Realization- pages 168-179
The seven steps to remembering help us teach metacognition to our scholars. This book has reinforced so many memory-building steps and introduced me to several strategies to make it happen! I hope you have enjoyed this book as much as I have.
😃
The final task for this year's Summer Book Club:
Take the time to reflect & review the 7 steps (pages 169-173). Which steps do you see yourself implementing or focusing more time on this next school year? How has this book changed your thinking and how might you spend time helping scholars create long-term, working memories with content?
Keep your eyes open for your PGP certificate to arrive in your email!
I hope you have an amazing start to your new school year.
Please reach out if I can help in any way!
This upcoming year, I would like to focus more on reinforcing, and reviewing. As much as I try to provide immediate feedback, it is so easy to get caught up in the day to day that need to be completed. The next thing you know, the exit ticket you meant to look at or the quiz you meant to send home is sitting in a pile on your desk. I need to remind myself that it is OK to take those exit tickets and immediately sit down to go over them quickly while students are working. By doing that, I will be able to immediately grab those students that have misconceptions and need that immediate correcting.
ReplyDeleteIn trying to make sure everything is taught before our state testing in the spring, it can be difficult to find quality time to review skills. One way I can try and counteract that this year is to be more diligent in my planning of reading and math stations. I need to be more aware of what skills I have covered and make sure those are constantly being spiraled in stations and/or homework.
I have enjoyed reading the book this summer. It has made me more aware of how students remember content. It was nice to see that several things mentioned in the book are things that I already try to do in the classroom. It has also made me aware of the things that I need to focus on. I have gotten many ideas and strategies that I want to implement in the classroom this upcoming year.
Deb Daniel
Timothy L. Johnson Academy
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI’ll be helping scholars create long-term, working memories by focusing heavily on three steps. First, “reach” will be an area of focus, because I’m passionate about engaging my students so that learning will be fun and meaningful. Step 1 changed my thinking by cultivating a sense of compassion in me for students that show apathy in class. It made me realize that the cause of their attitude could be because a “need” is missing, and that makes my heart sad. Second, I will be more intentional about observing how well scholars “recode” before I proceed to the next steps. Recoding is essential for ensuring comprehension. Third, “rehearsing” will be enforced because it reflects my teaching style. I believe that “repetition is key.” Now, this is not to say that the other steps will be neglected because they definitely won’t. But, “reach, recode, and rehearse” are the ones that resonated with me the most.
DeletePLA #103
I have enjoyed this course this summer. I hope that I have been doing many of the strategies already but think I will be doing more focusing on the rehearse step for my classroom. They have trouble remembering what I just taught them or showed them. We will do much repeating, re-reading, and rote memorization of math skills. I'll try to be more elaborate in my teaching so they may make more connections to their prior knowledge and learn more words. I'll try to keep things moving forward so they don't get bored but can keep stretching their learning to cover more area. We'll not let their knowledge get stagnant but keep moving on to more information. I'll repeat lessons so they hear them more often and may better remember them.
ReplyDeleteI never had a book with so many dog ears before. I adore this book. However, I see myself focusing more time on recording because “organization is the key to a good memory. (Sprenger, 2018, p. 83).” Of course, I will be implementing the other steps, but if one does not know how to arrange information into groups, patterns, and other structures, they will most likely struggle in the storage and retrieval of information. I see this struggle in classes for adults. It is common to see their books all highlighted or hear them struggle in summarizing a passage. What is the point in reading if one is not able to comprehend it and be able to use the knowledge gained? This chapter supplies steps and processes to transfer information and eventually help scholars use gained information in unanticipated situations. This chapter supplies habits that help them interpret and retrieve information for the rest of their lives.
ReplyDeleteI only have a year with these students, which is a blip in their life span. One of the best gifts that I can give them are habits that will hopefully form their character. On pages 75 and 76, it lists questions for the students to ask themselves when they encounter decisions in their lives, real-life situational problems, and school work problems. Instead of being overwhelmed, they can break down any problem into baby steps toward a solution. Another habit to be established is to help them understand what recording method works best for them in certain situations. Practicing recording information in different ways followed by reflecting on what method works best in a situation will prepare them for studying successfully and retain information in a real-life situation. This book has helped me not only to teach better, but also prepare a long-lasting foundation for the students to retain and retrieve information.
