Unlocking the Mysteries of Memory
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Ross Morrison McGill founded @TeacherToolkit in 2010, and today, he is one of the ‘most followed educators’on social media in the world. In 2015, he was nominated as one of the ‘500 Most Influential People in Britain’ by The Sunday Times as a result of…
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Are you a classroom teacher looking to better understand the intricacies of memory in your students?
In ‘The Seven Sins of Memory: How the Mind Forgets and Remembers’, psychologist Daniel Schacter digs into the complex world of memory and its imperfections, offering insights that can help teachers effectively teach and support students.
In the former publication, Schacter identifies seven “sins” or flaws in our memory system that can lead to forgetting, misremembering, and distortion.
Understanding these memory errors is crucial for teachers to help work more effectively with students, deploying adaptive teaching strategies to enhance learning and retention.
In ‘The Seven Sins of Memory,’ the author offers a comprehensive and accessible exploration of the mind’s imperfections, providing teachers with valuable insights into the workings of memory.
- Transience: This sin refers to the weakening and eventual loss of memories over time. Teachers can help students combat transience by reinforcing key concepts and deploying various teaching strategies.
- Absent-mindedness occurs when memory lapses result from a lack of attention or focus. Encouraging mindfulness and offering engaging activities can help students stay focused and retain information.
- Blocking: This is the frustrating experience of being unable to recall something we know is stored in our memory. Teachers can provide memory cues and support students in developing retrieval strategies to minimise blocking.
- Misattribution: Misattribution happens when we assign ‘a memory to the wrong source, leading to confusion or false memories. Teachers can emphasize the importance of fact-checking and critical thinking to help students identify accurate sources.
- Suggestibility: This sin occurs when our memories become distorted due to external influences, such as leading questions or misinformation. Teachers should foster a culture of questioning and inquiry to help students.
- Bias: Our pre-existing beliefs, emotions, and expectations often influence our memories. Teachers can challenge students to question their assumptions and approach learning with an open mind.
- Persistence: Sometimes, we cannot forget unwanted memories, increasing anxiety. Teachers should provide a supportive classroom environment and develop metacognition to help students manage their learning, and emotions.
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Armed with cognitive knowledge, teachers who better understand the memory challenges their students face, adapt their teaching strategies, fostering a more conducive environment that promotes effective learning and retention.
