Everything You Chose To Forget After High School But Shouldn’t

HaveMichael S. Bowen, B.S.Ed.,

CENINFODOM

“We cannot enter into alliances until we are acquainted with the designs of our neighbors.” – Sun Tzu, “The Art of War”• Teenage brain functions differently from an

adult brain Huge synaptic surge before adolescence, followed

by "pruning” use-it-or-lose-it process Prefrontal cortex (organizing, strategies, impulses)

not fully developed until the late 20s• No excuse for bad behavior

Lay Foundation For Academic Success

Active Listening

Note-Taking

Learning Styles

Memory

Test Anxiety

“Tactical Test-Taking”

Good listeners are “makers of ideas”

What influences a listener?

Receive/process incoming data• Instructors• Peers

Involved with what they hear• Intellectually• Emotionally

External

Internal

What do productive listeners do?

Topic Speaker Environment Presentation Distractions Opinions Boredom Fatigue Language

Watch the speaker Form/ask questions Summarize Respond to comments Concentrate when

others speak Active body language

Benefits

Short-Term Memory

Long-Term Memory

Multiple Learning Styles

Short/long-term memory

Multiple learning styles

Acoustic encoding

Semantic encoding

Engages visual, auditory & kinesthetic

Recall without rehearsal

Miller: Magical Number 7 ± 2

Simon: Chunking

0-to-60 seconds

5-to-9 items Later research: 3-

to-7 items

Meaningful groups Ideal size: 3 items

Potentially-unlimited duration

Large capacity

Stored by repetition

Encoded semantically

Consolidated information

Up to entire life span

5-to-9 items

Use it or lose it

Contextual meaning

Sleep benefits memory

New information stored in relation to what we already know or have experienced

How do we take information most efficiently?

Information from surroundings:

Senses used in learning:

Receive Interact Process Communicate Sight Hearing Touch Taste/smell to

lesser degree

Ten statements

Three possible options

Choose single best answer for you

20-second interval

1. A B C2. A B C3. A B C4. A B C5. A B C6. A B C7. A B C8. A B C9. A B C10. A B C

A. read the textbook & notes silently to myself.

B. listen to a podcast or audio recording.

C. experiment with the information.

A. read the directions before I try to put it together.

B. have someone read the directions to me while I put it together.

C. figure it out by trial-and-error.

A. read or write in a quiet place.

B. have music playing while I relax.

C. tinker with something or walk around.

A. show me how to do it.

B. tell me how to do it.

C. let me play around, even if I make mistakes.

A. write out the information, then give it to them to read.

B. talk about the information, then answer questions.

C. show the information as part of an activity.

A. see pictures in my mind.

B. hear words & sounds.

C. recall feelings & sensations.

A. gave reading assignments & handouts.

B. let us discuss & ask lots of questions.

C. let us experiment & show what we knew.

A. a written ‘to-do’ list.

B. a conversation I’ve overheard.

C. an activity related to the task.

A. reviewing notes from what I read in the textbook.

B. listening to an instructor’s lecture.

C. going for a walk/discussion; I lose focus in a classroom.

A. written turn-by-turn directions or a map.

B. calling someone on the phone to get directions.

C. to take the chance at getting lost. Where’s that GPS?

Count the number of responses:• A – visual• B – auditory• C – kinesthetic

One or combination:• Visual/auditory• Visual/kinesthetic• Auditory/kinesthetic• Visual/auditory/

kinesthetic

1. A B C2. A B C3. A B C4. A B C5. A B C6. A B C7. A B C8. A B C9. A B C10. A B C

Best information source

Major points

Information reinforcement

Written materials, charts, maps, graphs

“Jump out” by highlighting, underlining, etc.

Rewriting notes or graphic depictions

Best information source

Major points

Information reinforcement

Hearing

Change of tempo, tone, pitch, volume

Discussion, debate, songs, rhymes, sounds

Best information source

Major points

Information reinforcement

Touch, feel, sense, interact with surroundings

Proprioception – body movement & position

Physical rehearsal or joined with other senses

“A” schools

If teaching style doesn’t fit learning style?

