WEEK #4 Content and Key Concepts Summary
SMART LEarning objectives
Learning Objectives for Week #2
Upon completion of this week's content you should be able to:
Upon completion of this week's content you should be able to:
- Decide if mnemonic devices should be used in New Hire Training.
- Recommend a way to improve you abilities in learning
- Explain why retrieval practices are effective learning tool
Week #4 Content Summaries
Article: How to Use Retrieval Practice to Improve Learning
In this article the authors discuss retrieval practices and their many uses in producing truly effective learning experiences. To begin you must first understand what retrieval practices are. Retrieval practices are activities that force learners to access and recall learned information. Effective retrieval practices should be difficult and should require the learners to struggle to recall the information. The struggle allows us to strengthen our memory and improve our ability to recall the information.
Despite the common belief that becoming fluent with material by rereading and focusing on massed practice will lead to long term learning, is has been proven through empirical research that this type of learning does not last. When learning is easy, the information is not retained for the long-term. Long-term learning requires effort. The more difficult the practice the better the results are for the long-term.
Retrieval practices not only build stronger learning they also lead to an improvement in complex thinking, organization of information and the transfer of the information to new learnings. Another benefit of retrieval practices is that they help us to understand gaps in our knowledge. The practices, when utilized as a learning strategy, allow us to understand where our opportunities lie and help to fill those gaps with a better understanding of what we need to practice. (Agarwal, Roediger, McDaniel & McDermott, 2013)
In this article the authors discuss retrieval practices and their many uses in producing truly effective learning experiences. To begin you must first understand what retrieval practices are. Retrieval practices are activities that force learners to access and recall learned information. Effective retrieval practices should be difficult and should require the learners to struggle to recall the information. The struggle allows us to strengthen our memory and improve our ability to recall the information.
Despite the common belief that becoming fluent with material by rereading and focusing on massed practice will lead to long term learning, is has been proven through empirical research that this type of learning does not last. When learning is easy, the information is not retained for the long-term. Long-term learning requires effort. The more difficult the practice the better the results are for the long-term.
Retrieval practices not only build stronger learning they also lead to an improvement in complex thinking, organization of information and the transfer of the information to new learnings. Another benefit of retrieval practices is that they help us to understand gaps in our knowledge. The practices, when utilized as a learning strategy, allow us to understand where our opportunities lie and help to fill those gaps with a better understanding of what we need to practice. (Agarwal, Roediger, McDaniel & McDermott, 2013)
Chapter 7 - Increase Your Abilities
Chapter 7 focuses on how to build you memory and increase your abilities. To begin unlocking your full potential you must understand is your brain and its ability to recall information is plastic or mutable. The concept of neuroplasticity is a recent revelation. Neuroplasticity says that you brain remains in a plastic state throughout adulthood, allowing you to make new connections and further strengthen current ones. The mutability of your brain is key to increasing your ability.
Now the question is, “Is your IQ mutable?” the short answer is yes. Given the fact that you have the ability to continue to learn new information, skills and concepts throughout your entire life, would lead to the conclusion that you IQ is also able to change. As you learn new techniques of learning and remembering, you improve your ability to process information and, in turn, improve your ability to process concepts, thus improving your IQ.
One way to increase your ability is by developing mnemonic devices. These devices allow you to hold large amounts of information in your memory and, more importantly, these items are held in a place of ready recall. This will not only allow you to access this information quickly, it allows you recall this information for an extended period. Memory palaces are an amazing type of mnemonic device. These palaces allow you to store vast amounts of information by relating them to an entire set of points of reference. One way to do this is to create a palace from a familiar coffee shop or school building. By placing markers at key areas, you are able to relate those markers to more complex pieces of information.
Another way to increase your ability is to focus on having a growth mindset. A growth mindset means that you see the possibility and the lesson in both success and, more importantly, failure. A growth mindset means that you understand that effort is the goal of every endeavor not success. In several studies with children, it has been proven that a focus on effort produces greater results and a greater desire to improve.
