Cognitive views of Learning

Option 1 (1 hour)
I interviewed a second grade teacher, a third grade teacher, a fifth grade teacher, and a high school teacher.
Mrs. Cardineu- Second grade
Mrs. Lasita- Third grade
Mrs. Erickson-Fifth grade
Mrs. Grim-High School
What type of memorization is required for students in your class to do well?
Mrs. Cardineu- “Memorization is used almost solely in math. Even at the second grade level, math is primarily memorization and an understanding of how to use the concepts you have committed to memory in different situations.”
Mrs. Lasita- “In our class we try not to use memorization too much, because even as adults when we are asked to memorize something we memorize it, use it once and forget it. We want our students to really understand the material we teach, however we do use memorization from time to time to teach mathematical concepts as well as some historical data.”
Mrs. Erickson - “Memorization comes in handy when teaching math, grammar, history and finite things like capitals. We recently asked our students to memorize all fifty state capitals and we tested on their ability to recall them. Memorization is an important tool in my classroom and in every classroom.”
Mrs. Grim-“Because I teach a foreign language, memorization is important. I try to give the students the building blocks they need to understand the language. Learning a new language always requires you to memorize the basic ideas behind the formation of words. Even when learning our native languages we utilize our memory to grasp concepts.”

What types of classroom activities do you use to help children in your classes retain the desired information?
Mrs. Cardineu- “I do use some rhymes and mnemonics to help children remember things like the colors of a rainbow.”
Mrs. Lasita- “Rhymes seem to help a lot in history. Also multiple activities that are similar, but have subtle differences.”
Mrs. Erickson-“I encourage students to make flash cards and study guides on their own. I also use posters around the room of important information in hopes that seeing it every day will help them to memorize the information.”
Mrs. Grim-“I do expect students to do a majority of memorization on their own at home, but I do provide a lot of work sheets.”
What strategies do you think are most effective with the grade level and group you teach? How might this differ for other grade levels and other groups of children?
Mrs. Cardineu- “My class responds well to the rhymes, which I believe is a good tool in any grade level.”
Mrs. Lasita- “I like to repeat activities and I think this does help the students a lot. This will most likely work for all elementary school kids.”
Mrs. Erickson-“I think the posters are a big help, I only began using them this year and already notices a big improvement. The colors and pictures allow the kids to commit the information to memory easier than other ways.”
Mrs. Grim-“I think that the student’s willingness to put in work outside class is the key to the student’s success in a foreign language at the high school level. I do encourage the students to make flash cards on their own which I believe increases test scores. Although I do use work sheets, I don’t think the students take them seriously and feel a bit babied.”
How long are your students required to retain information between when it is presented to them and the required recall (tests, etc.)?
Mrs. Cardineu- “I’d hope that the children will remember the information for their entire lives, because a lot of things they learn with me are life skills.”
Mrs. Lasita- “For the most part I require the kids to remember the information they learn as long as they are in my class, although I would like for them to hold on to it forever.”
Mrs. Erickson- “I do give frequent tests on the information presented, but I don’t want to pile too much information on the students and overwhelm them. I do not require the students to retain the information indefinably, just as long as they need to do well on tests.”
Mrs. Grim- “Some of my students will go on and study Spanish and some will never use it again. I understand that this is not their only class and that most students are simply trying to get by just to get their diploma, but I do require students to remember most, if not all of the information I give to them throughout the entire time they have class with me.”
What kinds of individual differences are apparent in your students' ability to remember information?
Mrs. Cardineu- “Every child is different and it is very important that we as teachers are aware of this. For the most part the rhymes work, but for some kids they need more such as hand-outs or to be told the information over and over again.”
Mrs. Lasita- “I cannot possibly give each student the individual instruction they need in the short period of time I have them for the day, but I do try. I keep in contact with parents to help form an outline of what works best for the child and I try to include the individual needs into a class.”
Mrs. Erickson- “I know each of my students and for some students flash cards work better and I will supply the things they need to make them. However, for other students it helps them to hear the information; I suggest that these students make tapes and listen to them at night.”
Mrs. Grim- “I teach the class as a whole and encourage students to see me outside of class if they have individual concerns.”