Mostly knowledge Some practical

application

Psychological reaction to stress

Varies by person

“Fight or Flight” response

Increased chemical activity Positiv

e

Negative

NegativNegativee

PAVLOV, SKINNER, ETC. PARENTS, TEACHERS, ETC. Conditioned stimulus

added to natural stimulus/reward

Reinforcement of desired behavior over time

Natural stimulus removed, conditioned stimulus/reward remains

Conditioned stimulus (program, scholarship, graduation) added to natural stimulus (accomplishment)

Reinforcement of behavior over time

Natural stimulus removed, conditioned stimulus remains

Conditioned & counteractive response to stimulus

Chemicals interfere with processing & memory

Chemicals involved in flight/fight response temporarily “rewire” brain

Material unfamiliar Time management

issues

Two nervous systems

Three techniques

Sympathetic• Involuntary trigger

Parasympathetic• Voluntary trigger

Deep breathing Progressive muscle

relaxation Visualization

Hands at abdomen

Breathe in deeply through nose• Push abdomen out

Breathe out through pursed lips, like blowing up a balloon• Pull abdomen in

Can be done seated upright Shallow breathing → less

oxygen in bloodstream• Low energy, high blood

pressure Deeper breathing increases

blood oxygenation• Lower blood pressure,

more energy, more endorphins, clearer thinking

Tighten muscles, like contracting into a ball

Hold several seconds, then release

Repeat several times, starting with lower extremities, moving to torso & upper extremities

Repeat as needed

Stress effect on endocrine and immune systems

Muscles relax in response to contraction• Parasympathetic nervous

system engaged

Decrease in serum cortisol

Increased immunoglobulin-A

Reinforces short-term & long-term memory storage/retrieval

Engages (low-level) circuits engaged in motor skill learning

Can counter pre-test stress, which has the most-impairing effect

Neural pathways are conditioned to engage in activity

Rehearsal reinforces behavior when time comes to perform activity

Read the directions Figure out the answer first before looking

at options Answer easy questions first Nearby questions can help to answer

difficult problems Answer all of the questions Ask the instructor to explain

misunderstood questions

Good listeners: A. are intellectually & emotionally

involved with the speaker. B. never allow speakers to influence

their opinion. C. shut out the comments of their

peers & focus strictly on the speaker. D. write down everything that is said

by the speaker.

Responses to physical or psychological stress:

A. is the result of conditioning. B. help you when it inhibits action. C. is useful when preparing for a

crisis. D. may include “freezing” during

crisis situations.

“A” school instructors:

A. are concerned with the welfare of every student.

B. are critical thinkers. C. look forward to retirement. D. can help encourage students to

think critically.

To reduce test anxiety you should:

A. buy & memorize Cliff’s Notes. B. practice deep breathing, muscle

relaxation, & visualize taking tests. C. quiz each other daily. D. study every waking moment.

Short-term memory, according to Miller, can hold:

A. 3 items. B. 7 items. C. 11 items. D. 15 items.

Long-term memory is aided by:

A. note-taking. B. sleep. C. practice. D. All of the above.

Patrimony is:

A. a father’s right to discipline his children.

B. being stingy with your money. C. property inherited from your

father. D. cutting a precious stone.

Gundecking is:

A. being absent without leave. B. chewing somebody out. C. falsifying documents, reports,

records. D. giving someone “the third

degree”.

When taking a test:

A. answer the hard questions first. B. answer the easy questions first. C. look at your watch for help. D. skip questions you don’t

understand.

Young adult learners a work in progress Productive listeners are active learners

• Note taking uses all learning styles• Questions prepare for testing• Contextual understanding aids long-term

memory Test anxiety a conditioned response

• Prevented through behavioral modification techniques

• Tactical test-taking strategies augment good study habits