How We Learn Part I by Delano P. Wegener, Ph.D. July 2015 Copyright 2015 by Delano P. Wegener, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved.

“No matter what you may set your sights on doing or becoming, if you want to be a contender, it’s mastering the ability to learn that will get you in the game and keep you there.” Brown, Peter C. (2014-04-14). Make It Stick (p. 200). Harvard University Press. Kindle Edition.

“Research from cognitive science has shown that the sorts of skills that teachers want for students—such as the ability to analyze and to think critically—require extensive factual knowledge.” Factual knowledge must precede skill. Factual knowledge must precede critical thinking. Willingham, Daniel T. (2009-06-10). Why Don't Students Like School?: A Cognitive Scientist Answers Questions About How the Mind Works and What It Means for the Classroom (Kindle Locations 508-514). Wiley. Kindle Edition.

In this Power Point Presentation: “When we talk about learning: we mean acquiring knowledge and skills and having them readily available from memory so you can make sense of future problems and opportunities.” 1 When we talk about problems: we mean any cognitive work that requires attention. “When we talk about solving problems: we mean any cognitive work that succeeds.” 2 (DrDel) These are examples of stipulative definitions. 1. Brown, Peter C. (2014-04-14). Make It Stick (p.2). Harvard University Press. Kindle Edition. 2. Willingham, Daniel T. (2009-06-10). Why Don't Students Like School?: A Cognitive Scientist Answers Questions About How the Mind Works and What It Means for the Classroom (Kindle Location 260). Wiley. Kindle Edition.

SOME BASIC PRINCIPLES To be useful, learning requires memory, so what we have learned is still there later when we need it. We need to keep learning and remembering all our lives. Learning is an acquired skill The most effective strategies are often counterintuitive. The most common strategies are often nonproductive. Learning is deeper and more durable when it is effortful. Adapted from: Brown, Peter C. (2014-04-14). Make It Stick (p. 2-3). Harvard University Press. Kindle Edition.

The fallacy in thinking that repetitive exposure builds memory has been well established through a series of investigations going back to the mid-1960s, when the psychologist Endel Tulving at the University of Toronto began testing people on their ability to remember lists of common English nouns. Adapted from: Brown, Peter C. (2014-04-14). Make It Stick (p.13). Harvard University Press. Kindle Edition.

Rereading text and massed practice are the preferred study strategies of most learners and teachers, but they are also among the least productive. (DrDel) Mathematics education has incorrectly focused on massed practice. Retrieval practice (recalling facts or concepts or events from memory) is a more effective learning strategy than review by rereading. When used properly and spaced appropriately flashcards provide excellent retrieval practice. Adapted from: Brown, Peter C. (2014-04-14). Make It Stick (p.3). Harvard University Press. Kindle Edition.

To overcome forgetting Forgetting is the Major Impediment to Learning We need to understand the causes of forgetting We need to understand methods to overcome those causes We need to adjust our study habits to use those methods

Forgetting -- Sensory Memory In cognitive science attention is defined as the cognitive process of selectively concentrating on one aspect of the environment while ignoring other things. Forgetting -- Sensory Memory (DrDel) This is another example of a stipulative definition. http://www.human-memory.net/types_sensory.html Long-Term Memory © 2010 Luke Mastin

Forgetting -- Sensory Memory Attention effectively filters stimuli to only those which are of interest at any given time. Information is passed from the sensory memory into short-term memory via the process of attention. In summary only items that receive attention pass from sensory memory to short term memory. Others are forgotten. If an item does not receive your attention it doesn’t even get started on the path to the memory which counts in learning. Forgetting -- Sensory Memory http://www.human-memory.net/types_sensory.html Long-Term Memory © 2010 Luke Mastin

Mechanism for Short-Term Memory Forgetting

Dispel the myth of multitasking Dispel the myth of multitasking. Multitasking while studying is counterproductive. Multitasking In fact, your brain can't consciously focus on more than one thing at a time, according to a new video created by Amit Sood, M.D., professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic and the author of The Mayo Clinic Guide to Stress-Free Living. When you think you're multitasking, your brain is actually rapidly toggling between tasks, and because "each toggle depletes energy," multitasking can actually drain you, leading to fewer accomplishments rather than more.

To overcome forgetting information from Sensory Memory Mitigation Technique Pay attention Concentrate on study material Exclude competing stimuli

Mitigation of Sensory Memory Forgetting

Forgetting -- Short-Term Memory Information in short-term memory will quickly disappear forever unless we make a conscious effort to retain it. The transfer of information to long-term memory for more permanent storage can be facilitated or improved by mental repetition of the information or, even more effectively, by giving it a meaning and associating it with other previously acquired knowledge. Motivation is also a consideration, in that information relating to a subject of strong interest to a person, is more likely to be retained in long-term memory. Forgetting -- Short-Term Memory http://www.human-memory.net/types_sensory.html Short-Term Memory © 2010 Luke Mastin

Mechanism for Short-Term Memory Forgetting

To overcome forgetting information from Short-Term Memory Mitigation Technique To overcome forgetting information from Short-Term Memory Mental Repetition Associate with Prior Knowledge Stay Motivated http://www.human-memory.net/types_sensory.html Short-Term Memory © 2010 Luke Mastin

Mitigation of Short-Term Memory Forgetting

Forgetting -- Long-Term Memory Unlike with short-term memory, forgetting occurs in long-term memory when the formerly strengthened synaptic connections among the neurons in a neural network become weakened, or when the activation of a new network is superimposed over an older one, thus causing interference in the older memory. Retrieval paths become weakened http://www.human-memory.net/types_sensory.html Long-Term Memory © 2010 Luke Mastin

Long-Term Memory

Long-Term Memory

Mechanisms for long term memory forgetting

To overcome forgetting information from Long-Term Memory Mitigation Technique Retrieval practice low-stakes quizzes self-tests Spaced practice Interleaving practice different topics related topics or skills Elaboration Reflection Generation Calibration Mnemonics

Mitigation of Long-Term Memory Forgetting

Summary

Getting information into memory is relatively easy. We need only do: Pay attention Mental Repetition Associate with Prior Knowledge Stay Motivated On the other hand retrieval of information from long-term memory is more difficult. Cognitive science has made great advances in this area in the last 15-20 years. Those advances are the topic of “How We Learn Part II” .