In the studies, children were given puzzles with increasing difficulty. With each successful completion of the puzzle on group of students were praised for being smart, while another group was praised for the effort they put forth to complete the puzzle. As the puzzles became more difficult, the children who were praised for being smart began shutting down and stopped working on the puzzles, stating that the puzzles were too hard. These students, when given a choice for their next puzzle would choose an easier one. They believed that they had reached their full potential since they were unable to solve the puzzle. They simply believed they were not smart enough. In contrast, the students who were praised for their efforts continue to work at the more difficult puzzles until they solved them. When given a choice this group almost always chose the more difficult puzzles because they knew they could put forth the effort to try to complete the puzzle. This study demonstrated the difference between a growth mindset and a fixed mindset. To put it in the words of Henry Ford, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t… your right.” (Brown, Roediger, & McDaniel, 2014)
Chapter 7 focuses on how to build you memory and increase your abilities. To begin unlocking your full potential you must understand is your brain and its ability to recall information is plastic or mutable. The concept of neuroplasticity is a recent revelation. Neuroplasticity says that you brain remains in a plastic state throughout adulthood, allowing you to make new connections and further strengthen current ones. The mutability of your brain is key to increasing your ability.
Now the question is, “Is your IQ mutable?” the short answer is yes. Given the fact that you have the ability to continue to learn new information, skills and concepts throughout your entire life, would lead to the conclusion that you IQ is also able to change. As you learn new techniques of learning and remembering, you improve your ability to process information and, in turn, improve your ability to process concepts, thus improving your IQ.
One way to increase your ability is by developing mnemonic devices. These devices allow you to hold large amounts of information in your memory and, more importantly, these items are held in a place of ready recall. This will not only allow you to access this information quickly, it allows you recall this information for an extended period. Memory palaces are an amazing type of mnemonic device. These palaces allow you to store vast amounts of information by relating them to an entire set of points of reference. One way to do this is to create a palace from a familiar coffee shop or school building. By placing markers at key areas, you are able to relate those markers to more complex pieces of information.
Another way to increase your ability is to focus on having a growth mindset. A growth mindset means that you see the possibility and the lesson in both success and, more importantly, failure. A growth mindset means that you understand that effort is the goal of every endeavor not success. In several studies with children, it has been proven that a focus on effort produces greater results and a greater desire to improve.
In the studies, children were given puzzles with increasing difficulty. With each successful completion of the puzzle on group of students were praised for being smart, while another group was praised for the effort they put forth to complete the puzzle. As the puzzles became more difficult, the children who were praised for being smart began shutting down and stopped working on the puzzles, stating that the puzzles were too hard. These students, when given a choice for their next puzzle would choose an easier one. They believed that they had reached their full potential since they were unable to solve the puzzle. They simply believed they were not smart enough. In contrast, the students who were praised for their efforts continue to work at the more difficult puzzles until they solved them. When given a choice this group almost always chose the more difficult puzzles because they knew they could put forth the effort to try to complete the puzzle. This study demonstrated the difference between a growth mindset and a fixed mindset. To put it in the words of Henry Ford, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t… your right.” (Brown, Roediger, & McDaniel, 2014)
Chapter 8 - Make it stick
Chapter 8 brings everything together. There is a need in schools, corporate settings and everywhere in-between for effective learning strategies. The final chapter includes tips for students, lifelong learners, teachers and trainers.
The tips for students and lifelong learners are simple. You must take charge of your own learning. It will be difficult at times and that is okay. As discussed in the earlier chapters of the book, difficult learning is meaningful learning. It is also important that you develop a strategy. The strategies outlined in this book may not be the way that you were taught to learn but they are proven effective through empirical research. Remember you intellectual abilities are within you control.
