I tell my students at the beginning of the course that I am going to try to imprint images in their brain that they will never be able to forget. They think I'm kidding!
then, as the days go by, some of the over the top examples I give become somewhat of an inside joke with the class.
they don't even realize they're retaining class content!
Richard,
yes & this can also provide a great opportunity for discussion & even some role playing, scenario discussion with the students to help them with application.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
When I give my students real life examples, they can relate the problems with the solutions. This stands out from regular lecture or learning because it's an application of the education they are recieving. Often times it is a common situation, so when they are working on something similar, they "apply" the example I've given them to find the correct solution.
I teach nursing, and in this profession it is essential for students to feel they are in a safe enviroment if they make an error. Hearing about previous hilarious errors I have made, and more importantly, how I rectified them, shows students that everyone makes mistakes, but the professional deals with them honestly and immediately.
Annette,
this is great. And what we can do is to give them the example/story, but don't finish it. Ask them what they would do & then tell them how it all worked out.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Since the examples are "memorable", it obviously assists the student with remembering. Since the example relates to the course content, the student is able to apply the connection between the example and the content. Most people will maintain a higher attention level when a story is being told, and if that story has an application to what is being taught, students are more likely to retain.
Some of the topics I teach are not considered some of the student favorites like biochemistry. I do my best to relate as many topics as i can to real life situations so they can grasp the subject easier. The more connections they make, the more it just makes sense to them, and there fore the less they have to actually work at rote memorization. Episodic memorization starts to become more of a second nature when trying to retrieve some of that information that is stored in their brains. I learned this a while back as i was struggling with my studies myself on the matter, so know i share it with my students.
"Memorable" examples, whether pro or con help the students relate to the material being presented. I just finished an interesting article on analogical learning, that reinforces using analogies/experience and practical applications to enhance the learning experience.
Karl,
the examples really do provide those pegs that the students can hang the various concepts & information on for recall later.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Giving memorable examples are like telling stories especially from experience. Students will always have an interest in their instructors and want to know more about their instructors and what they have been through.
Using memorable examples helps my students with the practical application of the material being presented. When they can utilize that mental picture painted in class, they are able to achieve the desired outcome in the real life application of the skill.
Memorable examples demonstrate to students real life applications of the material. In my lectures I use eaxamples all the time and the students love them. For example, if we are discussing necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis I give them an example of a 17 year old patient who came to our office because he could not bite into his food due to gingival pain. I discuss my initial assesment, treatment plan and post operative results. I let the students ask questions as I am presenting the case.
Memorable examples are typically given from experience or in a story and students like to hear about other's experiences or stories so the examples will stick with them and they can recall that event more quickly.
Memorable examples are relevant to the student and therefore become essential in the application of the information to be learned.
Robert ,
this is true & the memorable examples also provide the real life contexts for the theories/ideas in class.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
As an instructor in a specific field of study, I find that relating my personal experiences with patients (both good and bad) make the subject matter more relatable to the students. Sometimes it is a funny story (gets their attention), sometimes it is a serious story (gets their attention) but whenever you can make the subject matter have an everyday application, I find the students are more likely to remember it, or at the very least ask questions to qualify their understanding of the material.
Hi,
I teach chemistry which is a pre-requisite course for my students who are to apply for Nursing or Dental Hygiene Programs. As I teach I try to give examples connecting chemistry to their future career fields. For example, when learning naming of chemicals, I emphasize as well on the application: calcium sulfate is used to make impressions in density -something that future Dental specialists would use in their line of work. The knowledge of pH, concentration, dilution is something they will need when they go out into their field.
Definitely, when seeing relevance and connection of current material to their future profession, students seem to be more eager to absorb new information.
This is one of the most useful tools I have found. It's one thing to simply tell a student how a hollandaise sauce can break, it's another to tell them a story of how one broke when the restaurant was terribly busy and how we had to make it again on the fly... now they remember!
I believe it helps them relate to the information given. It makes it more meaningful to them.
A memorable example bridges and shortens the gap between theory and application for the learner, thus, enhancing retention of content. The memorable example serves as a "starter" for the individual student's engagement to active learning because of the true-to-life relational cascade it brings about,for which the student will remember more.