Reflect/Review
ReplyDeleteThe authors of our textbook described 7 steps: “reach and teach, reflect, recode, reinforce, rehearse, review, and retrieve” (pages 169-173). In the first step, teachers “tweak” their plans to more effectively appeal to and engage students. Teachers create “new sensations” and experiences (p. 169). In the second step, teachers provide opportunities for students to more effectively make connections about what they have just learned. Teachers may use techniques like “question, visualization, journaling, thinking directives, PMI charts, collaboration, and four corner reflection” (p. 170). In the third step, students are given more time to put things in their own words. Teachers may use techniques like: “interpreting, exemplifying, classifying, summarizing, inferring, comparing, explaining, and using nonlinguistic representations” (p. 171). In the fourth step, teachers provide and/or create peer review opportunities for meaningful feedback. In this step, students get to think about how/why/if they have truly learned the information. In the fifth step, students put information in their “own words” (p. 172). They may do homework or engage in some creative projects as strategies to invoke long-term memory. Teachers encourage students to “rehearse” what they learned by engaging different learning styles, intelligences, and approaches (p. 172). In the sixth step, students are given the opportunity to “retrieve the information and manipulate it in the working memory” (p. 172). Teachers provide opportunities for critical thinking, In the final step, students “access long-term memories” and use the information to solve problems and practically apply the information they have learned (p. 173). Teachers use various types of assessments.
Which Steps to Implement?
Next year, I will eventually try to implement all steps. However, I think I will start with the second step- reflect and try to weave in more opportunities for students to think about what they are learning and make deeper connections to the material.
How I Have Changed?
This book has changed my thinking. Most importantly, I think it may teach me to slow down a bit before zooming onto the next unit. As I slow down, I will try to integrate greater opportunities for students to reflect, recode, and manipulate the material into their own words. This could be more important for helping them to keep the information in their long-term memory. In the end, that’s one of the biggest goals!
I have enjoyed the opportunity to learn each week from our instructor, Ms. Andrea Robinson. The weekly prompts were challenging and asked hard questions. Additionally, I have enjoyed learning from other teachers. Erica Andrews reminded me to “make time to take time” (which is something I struggle with), Ebony Monson and Jene Rethlake gave me some great ideas about using games to effectively get students to remember, and Mikael Badgett shared more about how our brains retain knowledge. These are all practical tips for helping students next year.
Thank you and have a great next school year! :- )
Kind regards,
Christine Weatherby
cweatherby@tbla.email
Thea Bowman Leadership Academy
Chapter 7: Realization
DeleteThroughout this summer and reading this book, I have gained much knowledge on how to ensure students' retention and help their memory of the content and standards that are taught in the school year. It has been beneficial for me to read this book about the seven steps because I will be moving to a new grade level and this has encouraged me to really think of how I can construct lessons and units. I have enjoyed learning about all seven steps: reach/teacher, reflect, recode, reinforce, rehearse, review, and retrieve. There were two that stuck out to me the most and that I will take with me into my classroom and apply it on a daily or weekly basis.
1. Reach/Teach: I feel that in the past I have made an effort to reach or engage the students at the beginning of a lesson, but after reading this book, I know I can do an even better job in reaching them where they are at and make them see the true relevancy of what we will be learning. I want to engage their emotions, attention, and use novelty the best that I can when beginning a new unit or concept.
2. Reflect: I believe that this step is one that I have neglected in the past or seemed to run out of time to do and then it falls by the wayside. This upcoming school year, I want to make a conscience effort in scheduling "reflection time" before moving on to help mastery with new concepts or standards. The goal is to make it a routine in my classroom whether it looks like using journals, PMI charts, or the four-corner reflections activity.
As the summer comes to a close very soon, I look forward to this upcoming school year and how I can best motivate and stimulate learning. Best of luck to you all!