The tips for teachers and trainers come with a bit of caution. It is important that you are not to prescriptive in your approach, creating a “one size fits all” model. It is important that you begin by letting your students know how learning works. They need to understand that they have the ability to control their own learning and that there possibilities are limitless as long as they maintain a growth mindset. You must also teach the students how to effectively study. Most of us have already been given some explanation of what it means to study that usually entails a lot of rereading and massed practices. You should create desirable difficulties in the classroom. This means that you do not want to make every lesson easy. Remember easy learning tends to be unproductive learning. Perhaps most important, is the need to be transparent. Establishing a safe learning environment with clear expectations of goals is important to effective learning. (Brown et al., 2014)
Chapter 8 brings everything together. There is a need in schools, corporate settings and everywhere in-between for effective learning strategies. The final chapter includes tips for students, lifelong learners, teachers and trainers.
The tips for students and lifelong learners are simple. You must take charge of your own learning. It will be difficult at times and that is okay. As discussed in the earlier chapters of the book, difficult learning is meaningful learning. It is also important that you develop a strategy. The strategies outlined in this book may not be the way that you were taught to learn but they are proven effective through empirical research. Remember you intellectual abilities are within you control.
The tips for teachers and trainers come with a bit of caution. It is important that you are not to prescriptive in your approach, creating a “one size fits all” model. It is important that you begin by letting your students know how learning works. They need to understand that they have the ability to control their own learning and that there possibilities are limitless as long as they maintain a growth mindset. You must also teach the students how to effectively study. Most of us have already been given some explanation of what it means to study that usually entails a lot of rereading and massed practices. You should create desirable difficulties in the classroom. This means that you do not want to make every lesson easy. Remember easy learning tends to be unproductive learning. Perhaps most important, is the need to be transparent. Establishing a safe learning environment with clear expectations of goals is important to effective learning. (Brown et al., 2014)
Connections to a Care Center Learning & Development Team
The Concepts covered in Chapter 7 and Chapter 8 are very relatable to the Care Center Learning and Development Environment. Specifically the ideas of a growth mindset and the ways in which one can improve his/her own abilities. In the fast-paced environment, it is becoming increasingly important for our associates to develop a growth mindset.
The ability of our associates to remember complex processes and procedures would be a great benefit not only to the customers with whom they are interacting; it would also make introducing new technologies even easier. By having a workforce who is equipped with a growth mindset and some great tools, we would be ready for whatever may come our way.
The ability of our associates to remember complex processes and procedures would be a great benefit not only to the customers with whom they are interacting; it would also make introducing new technologies even easier. By having a workforce who is equipped with a growth mindset and some great tools, we would be ready for whatever may come our way.
Suggestions for Implementation
I feel that mnemonic devices could prove to be a very beneficial addition to New Hire Curriculum. Given the varied backgrounds our newest associates come from, we cannot rely on them having a full understanding of Care Center Customer Service and care center systems.
I would suggest focusing on creating devices for the more complex processes and procedures. The devices could be most easily related to simply tunes or songs that most people know. Nursery rhymes are great options since they are simple to learn should someone be unfamiliar with the words.
I would suggest focusing on creating devices for the more complex processes and procedures. The devices could be most easily related to simply tunes or songs that most people know. Nursery rhymes are great options since they are simple to learn should someone be unfamiliar with the words.
Formative Assessment—Quizlet SPELLER
Please review the following Learning Activity to practice this week's concepts. In addition to the Test option, you may click through additional learning practices by accessing the Study Mode menu. It is located in the bottom right of the section.
References
Brown, P.C., Roediger, H.L., & McDaniel, M.A. (2014). Make it stick: The science of successful learning.
Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.
Pooja K. Agarwal, Henry L. Roediger, III, Mark A. McDaniel & Kathleen B. McDermott. How to Use Retrieval Practice to Improve Learning
Retrieved from: http://psych.wustl.edu/memory/Roddy%20article%20PDF%27s/RetrievalPracticeGuide.pdf
Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.
Pooja K. Agarwal, Henry L. Roediger, III, Mark A. McDaniel & Kathleen B. McDermott. How to Use Retrieval Practice to Improve Learning
Retrieved from: http://psych.wustl.edu/memory/Roddy%20article%20PDF%27s/RetrievalPracticeGuide.pdf