In the contemporary world, large amounts of information are available and accessible primarily via the internet. This is influencing education in numerous ways. To respond to the changing information dynamics, it is crucial that the best techniques are employed in education to enhance memory and learning. This paper is aimed at explaining the workings of memory and learning. Likewise, I will share my plans for incorporating memory and learning concepts into my nursing education.
Memories refer to the mental records that human beings maintain in their mind. The primary stages of human memories are three-fold; encoding, storage and retrieval ( Bailey & Pransky , 2014 ; Brem et al., 2013). The encoding stage entails sending information to the brain leading to its dissection into the most significant components. At the storage phase, the encoded data must be retained by the brain over an extended period. Lastly, retrieval can be viewed as the act of gaining the right of entry into the infinite amount of stored information. Human memory is classified into working or short-term memory, and permanent or long-term memory ( Brem et al., 2013). According to Bailey & Pransky (2014 ), human memory systems can be conceptualized as shown in Figure 1.
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Learning cannot take place without memory. This is because learning entails modification of the information stored in memory as a result of new experiences or inputs ( Bailey & Pransky, 2014; Brem et al., 2013 ). Since memory is dependent on prior learning, then learning is the first step in memory . Thus, learning refers to the active and automatic process of sensory input to the human brain and the ability to obtain meaning from that input ( Bailey & Pransky, 2014; Brem et al., 2013 ). During learning, the elements of an experience are first classified according to their unique characteristics. They are then taken to various parts of the brain for detailed further analysis. In the process, similarities to information that had been stored previously are sought .
Figure 1: Human memory systems
Bailey & Pransky ( 2014 ) argues that memory is a physical process. I intend to use four key techniques to implement the memory concept in nursing education and maximize the physical nature of memory. These are organizing information, using my body, using my brain and recalling the information as outlined by Ellis (2012). The need to organize information is premised on the notion that well-organized information is easy to remember. In this pursuit, I will first be selective of the information using skimming techniques to ensure that I focus solely on specific elements of the learning materials. Secondly, I will endeavor to derive meaning out of the nursing education. Thirdly, I will aim to create associations between all study materials.
I will use my body to enhance memory by ensuring that I am physically involved. This will be achieved in various ways. Firstly, I will seek to be more active in learning to enhance my memory. Secondly, I will schedule time for relaxation to allow my mind to absorb more information and remember easily. Thirdly, I will create pictures of the study materials for ease of recalling. Further, I will explore reciting and repeating as a study technique so as to commit the information to both the mouth and ears simultaneously. Lastly, as I read, I will ensure that I put down my notes to make future remembrance easy.
The use of my brain as a technique is important chiefly because memory takes place in the brain. To achieve this, I will focus on reducing interference and distractions when studying. Secondly, I will purpose to study during the day so as to boost my concentration and productivity. Thirdly, to overcome mental fuzziness, I will seek to over-learn. Fourthly, I will purpose to review the course materials minutes or hours after the end of a study session. Another approach is distributing my learning by integrating breaks into the study sessions to promote alertness. Since my attitude plays a crucial role in learning, I will seek to prevent my opinions on particular course materials from influencing me. Moreover, I intend to be choosy about what to store and what not to store. This will help me in remembering the most important concepts later. Lastly, I will combine the various approaches to using my brain in studying.
The last technique of incorporating memory concept in nursing education will be recalling the information studied. I will achieve this by using four approaches. Firstly, to remember a particular concept, I will focus on remembering a piece of information that is related to the concept of interest. This will increase my chances of remembering the concept of interest since all related information is stored together in the human brain. Secondly, I will be keen on noticing when I remember. This will help me to recognize the technique used in remembering so as to use it in the future. The third strategy will be the regular use of the acquired information to ensure that it is not lost. I intend to achieve this through reading, writing, speaking, listening or applying the information in the course of my studies. Lastly, I will adopt a positive attitude towards memory.
Implementation of learning concept in nursing education is based on the fact that prior learning is requisite to memory. Therefore, I will ensure that as much information about nursing is sent to my brain as possible by using various techniques. These techniques are corroborated by Dunlosky et al. (2013) and Seifer t ( 1993). The first technique is the use of elaborative interrogation. In this case, I will seek to come up with my explanation of the reason an explicitly stated concept or fact in nursing education is true. Use of self-explanation is the second technique. This will entail explaining how any new information is related to the known information and the key steps taken in solving problems in the field of nursing. I will use summarization as the third approach. In summarizing, I will focus on the main points of the various nursing texts so as to enhance learning. The fourth technique will be highlighting/underlining relevant and potentially important sections of the study materials. The fifth technique will be the use of mental imagery and keywords to relate to verbal materials.
The sixth technique in the implementation learning concept will be the use of imagery for text. In this technique, each paragraph’s content will be imagined mentally using clear and simple mental images so as to boost comprehension and performance. The seventh technique will entail restudying the nursing course materials severally so as to increase the amount of encoded information. Practice testing will be my eighth technique, and it will involve taking practice tests or self-tests. The ninth technique is distributed learning, in which case I will spread out my learning activities over time to promote long-term retention. In the last technique, I will utilize a schedule of learning and practice that combines different kinds of reading materials in a single study session to improve my motor learning.
References
Bailey, F., & Pransky, K. (2014). Memory at Work in the Classroom: Strategies to Help Underachieving Students: Strategies to Help Underachieving Students . ASCD.
Brem, A. K., Ran, K., & Pascual-leone, A. (2013). Learning and memory. In Handbook of clinical neurology (Vol. 116, pp. 693-737). Elsevier.
Dunlosky, J., Rawson, K. A., Marsh, E. J., Nathan, M. J., & Willingham, D. T. (2013). Improving students’ learning with effective learning techniques: Promising directions from cognitive and educational psychology. Psychological Science in the Public Interest , 14 (1), 4-58.
Ellis, D. (2012). Becoming a master student . Toronto, ON: Nelson Education.
Seifert, T. ( 1993 ). Learning Strategies In The Classroom. Retrieved from https://www.mun.ca/educ/faculty/mwatch/vol2/seifert.html
