Brainergy - Optimal Learning - Workshops

"It isn't so astonishing, the number of things that I can remember, as the number of things I can remember that aren't so." -Mark Twain



					Memory Matters Research on memory in the human brain is nearly as complex as research on the brain itself. But what scientists have learned about how memory functions in the brain is that nearly any healthy person can improve his or her memory if they are willing to work on it. In fact, it is probably much easier to improve your memory than to improve your golf stroke. Students, especially, enjoy learning how memory works because it helps them build better study habits and to process new study material on a deeper level of understanding. All memory is associative because the brain is a parallel distributive processor. This means that memories are made in the brain through multiple sensory, affective, and cognitive pathways. All new memories are associated with previous collections of memories. This is why cued recollections are easier than free recall. We say, "Oh! That reminds me..." Memory in the brain can be broken down into three components: attention, encoding & retrieval. If you have chosen what you want to remember then you can pay attention to it. Barry Gordon, M.D., a Johns Hopkins University memory researcher, (see reading list) says that memory lapses can be reduced by as much as 30% just by deciding to pay attention to what you want to remember. It is like going from automatic to manual focus on a camera. Once you have paid attention to what you wish to remember you must convert the short term memory to a long term memory. In order to do this we must use an encoding technique. Encoding is organizing the new information in a manner that it is easily retrievable. Repeating a phone number to ourselves as we walk across the room is an ineffective encoding strategy. If you get interrupted you have not converted the number properly to long term memory and it will be easily erased. And unless you create some association with the specific digits in the number ('45 is the year WWII ended and '67 is the year I graduated from high school) then the number will not be easily retrievable. Repeating a person's name out loud when you are first introduced and making an associative image with something about their appearance is surprisingly effective. There are many, many useful encoding strategies, and with practice they become second nature. Encoding new information for long term memory storage is like organizing a cluttered closet. When your closet was messy and disorganized you could never find anything. But after you have resorted and shelved everything in its proper place, finding what you need is easy. Once you have paid attention and encoded, then the retrieval of newly memorized information is usually effortless. This is a participatory workshop that also looks at nutrition, exercise, anxiety, and emotions as they influence memory formation. This workshop also has a variation specifically designed for teachers called Memory Matters: Practical Tools for Teaching that Stick which looks at educational practices in the classroom.