Memorizing vs. Understanding: Using Technology to Help Students Retain and Understand Information

As a college graduate, I have many experiences in classes where I simply memorized information for a test or quiz, and shortly after….the information magically disappeared from my brain. By cramming for a test or simply memorizing information instead of understanding it, I was storing information in the short-term memory part of my brain. So as a teacher, how can we get our students to store important information in their long term memory so they are getting the full understanding of the concept?

The Cognitive theory is a learning theory of psychology that attempts to explain human behavior by understanding the thought processes. Allen Paivio’s “dual code theory” he states that people process visual and verbal information differently. Dr. Orey (Laureate Education, 2009) discusses how Paivio believes that people store images, labels, and smells. So if you saw a picture of Abraham Lincoln or heard a speech you would store this information better than simply reading it. The “Elaboration Theory” states that the primary mechanism for storing information in the long term memory. By making connections and associations with the information being learned, it will be stored in the long term memory. One example that Dr. Orey (Laureate Education, 2009)discusses is if you are learning about the Civil War and need to know the name of the general from the south, you can make a connection to remember General Lee’s name. You could think of Lee jeans or a friend named Lee and make that connection; you will most likely remember it.

Now that we know how students learn best, we can begin to think of strategies we can use in the classroom to help our students succeed. “For many students, multimedia is very effective because it helps them both activate prior knowledge and develop a mental model to help them understand new information” Pitler, et al (p. 82, 2007). Using a variety of media to help students organize and store new information is one strategy teachers can use. Graphic organizers, outlines, graphs, and concept maps are a few examples. Programs like Kidspiration and Webspiration can help students organize their thoughts and information in an organized way. If you scroll down the blog page you will find an example of a concept map created at readthinkwrite.org.Other forms of media such as videos and audio can enhance students’ learning. I like the websites Brainpop.com and discoverykids.com for informational videos.

Pitler et al. (2007) explain that summarizing and note-taking is a skill that is helpful for students to learn in order to better understand and process information. By integrating various forms of technology students will be able to organize important information by summarizing and take notes effectively. Using programs such as Inspiration and PowerPoint to make notes is one strategy discussed by Pitler et al. (2007). Notestar.4teachers.org allows students to take information from the web, organize it, and automatically create citations for it.

References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology. Baltimore: Author.

Pitler,H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works. Denver, CO: McRel.