Amanda Davis
PLA@103
I enjoyed reading this book this summer. I enjoy professional development, even though most of it is geared towards homeroom teachers and not specials. But I enjoy it because usually I can pick something up that will work in my class or with a particular student. This book was no exception. This year I will be teaching with these steps in mind.
ReplyDeleteI plan to use the recode step more this year. I plan to allow students to explain what they know or learned to other students that may not understand. I will also try to observe as they are recoding to another student so that I am able to reinforce.
All of these steps are important. I will continue to use this book as a reference to help me to help my students to remember.
Sohn'a Duff, Computer Teacher
FYI, I love the way you are always integrating other subjects in your lessons for our scholars. Keep up the good work, as your class will be essential for ILearn. See you next week.
DeleteI've really enjoyed this book. I think sometimes I forget how I personally remember things. This book has helped me remember what strategies I use so that I can teach those to my kids. I think it's easy to forget that these strategies don't come naturally for everyone. I look forward to implementing these strategies next year and I am grateful to have the book as a reference as I plan.
ReplyDeleteI want to focus more on review next year. It is really hard to make time for review and I have sometimes mistaken rehearsal with review. I think that if I am better at planning, I will have more time to review. I want to be very specific about the timing of my review so that is is most effective. I am grateful for the reminder that for high-stakes testing, practice should be similar questions under similar conditions. I want to implement this.
I have finally seen it in print! Retention doesn't work. This chapter has reinforced my 'gut feeling' about holding students back for academic/maturity reasons. Thank you, Marilee Sprenger! And the brain information was a plus, too. This book is such a handy little tool.
ReplyDeleteBack to the assignment...
I think the two steps I would like to improve in my teaching are recode and review. Giving students time to digest and organize new things into their own worlds is so important. With the limited experiences that kindergarteners have, it's difficult to imagine their thought process and how new learning is incorporated. Giving them a chance to dialogue and self-generate will help their learning process.
In reviewing, I hope to find ways to incorporate more games for children. I remember loving games at their age, and while I have a few; I could always use more. I worry about social skills and student interaction, so what a better way to incorporate
review of academic content AND social skills. I might also utilize a practice test in order to get children familiar with testing before they are actually held accountable for their responses.
Week 8: Realization
ReplyDeleteThis chapter was actually very interesting. I enjoyed the way it summarized all these weeks of reading and the 7 steps. Although, I will miss our blogging, it is exciting to start a new year and new grade. I look forward in applying and tweaking what I have learned.
The steps I want to focus and improve are:
Reflection: I look forward to incorporate this in my lessons. I will aim at trying to do a daily reflection of what we have learned in all our subjects. As, my students are so young I will first model different ways we can reflect, so they can later do on their own in a reflection journal we will create. The objective is to create lifelong reflective scholars.
Recode: I tend to offer different ways of presenting the lesson trying to reach all learning styles, but I spend hardly any time in allowing students to recode. After reading how important it is for long term memory I look forward in incorporating it with my lessons. I am aiming to incorporate recode with our daily reflection.
Step 1: Reach and teach, Step 4: Reinforce, Step 5: Rehearse, Step 6: Review, and Step 7 Retrieve. All these steps are incorporated in my lessons, and units. I do look forward to improve and perfect these steps to better serve my students long term retention of their first grade standards, as they are the foundation for the other grades skills.
Anna Christina Luna-Harbert
PLA 103
I also enjoyed reading this book. I found myself thinking about how students think and how I could reach different students based on that. I really liked the chapter on getting students to retrieve the information. I found that very helpful and practical. This year, I will be focusing more on reinforcing what I teach through various methods we talked about. I also want to add refection to more of my lessons. I think this will be a very easy and sensible way to see if the students are understanding the material at the depth they need to be for their grade and age.
