Module 11 Post 1

My question: I am a bit confused on how retrieval failure can occur. I mean, I understand and have experienced situations in which I previously learned some information and then found that it was not possible for me to remember the information a few weeks later. So, the information is still stored in some mental record in my mind, yet I am unable to retrieve it? I just find it strange that it’s there but not accessible.

What is learning: According to the information processing theories, human learning can be compared to a computer processing system. Just like a computer, the mind takes in information, encodes the information, stores it, and then is able to retrieve it when necessary. These theories are less concerned with external behaviors than with internal mental processes used by learners to select and attend to different aspects of the environment. Furthermore, the theorists believe that our memory can be divided into three stages of processing: sensory memory; working memory; and long-term memory. Teachers need to focus on how to most effectively teach students information. Students come into a classroom with prior knowledge, experiences, and beliefs, all of which affect their ability to learn and process new information. Teachers need to ensure that their students are able to store and retrieve information effectively, thus they may need to teach/present information in multiple forms to guarantee that all students are able to understand the information presented. Teachers can try to get students to connect new information to prior knowledge. Also, teachers can try different ways to help the students organize ideas. They could do this by providing students ways to chunk information or store it in hierarchies. Teachers should also work to hold the students’ attention so they learn the information the teacher is presenting. Teachers need to be able to engage all learners and respect students’ attention limits. In short, teachers should always reflect on their teaching strategies and see whether or not that strategy is best to use in their classroom. Sometimes, different approaches to information are best to ensure that all students are learning the information. We all know that students learn differently, and it’s not possible to teach a lesson in 20 different ways to reflect the learning abilities of each student. Thus, teachers should be aware of the most effective learning styles of their students and work to find the most effective strategy for teaching their students so that the students are able to learn, store, and retrieve all the necessary information.

Situation: I am attempting to teach a second grade French class some basic vocabulary. The input aspect of the memory model would be the words of vocabulary that I am giving them (say I give them 5 animals to learn). During the class period, I am showing the students images of the animals and giving them the French word (shown next to the image of the animal). Their sensory memory is being engaged here because they are looking at the picture (visual) and also using their auditory memory when they hear the pronunciation of the word. They are also encountering other sensory inputs, such as the noises of their classmates, the other objects in the classroom, perhaps there is even a weird smell in the classroom. I make sure to grab their attention to focus on the important things by putting up goofy pictures of animals on the projector screen so they can see a large version of the object. The next day, the children will probably have forgotten certain distractions that occurred the previous day (smells, noises from classmates, etc.) but they will have remembered the images of the animals and hopefully their French names. When it comes to the working memory, perhaps the phonological loop would allow the students to store the auditory sounds of the phonological pronunciation of the words. By repeating the words multiple times and having the students pronounce the words, I will be able to increase the chance that the students will remember the words and how to pronounce them. We would probably engage in maintenance rehearsal to memorize the words. I would hope that with the small amount of vocabulary (5 words) it would not be too overwhelming for the students to remember. However, after a day of other classes, perhaps the students would not recall all of the vocabulary words. Perhaps I would use a retrieval cue to help them remember the words. After a lot of rehearsal and repetition, along with practice with the images, the students would soon place this information in their long-term memory.