Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Information processing theory

I understood the chapter that we read on information processing.Short term memory relates to what we are thinking about at any given moment in time. Long term memory also called conscious and unconscious memory can be triggered by an event or location. I relate to this chapter because I understand how a computer processes input. A computer can easily recall any information that is requested because it is saved in memory. In that way our brain is similar but we cant hold vast amounts of data because short term memory is easily forgotten and long term memory is recalled by an event image or situation. Things a teacher can do so the students retain focused on the material include, walk around the classroom, review assignments and coursework in different ways so students will not get bored easily, and let students interact with one another as student teachers.

5 comments:

  1. Ernesto, I completely agree with your comparison of the brain processing to that of a computer. I kept having to remind myself that I was reading about the human mind. You mentioned students serving as student teachers as one method for increasing student engagement in a class. I agree, I also feel that allowing a student to teach his or her peers requires them to recall and rehearse information. Based on this week's reading, this also aids in student retention of new knowledge.

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  2. I don't know if I like comparing my brain to a computer. I don't sit around and wait to be told what to and/or how to process it, lol. Maybe I'm reading to much into it. I also agree, when the teacher moves around the classroom it does keep the students more aware of what's going on around them, also when you ask questions out of the blue, that will keep them awake and listening, because they want to be ready to answer if you ask them a question, which in return helps them retain the info. I know that when you want students to learn rules or a process, modeling the process and then having the students act out the process themselves helps them learn and remember what they need to do. These things helped me when I was teaching (3rd graders).

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  3. Ernie your last statement caught my attention about having the students teach one another. George Bernard Shaw once said, "He who can, does; he who cannot, teaches." I disagree with this quote completely. Teaching is one of the very best ways of making sure that you can do what you’ve learned. No matter what you’re studying, when you turn around and teach someone else the better you deepen your understanding of the subject. In the classes that I teach I have an Advanced 2nd year group and a Basic 1st year group. I always have the 2nd year students come into the 1st year’s skills labs and demonstrate and help teach and test the 1st year group. Not only does their confidence level improve but they are able to share their student experiences and difficulties with the topics presented and are able to offer their suggestions.

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  4. Using computer components as a mnemonic for understanding short term memory (STM) and long term memory (LTM) provides structure to an abstract concept. LTM gets stored on the human internal hard drive in filing cabinets, the brain is the computer processor, and STM gets cached and stored in RAM. STM, like RAM, requires a certain amount of care to keep it functioning. RAM needs the onboard computer battery and STM needs rehearsal, mnemonics, etc. STM combines with LTM in the processor\brain to create new folders and files that get saved to the hard drive (LTM).

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  5. I agree with you on ways to keep students engaged and not bored. I have heard the brain used as a computer many times, and feel that in some ways it is similar, and others it is not. I know it always helped, if I could tie the lesson into something the kids knew or were familiar with. The more interesting I made it in their terms, the more I kept them engaged in the lesson.

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