ReplyDeleteHello All,
ReplyDeleteFirst off, this book club has been a real pleasure for me. I was a little apprehensive making a switch from adult to adolescent scholars, but the book and your posts have made me feel more at ease. This is in part because the reading reinforced my fundamental philosophy toward education. And secondly, because I saw through all of your postings we face the same opportunities to differentiate and apply practices in age and readiness appropriate ways. I now feel more confident that my preference for teaching scholars rather than teaching content can be modified to teach scholars “content”. The tools provided by Sprenger (2018) will assist me in delivering knowledge transfer in ways that address individual scholar backgrounds. The advice in our readings will inform my course design to address cultural differences, generational backgrounds, and prior knowledge in dynamic and evolving way.
In my efforts to provide the most productive and affirming classroom environments I definitely see myself focusing on the long-term knowledge acquisition using some of the skills presented in How to Teach so Students Remember. I see myself implementing all of the steps to some degree given the ages of my scholars in middle school. One, because they were all included in a short book on building learning retention and two, they are part of a long-term plan providing our scholars with valuable learning skills they can refine and build upon over time. Imagine some of these minds that will start Kindergarten getting introduced to these concepts and continuing to grow them over their academic lives???
With that said, I will continue to bring passion to my delivery along with attention to current events to ensure I am reaching and teaching in all that I do. Reflecting, recoding, and reinforcement will be embedded in real-time and used as a formative tool for pacing and differentiation. This is made easier as I will be test piloting one-to-one technology in our middle school and using technology extensively. Reflections are great exit tickets. Rehearse review and retrieve are also steps I plan to clump together as they too feed into one another. Recognizing that different types of information will require different methods for our scholars to successfully commit the knowledge to long-term memory is the first step in devising a game plan that ensures scholars have learned the correct information and able to retrieve it both in the short term and in the long-term.
The above leads to my favorite METACOGNITION, I was at a seminar in my post grad program when the concept of metacognition was the subject of a keynote speaker. The idea of simply thinking about thinking as a learning tool seemed ludicrous. As the presentation continued, I was not only a convert but completely convinced that metacognition was the tonic for all that ails us. The concept is so simple and has been long ingrained in many of our colloquialisms, measure twice cut once, is really just saying slow down…think about what you’re doing and what you need before making a cut. In the classrooms it is the same idea… slow down think about the problem, think about what you need to consider and understand to start to address the problem etc.
Finally, a huge thank you to Andrea for hosting this opportunity and an even bigger thank you to my cohorts for sharing this and your own experiences with me these past 8 weeks.
Mikael Badgett
TLJAMS
I really enjoyed this book, it has opened my eyes up on strategies I use and can improve on as well as strategies I need to implement just a little more. Thinking of the students that I had last year as well as students that will loop with me I thought about how I can better reach them. I will have new students this year and it is such a challenge to learn quickly how to reach them, especially the ones that are so far behind grade level. Throughout this book I would pick out specific lessons and improvement on those lessons on bettering myself for my students.
ReplyDeleteThe step that I hope to implement more and really focus on is retrieve. I know when teaching my students and assessing them they understand that information in that moment of time. How can I keep that information in their for them so students can pull it out when needed? I need to provide more cues for students and different recall strategies to help them retrieve the information needed at the specific time. At the school I teach we do comprehensive weekly exams for students, this will help reinforce skills but if they can not retrieve the information it is not beneficial. Students will have a notebook along will anchor charts to help remember the information, as well as I plan on reteaching information till a student can recognize the information presented to them. I can expand their learning options as well as intervene early when students are learning the information.
Thank you for picking such a meaningful book that I plan on keeping for reference in the future as I help teach my students better ways to process and learn information.
Courtney Singleton
JRPLA
This book was so enlightening and has made me come to several realizations after beginning my first year in 1st grade!
ReplyDeleteI really hope to apply everything I learn in some way. I realized, though, that although I feel rushed and that there is not enough time in our day, that I need to give more wait time (using the 7 habits for successful reflection) in order for reflection and focus.
I would also like to encourage my scholars to recode using self-generated material, which can sometimes be difficult in first grade.
Teaching them how to do this and laying the foundation, will certainly be beneficial for their academic future. Last, Step 6: Review. I hope to be more mindful about how and when we review so that information is not lost from memory.
