One section I really enjoyed reading in chapter 2 was "How Human Memory Operates." In this section the book discussed working memory and long-term memory, storage and retrieval, and how the human memory system has three general components that hold information for different lengths of time. I found this all fascinating, and it made me have several "ah-ha" moments.
Firstly, it made me feel better about my own learning experiences. When people say "in one ear, out the other" they're not that far off from the truth! The human memory cannot store and retrieve all the information we are taught. This also explains why when we learn about a new topic we remember some details, but forget others, or have them be slightly off. When I was growing up I had a tough time remembering a lot of things in school, sports, etc. I also grew up with slight ADHD, so paying attention was a big struggle for me.
I now work in a fourth grade classroom with a few children with ADHD. I sometimes get frustrated that they (as well as other students) don't retain everything I tell them. After reading this section of the book I realized just how much information I am throwing at them each day. Of course they can't retain all of it! A lof of these students also haven't mastered self-regulation (which we read about in chapter four).
Memory is a tricky thing. Wouldn't it be nice if we could retrieve all the information we stored? It's difficult to do. That's why rehearsal, the repetition of information can be important. Elaboration on a topic is also important for a child's understanding and memory.
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