One of the reading techniques that we use is Activating Schema. I explain that if you can relate to something, you are more likely to remember it. As I teach, I try to give examples that follow the same theory to aid in my students' retention.
I found this posting online discussing how to make lectures memorable. It highlighted the learning process, how to get students' attention, how to direct students' attention, and how not to overload the system. The following are some strategies for better lectures:
Quick and Easy Ideas for Better Lectures
Provide students with a framework for each lecture
o Aim for three to five main points in each lecture.
o Begin the lecture with a high-level question that the upcoming information can answer.
o Prepare a handout of the lecture's main points.
o During lecture, be explicit about what students should focus on.
Don't overload students
o Give students short breaks throughout lecture to review their notes and ask questions.
o Include a formal activity or assignment after every 15-20 minutes of presentation.
o Don't use too many different types of presentation materials at once.
o Don't give students two conflicting things to attend to at the same time.
Students are also more likely to remember information that relates to ideas or experiences they are already familiar with.
o Use examples from student life, current events, or popular culture.
o Ask students to generate their own examples from personal experience.
o Tell students how new information relates to previous lectures in your course.
o Show students how specific skills can be applied to real-world problems.
o Create activities and assignments that ask students to fit new information into the overall themes of the course.
Read more at http://cgi.stanford.edu/~dept-ctl/tomprof/posting.php?ID=790
In Psychology it is called the web of association. It gives students more things to associate the class content to so that it "sticks"
It helps with the retention of information. Some people are visual and if they have an experience to relate to content it helps one memorize those things better.
Jennifer,
great example! I always state that I'm trying to give them pegs on which they can hang the concepts & theories of the course.
Dr. Ryan Meers
Neidra,
thank you for sharing your learning & what you discovered. I'm going to take a look at this website myself. Another thing I like to do regarding activities is to start a lecture covering a new topic with an activity. Often this creates an "imbalance" in the students & they are then more open to new ideas/learning.
Dr. Ryan Meers
Keyonna,
thanks for sharing this terminology. This metaphor gives us something else that helps these ideas stick!
Dr. Ryan Meers
STudents seem to understand the concept you are discussing when you give the examples to show how the conpt works in the real world
This post really shows in a very concrete fashion what we as instructors need to embrace and follow when delivering content
Memorable examples, in the form of telling a story, enhances student's knowledge of the subject matter because it engages them. The "story" illustrates how a principle may be applied to real life.
It gives them realistic ways to remember the course content.
Because it helps them to relate to their own life or career expeiences and memories.
Patricia,
it is definitely easier for our students to see the real world application when we provide these experiences.
Dr. Ryan Meers
This helps me to actively engage most students and stir their enthusiam.
Patricia,
it is interesting to see the power of those real life memorable examples.
Dr. Ryan Meers
When you can share an industry related example from experience it makes the content "come alive." This helps student's connect the content with the real world.
William,
it really does help them see the connection of classroom content to career application.
Dr. Ryan Meers
The normal lecture can ultimately lose a student's interest whereas providing memorable examples allows a student to make connections.
It will help them not only in sustaining their interest in the class but allow them to make connections.
I believe that using examples, helps relate a concept to everyday experiences and thus makes the topic you are trying to teach more understandable. i sometimes have students come up to the front of the class and we use ourselves as example. I have this one lecture which we discuss opposing forces between chemicals and binding forces. I use the students to represent this. The students really latch o to this...they even remember which student was which chemical.
Jenny,
yes and those connections can really help them with retention of key information & details later on.
Dr. Ryan Meers
