Chapter 6 Learning Log

What? Long term memory is a wonderful thing. It allows us as humans to store as much knowledge as we want there, allowing more room to learn new things. While working memory has a limited amount of room to keep information. That is why we need to move new knowledge to long term memory as soon as we can, so we don’t lose the knowledge we attained. With using cognitive processing effectively, we need to keep in mind everyone around us what they are doing and thinking. We also need to give students time to process new information. Chunking is a very useful way to remember information, like telephone numbers. The brain process information in such a interesting way. It starts at the brainstem, travels to the Thalamus, which is then shot to the part of the cerebral cortex it needs. Then it goes to the Hippocampus if it is information or to Amygdala if it is emotional. After that, it goes back to the cerebral cortex it first came from.

So What? Learning about the brain for me as a future teacher was very helpful. As we learn information, it is first kept in the working memory. But after a while, if we don’t use that information, it is gone. So for me as a teacher, I need to review the information we learn in class so that the students can move information from working memory to long term memory. This chapter was included in our syllabus so that I could have the chance to understand how the brain process information and where it is stored so that I understand my future students better.

Now What? I will apply this information to my future classroom by continuing to learn how the brain process information. As I learn and understand how the brain process information, I will then be able to see in my future students when the information in class has moved to long term memory or not. This way I know if I need to keep reviewing that information. I will also be able help my students learn information and move it to long term memory by teaching the information using different mnemonic strategies. Like chunking for instance, we learn telephone numbers by grouping them in groups of threes, threes, and fours.