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Memory in the Classroom
by Christopher M. Walick, M. Ed.

Tests are impossible to escape, especially in the climate of accountability. Under the pressure of time and limited resources, we wonder how to help the students remember everything. Everything is a tall order, but memory strategies exist to help students remember more. To help make sense of it all, we need to have an understanding of memory itself.

First is sensory memory. Filling your brain with every sight, sound, taste, and touch you encounter may prove distracting; so, sensory memory filters out the background noise, taking in useful information and transferring it to short-term memory while disposing of everything else.

Short-term memory has a smaller capacity than sensory memory, but it can last from seconds to minutes. The average person is able to hold five to nine chunks of information at one time such as names, numbers, and facts. From this point, information can take four directions: leave one's memory; leave and imprint some aspect of itself, making it easier to remember if encountered later; bounce around in short-term memory for a little while longer; continue on to long-term memory.

Information in long-term memory, typically received from short-term memory, but not always, usually sticks around for a while. Long-term memory can be broken down into declarative memory (what we know we know), non-declarative memory (what we don't know we know, but we use anyway), episodic memory (memory of events which happen to us), and semantic memory (a memory for facts).

Then there is working memory which refers to a person's capacity to retain and manipulate bits of information obtained from short-term or long-term memory. It's like a blackboard inside someone's head, allowing space to work out problems.

All the memory mentioned can be broken into visual, verbal, and combined types. One student may have a good memory for pictures, while another can recite a song after hearing it only once. It's also important to note the difference between recall (the ability to reproduce facts) and recognition (remembering facts with the help of cues).

Students can have strengths in different areas. To help incorporate memory strategies into the classroom, try asking questions about student performance. Do they perform better on multiple-choice or essay tests? Do they remember information better when pictures are projected on the overhead or when lessons are written on the black board? Understanding student performance can help you tailor assignments to increase the likelihood of student success.

So what are some more strategies to help utilize memory in the classroom? Minimize visual and auditory distractions to help maximize sensory memory. For short-term and long-term memory, provide the material in multiple formats to increase the chances of hitting students' strengths. Doing so offers a chance for repetition of the material which is a common, but not guaranteed memory strategy. Encourage active reading. It is one of the most effective techniques in transitioning information to long-term memory. Most importantly for all memory, make the information that you provide meaningful and relative to your students' previous knowledge. When they enjoy what they're learning, they will remember what you teach.

Christopher Walick has worked as a substitute teacher in Virginia schools for the past two years. Currently, he is beginning his second year of graduate studies at the College of William and Mary, where he is studying to become a school psychologist. He believes listening and working closely with teachers will help foster major student success.