Usage of Memory Model of Teaching and Mnemonics in Teaching-Learning of Psychology
The research article “Usage of Memory Model of Teaching and Mnemonics in
Teaching-Learning of Psychology at B.Ed. Level” is based on a study regarding using the memory model of teaching and mnemonics in psychology. The research study was conducted on 40 students who were pursuing a Bachelor of Education (B.ED) degree courses. English was the language used for instruction. The study covered several psychological theories that were difficult to comprehend and recall.
The article notes that one of the major challenges encountered in B. ED. classes is the propensity of students to forget the various theories learned in psychology classes. The author notes that the traditional way of teaching involves a teacher-centered approach that discourages interaction between the teacher and students. According to Maheswari (2013), the memory model of teaching is efficacious in bridging student differences.
In the study, the model generated enthusiasm among students and, as such, helped them to learn effectively. The memory model has four main stages: discussion of material, expansion, and creation of connections, enhancement of sensory images, and retrieval of material. In the study, these stages were followed based on the brain’s ability to pay attention and recall information. To develop connections, students were taught the techniques of listing, underlining, and reflecting. Stage two involved material discussion that included the use of key phrases and the development of connections between ideas.
Stage three involved the use of techniques such as association and exaggeration to expand sensory images. Stage four involved repetition of material until it was fully etched in mind. The first three stages involved the use of mnemonic techniques such as name mnemonic, word of expression mnemonics, model mnemonics, note organization mnemonics, image mnemonics, and connection mnemonics. The study results revealed that the model was very effective in helping students remember difficult theories.
Teaching Effectiveness of Memory Model
The article “Teaching Effectiveness of Memory Model: An Experimental Study” is based on a research study conducted to study the effectiveness of the memory model of teaching and the traditional model. The study was conducted on students of geography (Watkar, 2012). The author notes that one of the weaknesses of the traditional teaching model is that teachers ignore the physical and psychological needs of children because they mainly focus on completing the assigned materials.
Also, the lack of interaction leads to boredom and lack of interest among students. According to Watkar (2012), the main aim of the memory model is to enhance students’ capacity to store and recall information. The main objective of the research study was to find out the difference in the effect of the memory model and the traditional method of teaching on students’ performance. The study involved two groups of 50 students each.
The first group was taught using the memory model, while the second group was taught using the traditional method (Watkar, 2012). After the study, a post-test of achievement was conducted on all participants to establish the effect of both methods. The results of the study indicated that teaching by memory model was highly effective because it enhanced students’ compression and retrieval through imagery (Watkar, 2012).
The traditional method did not apply any method of information retention. Therefore, it showed little improvAlso students. In addition, the traditional method involved little interaction between the teacher and students (Watkar, 2012). This lowered the students’ levels of attention and absorption of material because of a lack of interest. The memory model helped students store and recall material easily because it enhanced connections between ideas.
Improving Students’ Learning with Effective Learning Techniques
The article “Improving Students’ Learning with Effective Learning Techniques: Promising Directions From Cognitive and Educational Psychology” presents the results of several studies regarding the implications of certain learning techniques applied in-memory model teaching to improve comprehension and information retention. These techniques include summarization, imagery, rereading, highlighting and underlining, and practice testing (Dunlosky, Rawson, Marsh, Nathan, & Willingham, 2013).
Others included self-explanation, elaborative interrogation, and mnemonics. The research article presents the studies conducted by researchers on the techniques mentioned above used by students. Each of the studies applied different variables, such as the complexity of tasks and participants’ age. The aforementioned techniques cover the four main stages of the memory model of teaching mentioned earlier. The techniques were studied on the background of four variables, namely learning materials used, learning conditions, characteristics of participants, and types of tasks (Dunlosky et al., 2013).
The techniques varied with regard to their application and efficacy in retaining information. Practice testing is used by students of different ages and improves performance greatly. Certain techniques were rarely used by students because of their complexity and limited application. They include highlighting, imagery, keyword mnemonic, rereading, and summarization (Dunlosky et al., 2013). They were used by students because of their limited application to different tasks. Results of studies revealed that even though many students use the techniques of rereading and highlighting, they rarely improve retention of information.
The most efficacious techniques included practice testing and distributed practice because they were easy to apply, and their application to different tasks was diverse (Dunlosky et al., 2013). These techniques were highly effective when conducted with the help of an instructor. The least used techniques were imagery and mnemonics because they were only applicable to certain learning materials and tasks (Dunlosky et al., 2013).
Using Mnemonics to Facilitate Learning of Economics
The article “Using Mnemonics to Facilitate Learning of Economics” presents the results of a study conducted to study the effect of using mnemonics to facilitate the learning of economics. The study involved 90 participants that were grouped into groups of 30 students each. The author defines a mnemonic as a device that enhances the ability of students to recall information (Yin, 2012). The mentions the two types of mnemonic applied by students in the study, namely encoding mnemonics and organization mnemonics. Organization mnemonics involved arranging information in the memory in a manner that made it easy for students to remember (Yin, 2012).
On the other hand, encoding mnemonics replaced abstract ideas with images that enhanced storage and retrieval (Yin, 2012). The teaching and learning approach was used in order to improve students’ performance in a discipline that was considered difficult. The study involved three groups of 30 students each. The results of the study revealed that the use of mnemonics in teaching and learning resulted in improved performance among students (Yin, 2012).
The group that used mnemonics showed improved performance. In contrast, the groups that did not use mnemonics showed no improvement. Students who used mnemonics portrayed better understanding and retention of information compared to students who did not use mnemonics (Yin, 2012). In addition, the results revealed higher levels of understanding among students who learned using mnemonics. The study confirmed the existence of a relationship between the use of mnemonics and the retention of information. The use of mnemonics is an important aspect of the memory model of teaching and learning because it increases information retention and retrieval. Teachers chose the techniques to apply based on their judgments of the techniques’ potential to attain the expected learning outcomes.
References
Dunlosky, J., Rawson, K. A., Marsh, E. J., Nathan, M. J., & Willingham, T. D. (2013). Improving Students’ Learning with Effective Learning Techniques: Promising Directions from Cognitive and Educational Psychology. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 14(10, 4-58. Web.
Maheswari, J. M. (2013). Usage of Memory Model of Teaching and Mnemonics in Teaching-Learning of Psychology at B.Ed. Level. Indian Journal of Applied Research, 3(8), 187-188.
Watkar, A. G. (2012). Teaching Effectiveness of Memory Model: An Experimental Study. International Indexed & Referred Research Journal, 3(30), 3-4.
Yin, K. H. (2012). Using Mnemonics to Facilitate Learning of Economics. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 2 (1), 604-614.