Write a blog

SRL Advice Column:

Format:

1 Blog title:

Help I am having trouble [PROBLEM] in my [COURSENAME] course

2 Blog content:

Dear XXX

I think you should try this….[Detailed description of the strategy or SRL solution]

It should work because… [Connect it to research and course concepts and SRL]

This is what happened when I tried it….[Demonstrated use and report of the outcomes of using the strategy or SRL solution]

• An example or annotated example of YOU trying the strategy (could be an image, scan, link, etc). 

Requirement:

Task: Optimizing Working Memory - Finding your mnemonic strategy

1. Choose something you need to remember:  In one of your courses , choose something that is challenging for you to remember and that you really need to know. Typically these are foundational networks, concepts, terms, steps, sequences that you just have to know and be able to recall in order to use them in any way

2. Review the Mnemonic strategies in the strategy library

3. Pick one you think will work for you

4. Create a mnemonic

5. Share and discuss as a class

6. Test it out this week and then add it to your SRL Advice Column 

Challenge for me: remember 9 steps in cost and benefit analysis in ECON 416

1.Specify the portfolio of alternative projects

2.Define the referent group

3.Catalogue potential impacts and select measurement indicators

4.Predict quantitative impacts over the life of the project

5.Monetize all impacts

6.Discount all costs and benefits and calculate the net present value (NPV)

7.Identify the distribution of costs and benefits

8.Perform sensitivity testing

9.Make a recommendation

Strategy:

General description of the strategy:

The Peg Word/Method is a mnemonic strategy that helps you remember by pairing to-be-remembered information with rhymes and images.

When should you use this strategy? For what kinds of goals is this strategy particularly useful?

When you have to memorize information, especially a list of words or terms.

It has also been shown to be effective in learning written directions and steps in complex procedures.

When remembering the words, terms or procedures in a particular order is important

When the to-be-remembered information can be visualized (like objects, people, names, etc)

When you have a rhyme or story that is memorized already by rote. It doesn't work if you are trying to memorize the rhyme and the information at the same time.

• Use with simple information and concepts rather than complex ideas.

 How to apply the strategy step by step.

Why does this strategy work? Explain the theory and concepts underlying this strategy (justification).

Dual coding - it uses visual and acoustic components.

Organization - it creates a frame for sequencing the to-be-remembered information.

Association and chunking - it links each thing you need to remember to a familiar location or route you follow.

Courses of tasks for which students have used this strategy:

• memorization of the planets.

• memorize the stages in middle adulthood development.

• memorized the Political Science History lines.

• memorized different ancient primates for Anthropology.

• In Spanish to help me memorize different forms of the indicative verbs in the preterit and imperfect tense

Evaluating the effectiveness of this strategy(Questions should target thinking processes or main purposes of the strategy).

• Did this strategy help me remember a list of items?

• Did this strategy help me remember things in order?

• Did I memorize these things fairly quickly?

Students' general comments about their experiences with this strategy:

• For short term studying and such it is pretty effective, but needs to be constantly rehearsed to have it committed to long term memory. the visualization aspect of the strategy works well aswell as the audio aspect.

• Overall, depending on the subject this method is not very effective. It requires simple information to be memorized, such as names, titles, or series, something that can be organized accurately.

• It was effective. Imagining in head helped us.

• Worked very well. Easy to access facts during test by remembering the links created while studying.

• This strategy is very useful if done properly, but the trick is doing it properly...... ha.

References and empirical support for this strategy:

Carney, R. N., Levin, J. R., & Levin, M. E. (1994). Enhancing the psychology of memory by enhancing memory of psychology. Teaching of Psychology, 21, 171-174.

Glover, J. A., & Corkill, A. J. (1987). The spacing effect in memory for prose. Journal of Educational Psychology, 79, 198-200.

Glover, J. A., Harvey, A. L., & Corkill, A. J. (1988). Remembering written instructions: Tab A goes into slot C, or does it? British Journal of Educational Psychology, 58, 191-200.

http://health.howstuffworks.com/human-body/systems/nervous-system/how-to-improve-your-memory8.htm