now know that through neuroplasticity, interneuron connections (dendrites, synapses, and myelin coating) continue to be pruned or constructed in response to learning and experiences throughout our lives. […]

“ […] These physical changes of brain self-reconstruction in response to experiences including sensory input, emotions, conscious and unconscious thoughts are so responsive that human potential for increased knowledge, physical skills, and “talent” in the arts is essentially limitless. There are conditions associated with the most successful strengthening of neural networks, such as guided instruction and practice with frequent corrective feedback. As neuroscience research continues more information will be available to guide teachers providing the brain with the experiences best suited to maximize its learning and proficiency […]

[…] Brain-based research has demonstrated that new information cannot pass through the amygdala (part of the limbic system) to enter the frontal lobe if the amygdala is in the state of high metabolism or overactivity provoked by anxiety. It is important for teachers to know that when stress cuts off flow to and from the PFC, behavior is involuntary. It is not students’ choice in the reactive state when they “act out” and “zone out. […]

[…] The neuroimaging research supported by cognitive testing reveals that the most successful construction of working (short-term) memory takes place when there has been activation of the brain’s related prior knowledge before new information is taught. [...]

[…] Each time students participate in any endeavor, a certain number of neurons are activated. When they repeat the action, the same neurons respond again. The more times they (sts) repeat an action, the more dendrites grow and interconnect, resulting in greater memory storage and recall efficiency. […]

[…] Multisensory instruction, practice, and review promote memory storage in multiple regions of the cortex, based on the type of sensory input by which they were learned and practiced […]

[…]Students who have the guided learning experiences needed to construct concept memory networks will have the best preparation for their futures. […]”