Thank you, Andrea, for sharing this book with us and coaching us through it. It will serve as a tool and something I can grab when I need to reflect. :)
Erica Andrews, TLJA
WOW! I can't believe that reading this book enhanced several strategies that were taught throughout my collegiate experiences. I enjoyed this book because it focused on each strategy and gave examples on how to implement each one. Participating in the book club allowed me to reflect on what I have read and think about different ways I can utilize the steps throughout my instruction and it was eye opening reading other educators post to see what has worked and what has not worked for them and to see how they will/have used these strategies.
ReplyDeleteThis year, I really hope to focus in on reach and teach. It makes since that in order to teach someone something, you have to have their attention and find a way to keep them engaged. I think that this step will come in handy when teaching my kinders new information. I know that for a lot of my students, this might be their first time in a classroom and have to maintain their attention for longer periods of time. I want to keep lessons engaging, short, and simple to cater to their learning needs. After I have their attention is where the fun starts to happen!I think that if something is fun and dosent feel like learning, it is often more remembered and a class favorite! I also want to focus in on the reflection step, not only for my students but for me as an educator. I think reflection could play a huge role in my classroom by helping students remember because they will have time to process information and transform it into words or pictures to where it makes since to them. Reflection will allow my students to be able to connect learned information with previous learned information and will be able to make connections. As a teacher, I want to reelect on my own teaching skills to make sure that I am using best practices, reaching all learners, and staying true to who I am as a teacher. I think that being able to reflect will allow me to become a better teacher because I can determine what when well and what needs improvement.
I am so excited to start this journey! I am also excited to be able to utilize these strategies in my classroom to help my students become the best they can be!
Jacqulyn Ison, K
PLA 103
I really want to use all of the strategies more this year. I see things in every step that I can improve on. However, I know that trying to do everything better all at once will not work very well. I have a lot to work on in my third year as a teacher, and I want to find success with my students. This book has definitely given me a lot to think about when planning out lessons and weeks. I need to make time for somethings I often skipped or did not do very well. I think the steps that I need to work on the most, and so are the steps I will focus more time on this year, are reflect and reinforce. I think if I improve both of those, some of the other steps like recode and rehearse will come along as well. I know I need to devote time in every lesson to reflecting, even if it can only be the one minute reflections sometimes. I also know that I need to make sure I am giving helpful feedback, that allows students to focus on the biggest misconception and correct it before moving on to smaller problems.
ReplyDeleteIn order to do that, I will work to make sure that I am not getting the way of any learning, and am letting students figure out what they are confused about through useful questions. I really loved the examples in the book where the teacher lead a student to figuring out both their actual question and the answer without ever providing the answer directly. That seems like one of the best ways to reinforce information to me and I really want to do that in my classroom. I also know that a lot of what this book talked about is not how I was taught myself, so I have to be careful to not fall into the trap of teaching as I was taught. I need to watch myself and use these strategies while planning and reflecting on how a lesson went, so I can continually improve throughout the year.
Thanks for giving us the chance to read this book, it is a wonderful and incredibly helpful look into what is actually happening when we teach.
Throughout the book, there were so many great strategies that I would love to implement in the classroom this coming year. A couple of my favorites were, reflect, rehearse, and retrieve. Offering scholars time to make connections and reflect is so important. This year I want to give my scholars more wait and reflection time. I really liked the four-corner reflection and PMI charts.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading about rehearsing. I feel like I don't give the scholars enough time to practice and rehearse before testing on a subject. This coming year I am going to make sure that I only send homework that covers what the scholars have already mastered, and try to give the scholars practice that will reach the various learning styles in the classroom.
When reading about retrieval, I learned that there are so many concepts that go into successful retrieval. This year I am going to be more intentional about keeping the scholars in the same place during testing as they were when learning the information you are testing on. I will also match the assessment to how it was previously taught.
This book showed me just how important it is to think about the scholars thinking and how they will store what you are teaching. Using the strategies that were presented in the book will make me a better teacher, and it will set the scholars up for success. I can't wait to try these new concepts and strategies out in the classroom this year!
