“Cognitive learning environments focus on helping students encode information meaningfully to long-term memory so that it can be easily retrieved.” Getting students to “retrieve” previously learned material has always been something that frustrates me. More so in the lower level classes, students can’t seem to remember concepts they have learned in previous years, semesters, and weeks! Math is a very cumulative topic, previous knowledge is almost always necessary to understanding new concepts that are taught. So, I am all for thinking of methods that I can use to help students store some math in their long-term memory so that next time I ask “what is the Pythagorean theorem?”, I will get something other than blank stares in return.
The first thing that came to mind is something I do constantly and that is Organize information so that learners can connect new information to existing knowledge. I usually start each class with a “Do Now” that is a question they have seen before and then build on it in the lesson to explain the new material. An idea I have always liked but never really made it a regular part of my routine is students can journal or blog about a new topic. They would have to summarize it or pretend they are writing a letter to a friend who was not in class the day of the lesson. Maybe encourage them to think about where/when they would use this new concept and maybe come up with a mnemonic (if possible) or method to remember a formula, definition, etc. Students can then read each others blogs and maybe get another view of the topic that might help them to remember it.
I think the idea of groupwork would also benefit students. If students had to explain how to solve a problem to another and talk about the process together I feel that they will better understand it. During a workshop last summer I learned about an ongoing project where everyday a student is selected from the class to type up the notes from that period. They would have to add to the notes explicit directions and explanations of everything that was discussed (applications, questions, steps, etc) and submit this for a grade. I thought this was a great idea but could only see it working well in an honors class. I think it might be a good idea for partner work in a regular or weaker class. Through student discussion and writing I think they might be more apt to listen and remember.
The first thing that came to mind is something I do constantly and that is Organize information so that learners can connect new information to existing knowledge. I usually start each class with a “Do Now” that is a question they have seen before and then build on it in the lesson to explain the new material. An idea I have always liked but never really made it a regular part of my routine is students can journal or blog about a new topic. They would have to summarize it or pretend they are writing a letter to a friend who was not in class the day of the lesson. Maybe encourage them to think about where/when they would use this new concept and maybe come up with a mnemonic (if possible) or method to remember a formula, definition, etc. Students can then read each others blogs and maybe get another view of the topic that might help them to remember it.
I think the idea of groupwork would also benefit students. If students had to explain how to solve a problem to another and talk about the process together I feel that they will better understand it. During a workshop last summer I learned about an ongoing project where everyday a student is selected from the class to type up the notes from that period. They would have to add to the notes explicit directions and explanations of everything that was discussed (applications, questions, steps, etc) and submit this for a grade. I thought this was a great idea but could only see it working well in an honors class. I think it might be a good idea for partner work in a regular or weaker class. Through student discussion and writing I think they might be more apt to listen and remember.
