Improve your Child's Long-Term Memory

If your own child, or student, does not seem to perform as well in the classroom as you think he/she should, this may be the blog for you.

Memory Series: AVK (Audio, Visual, Kinesthetic)

Research shows that the majority of people are, at least partly, visual learners. Only about 1% learn best through only hearing, and even fewer are totally kinesthetic (movement). The best learning actually takes place when all of these are incorporated into a teaching/learning process. By adulthood, most people are a balanced blend of all three.

Brain studies have shown that learning styles differentiate by gender and even ethnicity. We don’t know why this is true, but studies of the brain, as well as, personal observation seem to back this up. For example, males tend to be more kinesthetic than females. Also, it is rare to find a girl who is predominantly hearing oriented. In fact, in 16 years of teaching, I have never had a female student who was predominantly an audio learner. With anywhere from 100-150 students per year, I generally had one boy who was. If required to take notes, these students would actually lose focus. As a result they didn’t remember what the lesson had been even 24 hours later. African American students are more kinesthetically oriented than Caucasians, even the girls but to a lesser degree. As a result, black boys learn best when allowed to move in the process. Both music and sports are naturally movement oriented, but there is no reason to limit movement to the arts and athletics.

With these things in mind, the average American classroom needs some adjustment. Most elementary schools are full of white female teachers. Since most of them learned visually, that is also how they tend to teach. Therefore, the students at the top of the elementary classes are often white girls. Boys often improve in secondary school where more male teachers can be found. After engaging in some brain studies, I altered my teaching style to accommodate some of these differences. For years I had always allowed audio learners to just listen, without taking notes, once I identified them. However, movement in the classroom was something that I’d try to keep to a minimum, because I thought it was a distraction. I finally came up with ways to incorporate movement in fun productive ways. Once I did that, test scores began to soar. One African-American boy who had never passed an end-of-year test, not only passed, but he had a strong average grade. He and his mother both cried on the day the scores were revealed. In fact, though I was in one of the lowest socio-economic schools in the system, every one of my students passed the test! By understanding the differences in learning, and adapting my classroom to meet those needs, all of my students benefited.

So, for long-term memory, incorporation of visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning can make a difference. Though it is true that we all learn best from one of these, the balance allows for greater retention for all. Memory is increased!

Memory Kickers To Help Stimulate Long-Term Memory

Memory Series – Color, Sensory Involvement

Do you have a child who is struggling in school? Perhaps you’re a teacher who is frustrated because your students don’t retain material as well as you would like. Maybe you’re just tired of wasting time searching for things in your home. If any of these apply, read on!

As an educator in North Carolina, I was given the opportunity to attend national conferences on Differentiation in the Classroom. I also did brain studies in preparation for my Gifted Education certification. One of the most valuable lessons, that I learned, dealt with Memory. This interested me both from the perspective of teacher but also as a mother. Too, I realized that I would probably eventually struggle with some memory issues with the natural aging process.

Here are a couple of memory kickers that can make a real difference.

• Color is a memory stimulant. Teachers have color-coded things in their classrooms for years. Generally this was for organizational purposes, but by using different colors, our visual minds make an association that creates memory. Marketers talk a lot about branding one's business. One of the first things they use as a marketing tool is color. Think about a few businesses, what color do you associate with them?  Target? McDonald’s? Planet Fitness? These businesses want you to remember them, so color is important.
  

• Sensory Involvement can make a huge difference in memory. We are told that scent is possibly the strongest sense that we have in promoting memory. Every spring, when the lawn is first mowed, I have a quick jolt of childhood memories of playing outside with my brother. It’s the smell of new-mown grass that does it.
  
  
  When studying WWII, one way I incorporated sound, taste and smell, was to construct a cardboard facsimile of an upright radio to resemble one from the forties. Behind this prop was a tape of a selection of radio shows of the time, including music, big news broadcasts of the time, comedy shows, soaps, etc. We sat around the radio enjoying popcorn while listening to the “radio”. They had a cultural experience from another age, and the memory was stimulated by multiple senses. Remember, one sense is good, but the more senses involved in a learning process, the better. Memory retention is the goal.
  
  

I challenge you to think about ways in which you can use color and/or sensory involvement to help you, your child or an aging parent with some memory issue. These are simple to apply, and the rewards can be amazing.