Maddy Hinesley
GVPLA
The final task for this year's Summer Book Club:
ReplyDeleteTake the time to reflect & review the 7 steps (pages 169-173). Which steps do you see yourself implementing or focusing more time on this next school year? How has this book changed your thinking and how might you spend time helping scholars create long-term, working memories with content?
I have greatly enjoyed this summer’s book club. The information that I have learned, I’m looking forward to implementing in the classroom this school year. While each method has many great ideas that can be used to help scholars reach learning expectations, I’m looking forward to adding some of the skills used for reflect and review. If they are able to reflect on the information being taught and make connections using text to text, text to world, text to self; review stations can be created that would not only help plant the seeds of memory, but do so in a fun and engaging way.
I have enjoyed reading this book and connecting with all of you throughout my summer. I will be sure to pass this book along to colleagues and let them know how beneficial of a read it was. I really enjoyed learning about Review. Throughout reading this book I have realized how important it is to give our scholars the time to practice the information that I have taught to them. Last year assessments were a very stressful time for both myself as well as my scholars. I want my scholars to feel fully prepared this year and to feel comfortable showcasing their knowledge. I also enjoyed reading about reflection. I want to take the time this year to even reflect upon myself. Throughout student teaching in college I saw how beneficial it was to reflect upon lessons and I would like to do the same this year as well. Aside from taking time for myself to reflect, I would like to implement time for my scholars to reflect upon their own learning as well as other scholars' thoughts. This book club has kept me engaged in my professional development through the summer and I cannot wait to hit the ground running for a successful new school year!
ReplyDeleteI found this book very helpful! The steps I see myself implementing are step 1: reach and teach. The book talked about tweaking units and lesson we already have and adding in gimmicks and novelties. I work with really young children. Young scholars are constantly craving new exciting information. Getting scholars attention right of the bat and getting them to buy in will help tremendously with overall curriculum retention.
ReplyDeleteStep 2:Reflection I will try to implement more reflection time for my scholars. giving them time to turn and talk, time to wait and let new information sink in, and time to focus on new tasks.
These two steps were my main focus for adjusting my curriculum this year to help teach students to remember. I enjoyed reading and planning new strategies to get myself off to a great start of the year!
I usually work with small group instruction during reading and math.
ReplyDeleteThe small groups consists of students who need more reteaching of a skill that they have not mastered. One step I would use more of is Reteach and Teach, I would employ strategies such as novelty and emotions. In whole group teaching students oftentimes don’t feel a connection to learning. I would definitely use some of the emotional hooks that are suggested in the text.
The steps Rehearse and Review are important to me. During the Rehearse lesson I will make sure the students have multiple opportunities to practice a skill using manipulatives, mnemonic devices, and movement. I also will be more intentional with review lessons. Looking at assessments before the review lessons and planning with the teacher will be very beneficial for the students developing their long term memory. Review helps alleviate common mistakes that students might make.
After reading this book, I realize that when planning lessons they should be planned for long term memory. It is very important to be very purposeful in our planning. When I think about learning now, I think about how the brain learns, remembers and transfers.
I am now more focused and informed about the different steps to use to increase a child’s learning. I feel more empowered to help students develop students develop their long term memory.
Angela Posey PLA @ 103
Final Reflection (8)
The step I would like to implement more in my classroom this school year is Reflection. This is a step that I think is very important, but is easily overlooked. Giving my scholars time to reflect through different avenues gives them the power to connect with the information, relate to the information, and really grasp that information. I also think the ability to reflect is a great thing to have as a human being. Self reflection is a skill used in the adult world daily as we are reflecting on our ability to do our job or task, and working to perfect our craft. Giving these young scholars the chance to learn how to properly reflect now will make it that much easier as they continue to grow.
ReplyDeleteThe steps I would like to implement in my classroom this year are reflecting and recoding.
ReplyDeleteI want my recoding portion to be very intentional. Enhancing lessons to help with scholar memory is a must for success. This book was very eye opening and had a lot of good strategies I can’t wait to use.
Reflecting is also a big one along with giving authentic feedback. This really stuck with me as far as using non judgmental feedback goes. My scholars will grow just as I will grow as an educator thanks to this book!!