Memory Teacher — Applied Project #3
For my third applied project, I wanted to focus on a subject that would directly impact my life for the future. I’m looking at going into the social work field, specifically as a medical social worker working with pediatric patients. In order to be fully licensed and able to do this, I need to get my master’s degree in Social Work. With this, I could change which field I want to go in because the degree itself is so broad, but this is my plan of attack for now. In order to achieve these future goals I need to start with knowing the basics of vocabulary that are going to benefit me. I need to know the vocabulary for social work skills as well as the medical terminology if that’s field I am looking to enter. In order to successfully remember vocabulary, I looked at popular techniques as well as developed my own strategy to help myself.
Rote learning is a popular study strategy that is defined as the memorization of information based on repetition. Repetition strategies are crucial, especially when starting to learn vocabulary, according to empirical research in this area (Gu, 2003). Many people make the argument that rote learning is beneficial in learning the basics. It doesn’t help a student learn how to think, analyze, or solve problems. I looked at a study that involved two types of repetition: oral and written. This study examined the results of oral repetition, written repetition, and a combination of the two types over a six-week time period. The results of this study found that all of these repetition strategies can lead to short and long-term vocabulary retention. Oral repetition had the lowest retention after six weeks, which was 18%. The written repetition score was 31% after the sixth week follow up. The oral and written group produced the highest score after six-weeks, and that was 42% (Altalhab, S., n.d.).
I found this to be beneficial for my own learning both in written and oral context. Repetition helps me become familiar with the words that I am using. When learning vocabulary, I often make notecards or use Quizlet in order to get repetition of the words. I read them over and over again and associate them with their definitions. In this case, I was also able to use an oral technique when learning about social work skills to use in practice. My Social Work with Individuals course that I took this spring was set up in a way that I could successfully use rote learning. Every week the students were assigned a specific chapter to read of the textbook. On the first class day of the week, we were asked to recall the information that we had read for class. Often times this led to an even further discussion of the material. Later on, I will explain how I was able to utilize another memory technique for this class to enhance my memory of this material.
The second memorization technique that I used was a mnemonic technique. Mnemonics are systems and tricks such as patterns, ideas, or associations that assist in remembering something. There are multiple forms of mnemonics that are useful in remembering a variety of subjects. In this case, I used a form of organizational encoding called chunking. Chunking is breaking things up and grouping them together in smaller chunks, as a way to better remember them. For any type of chunk to be useful, its constituents must be sufficiently well bound as to allow the retrieval of one component to evoke the remainder (Allen, R.J., 2006). A lot of the skills in social work are rooted in the same ideas and concepts. In this process of chunking, I grouped together skills that were similar in order to remember them. For example, the interviewing skills paraphrasing, and clarification have similar concepts. In paraphrasing, the social worker confirms what the client is saying by restating what the client has said in his/her own words. Clarification on the other hand, is using paraphrasing to rephrase what the client has said, followed by a question such as, “Am I hearing you correctly?”
The third technique that I used was retrieval practice. This form of practice involves recalling the information to memory. I was able to use specific, concrete examples to recall the vocabulary and information that I was learning throughout the course of the semester. Personally, I found that this technique was the most beneficial for my learning style. I need repetition and a number of examples in order to correctly recall information.
Going back to the point I made earlier of my class being set up as an effective way for me to memorize vocabulary, this is the point that I was getting at. I was able to use retrieval practice every day that I had this class. On the first day of the week, I was able to recall the information in a discussion about the reading. On the second class day of the week, my classmates and I were able to put these skills into practice. Since each week was focused on one specific skill it was easy to differentiate between what was being put into practice. This practice inside class allowed for me to create specific examples that I could associate with each skill. These specific examples made recall of a vocabulary word or definition easier because I could think about how I used the skill in my own experiences.
Not only was this beneficial inside the class room, but also outside of it as well. Outside of the classroom, I used reflection as a retrieval practice. After leaving class, especially on the days when I had just put the skill into practice, I would reflect on how I used the skill and if I did it in the best way possible. Often times, I find that after recalling what the skill was, I found that there were a variety of ways that the skill could be applied. Retrieval practice allowed for me to go back and reflect on the ways in which I used the skills and assess if I used them correctly. Retrieval also allowed for me to implement another one of the Learning Scientist strategies of using concrete examples to effectively recall information. Learning and memorizing all of these techniques allowed me to put my social work skills into practice as well as properly identify how each one was used. It also allowed for me to use trial and error with the skills. If a situation was brought up in practice and I didn’t respond in an effective way, I would know not to use that skill the next time that situation is present.
References
Altalhab, S. (n.d.). Short- and long-term effects of repetition strategies on vocabulary retention. Retrieved April 11, 2021, from https://www.journals.aiac.org.au/index.php/alls/article/view/4334/3397
Downloadable materials. (n.d.). Retrieved April 11, 2021, from https://www.learningscientists.org/downloadable-materials/
Memorization strategies. (2020, July 24). Retrieved April 11, 2021, from https://learningcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/enhancing-your-memory/
What is rote learning? Effectiveness of rote learning: Resilient educator. (2020, December 10). Retrieved April 11, 2021, from https://resilienteducator.com/classroom-resources/what-is-rote-learning/
