Reply #110: I have a good memory, too. [View All]

[LWolf]

It's been useful. I used to read, re-read, and then read the chapter and my notes into a cassette and listen to it in the car when I was in college. It IS important; as mentioned, it's the foundation for many things. It doesn't define learning, though. It's simply one part.

We know that much of the content we teach kids won't be retained. To retain information, you have to use it regularly. What isn't used is lost. That's why, even though I was doing great at the time, I can't speak Spanish, French, or American Sign Language. I had a year of each, but no one to talk to on a daily basis when class was over.

What IS retained is the ability to reason, to seek out and analyze information when needed.

Thankfully, we also retain some of what we memorize: math facts, spelling, etc.. Those things we use regularly.

Some things are remembered because of the "drill and kill" repetition used for rote memorization. Some are remembered because of emotional tags. Tag information with emotion, and we remember it. My students will remember more about what they learned during a simulation, which they enjoy, than they do working through a textbook. They will remember more about an era from reading historical fiction, accurate or not.