Mrs. D has been working with her students on learning how to do research on the internet. Her students are in 7th grade and have not had to evaluate websites for their use in a research project before this year. Mrs. D's 7th grade students believe that everything that is on the internet is good information. In order to teach her students about evaluating websites Mrs. D has taught the kids the mneumonic device CRAP test in order for them to remember the steps they need to take. She has used the dual-coding theory by using the students phonological loop by telling the students over and over again aloud what each letter in the CRAP test stands for and how they would test the website fore each of those aspects and using the students viso-spacial sketchpad by giving visual examples of both good and bad websites so they know what they are looking for. The students are activating their central executive system to combine what Mrs. D has told and shown them about the CRAP test in order to use it for their research project about intelligent animals.
Mrs. D has uses other techniques in her classes every day. I have seen her used massed practice when teaching students about prefixes. Her students learned about the prefixes, made a poster about a prefix, defined words based on their prefix, and took a quiz about the prefix that they learned all in one class period. This practice as grouped all at one time so that students understood that it was important. If it was then taught again and again the students can make more pathways for that information and turn it into long term memory. By teaching this concept in massed practice she has let her students know it is important but she has also taught important concepts with distributed practice. While I have been observing her classroom Mrs. D has had her students working on the 9 sentence with an introduction sentence, textual evidence, supporting statements, and a concluding sentence. They have worked on this in different ways, with different topics, and with different graphic organizers to help them map out their ideas. This distributed practice has let the students know the information is important while also making different pathways for the information to be stored.
I think that one of the best ways to help students take what we are teaching them and making it stay around for the long-term is by creating meaningful lessons. As an English teacher it is not only my job to teach students how to read and write but how to apply those skills to their every day life. By creating lessons that help my students connect the concepts we are learning with previous knowledge and future life is the hardest and most fulfilling part of being a teacher. Taking the things we are learning and teaching them in different ways and with both visual and other sensory items I can help students take what they know on with them to college and to a career.
For more information on long-term memory please see: http://www.human-memory.net/types_long.html
Mrs. D has uses other techniques in her classes every day. I have seen her used massed practice when teaching students about prefixes. Her students learned about the prefixes, made a poster about a prefix, defined words based on their prefix, and took a quiz about the prefix that they learned all in one class period. This practice as grouped all at one time so that students understood that it was important. If it was then taught again and again the students can make more pathways for that information and turn it into long term memory. By teaching this concept in massed practice she has let her students know it is important but she has also taught important concepts with distributed practice. While I have been observing her classroom Mrs. D has had her students working on the 9 sentence with an introduction sentence, textual evidence, supporting statements, and a concluding sentence. They have worked on this in different ways, with different topics, and with different graphic organizers to help them map out their ideas. This distributed practice has let the students know the information is important while also making different pathways for the information to be stored.
I think that one of the best ways to help students take what we are teaching them and making it stay around for the long-term is by creating meaningful lessons. As an English teacher it is not only my job to teach students how to read and write but how to apply those skills to their every day life. By creating lessons that help my students connect the concepts we are learning with previous knowledge and future life is the hardest and most fulfilling part of being a teacher. Taking the things we are learning and teaching them in different ways and with both visual and other sensory items I can help students take what they know on with them to college and to a career.
For more information on long-term memory please see: http://www.human-memory.net/types_long.html
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