Practicing Remembering

Aspect of Learning: Remembering

Strategy: Practicing remembering

Underlying Principle: Students often rely heavily on reviewing, or looking at information, rather than recalling it from memory. Reviewing is really about recognition rather than understanding. Recalling or remembering is a skill and can be practiced. Sometimes, the first time a student attempts to recall something from memory is on a test, which is not the best time to be practicing! Providing regular opportunities to practice remembering will help students:

• realize the difference between review and recall
• encourage students to listen and read with the intention to remember
• develop strategies for remembering

How to Teach the Strategy:

• Point out the difference between reviewing and remembering.
• Explain that when we look at something that we recognize, we can be fooled into thinking that we know it—when in fact, we may not be able to recall it, explain it, or apply it with any depth.
• Teach several different methods of getting information on a page quickly and create opportunities to practice using each of them:
  - concept map: makes connections more obvious
  -point form: provides practice thinking in ideas not sentences
  -numbered list: pre-determines the number of items/ideas to be recalled
  - one-minute paper: write quickly without stopping for one minute
• After students write down what they remember, ask them to refer to it later, comparing it to their notes or readings so that they can identify gaps.

How to Incorporate the Strategy into Coursework:

• At the beginning of each class, provide a few minutes for students
  to write down what they remember about
  -the last class
  -their reading assignment
  -a specific topic from previous classes or readings
• During the class, stop and provide a few minutes for students to write down what they remember about
  -the main ideas/concepts just discussed
  -details that pertain to a specific topic
• At the end of the class, provide a few minutes for students to write down what they remember about
  -the lecture/discussion/lab
  -a specific aspect of the class

Resource: Remembering. Learning Skills Program, University of Victoria. http://www.coun.uvic.ca/learn/remember.html


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