Too shiny
Just as a brand new nickle is extremely shiny, so is everything when it comes to processing the intake of something new. Your brain seeks means by which to intrepret the data into usable knowledge, this is usually done through association with an already known element. Take for example the title of this topic discussion "too shiny", many of you immediately thought of the movie Rainman as the image of Dustin Hoffman stating that line is an example of episodic memory. It was neither formally presented or required, yet you learned it anyway. To me, it becomes easier to remember episodic memories as an episode of something you have lived through or witnessed. Yes this also covers your "high school education" as well as you may have survived it, yet the elements do not seem so easy to recall. Does anyone really remember having fun in high school geometry? This might be a key to finding out how you recall things.
Nancy,
Good points about the need to understand the value of different disciplines of study. Together these different areas contribute to the development of our students and move them forward toward their career goals.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Have to laugh at this. Geometry was not something I enjoyed at all. Yet, this was a building block to higher level math. I think that we must understand that not all students are going to enjoy every aspect of math/science, etc. We must encourage them to understand that not every aspect of a descipline is going to be easy for them to master. Patience and hard work is needed in the areas that are difficult for the student. It is imperative the student understands this so the self-esteem and confidence does not dwindle.
Peter,
I have been a teacher for a number of years and I have heard some shocking, amazing and emotional stories over the years. Your comment is a good one because we need to remember where some of our students come from and then see how we can support them in their efforts to create better lives for themselves.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
i absolutly agree, some of the stories that i have heard i cant even begin to imagine. definitely listen and learn from your students and remember that the reason why they are here is because they aspire to one day become YOU.
Lisa,
You have covered a real challenging situation for instructors. As adults many of our students have been on the failure trail so long they don't know how to get off of it. They are trying something else and in this case it is college. We need to help them see that they can change the direction their life is going by doing certain things, one of which is working hard and not be derailed by life distractions. It is tough to get through to some of the because they have learned that failure is easy and success requires work. As teachers we represent authority figures that are there to help them be successful. This is a responsibility we do not take lightly but we can only do so much and they need to realize that as well. We can help, support, encourage and reinforce but in the end it is still up to them to achieve success. It is such a great feeling which students get this concept and apply it to their lives.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
This topic can have so many different meanings to a diverse set of students. Some can overlook a bad teacher and others can not. In my class, I find that when this subject is brought up, no two memories are exactly the same. One similarity seems to be that the verbal extrovert is the one who is most uncertain about their education aptitude. They appear to be the most effected by positive reinforcement also. I wonder if it's a defense mechanism, reaction formation, or just a plain old not wanting to be embarrassed in front of other students that makes them appear confident and they do not ask for help. I think they have taken negative comments that were made in their lives and internalized them. I get the greatest feeling when I realize that I have made a litle bit of a difference in their thinking. They start to explain that when they go to work, how much better they plan to be than the next person working along side of them. For some, their grades improve and they have a very real sense of fitting into their dream, which now is their reality. They also relay how they are going to increase the time in which their children study. "I need to be a good example for them". So, I think that if we can positively influence the way some students view themselves, the goal attainment through the processing of all sorts of information improves. Even for their offspring.
I teach in a similar area, Deb, and I think the key is to find out as much as one can about their life experiences and then attempt to use those when trying to help them retain information. My life was very different from the lives of my students, but I have done this long enough that I can take my own experiences out of the equation most of the time.
Luequiten,
Right you are and that is why we need to use examples and have activities that help the students to connect the content to their own life experiences. This will greatly expand the content retention rate for the students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I think this is the key to recalling for most learneers in general. In school we rememeber the things that are pleasant and rewarding, normally we have an overage memory of the worst teacher or the concept of life.
Deb,
You raise a very good question for which I don't have a standard answer. Having taught in "inner city" settings for a number of years I can appreciate the challenges you and your colleagues face. My approach was to try to build a personal connection with each student and help him/her to see their future. If I could get them to see their future then their current life challenges became some what less in terms of influencing them to leave school. Didn't always work because they would end up in jail, the hospital or dead. Always a sad day for me when I got the news about such a student. Upon hearing such news I tried to renew my efforts to reach the students I still had and when success came to one of them what a wonderful feeling it was. Sure this is true of your own experiences. I wish you continued success with your students and their futures.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Jill,
So true. Stories like this really help to demonstrate the human side of the instructor as well as help the students to see that the instructor has been where they are now. As a result respect is earned by the instructor and the course gets off to a good start.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I too teach in such an environment. Our campus is considered "inner city". Many of our students are focused on getting through each day, so some of the methods used to teach in different parts of town won't be successful here.
Case in point-a student who is "couch-surfing" will not understand the same connections as one living an affluent lifestyle, so different examples must be made available to all for the students to aptly "get" the material.
How do you teach such a diverse classroom?
storytelling is definitely a teacher's best companion, especially when building rapport with a new group of students. they want to hear things about your life that help them relate to you. hardships, embarrassing moments, stories about kids and relatives are all great tools in helping them relate to you, which will in turn help them hear the material you're trying to impart to them.
Brian,
I am all about fun in learning because learning truly is fun. So the more we can incorporate activities that engage students the more learning is going to occur.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I had to think a bit to recall meaningful and impacting high school subjects which I felt that I learned and retained a significant amount of the information portrayed. It was a literature class taht I enjoyed the books required for reading and the excitement that the teacher displayed while teaching. My conclusion is that having fun while learning increases the information retained.
Zena,
Good point. These students have life experiences we can not even imagine. We need to be seen as stable learning leaders that help them to better their lives and achieve their career goals.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I live in a hardcore area. I have to remember/ live /hear/these students life experiences before I can even infiltrate the student/persons mind so they can trust and then begin to enjoy what learning is about
DJ,
Good examples and they took me back to my earlier days. Episodic memory is a powerful connector for learners. The key is to find experiences in their backgrounds that you can connect the present content with. Then it is a building process from there. Still working on the high school geometry memory - think I blocked it out of my mind forever or at least I tried to.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
