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Mnemonics in the Regents Level

Chemistry ClassroomAid Information

Retention in Oxidation Reduction.

Christie Morgante SEYS 777 --Dr. MurfinQueens College

Problem

Chemistry requires students to memorize, recall,

and retain specific definitions before they can proceed to understanding the material.

Oxidation Reduction poses a difficult topic for students to grasp involves memorizing vocabulary of

locations, particles, and charges

Purpose

review mnemonics as a general study aid as well as specific methods of mnemonics.

also evaluate if in fact, it would be beneficial for students to utilize this method in a regents Chemistry classroom.

Mnemonic

Mnemonic devices can be defined as learning strategies

“The term mnemonic is derived from the name of the ancient Greek goddess of memory, Mnemosyne. Mnemonic literally means to aid the memory (Bourne, Dominowski, Loftus & Healy 1986).

History

Mnemonics have been around for centuries

Romans made a systematic memory training the basis of an education, which suggests the importance of information retention and the application of mnemonic-type instruction from the earliest generations of formal education training

History

Example House of the Tragic Poet in Pompeii

Within the House there were watercolors painted on wall panels.

After the House was destroyed mnemonic devices were used to create the location and images of these panels.

creating a mental picture of the house with pegs, a linking of an image relating in some way to what you want to remember

By backtracking the pegs in an specific order in which it was remembered would trigger a memory of what was there before.

“relationship between concrete image and verbalized meaning with the architectural mnemonic might operate in a pictorial programs of Roman house…”

Types

There are multiple types if Mnemonics.

1 “pegword” a rhyming proxy for a number and is used to remember numbered or

ordered information (e.g., one is bun, two is shoe, three is tree)

2 “keyword” a concrete, acoustically similar proxy for unfamiliar information that can then

be associated with the to-be remembered information.”(e.g., vocabulary words, terminology, people, places).

3 “letter-type” the most commonly known mnemonic strategies and include acronyms, in

which each letter represents a word…and acrostics, using the first letter of words in a sentence to remember a list or sequence of information.

each letter or syllable represents a fact.”

GIN LIPGain is Negative Lose is positive

GER says LEO

Gain is reduction Lose is oxidation

RED CAT AN OX

Reduction at Cathode Anode Oxidation

“Every task required of the student in the process of learning chemistry cannot be accomplished solely by reasoning. Much of the subject matter must be memorized as a basis for reasoning” (Article 1 p. 276).

Information Retention

Mnemonics have been used in classrooms with students of Different ages Different learning types Different Subjects

“students learned, and retained, virtually all information taught mnemonically, which contrasted dramatically from the amount of information students learned with traditional instructional methods”

Findings

“the average student in a mnemonic condition would have scored at the 94.7th percentile of the students in the comparison condition in which mnemonics was not used”

“it must be considered that mnemonic strategies do not address all school objectives and should not be considered a panacea for all aspects if school learning”

Missing Information

not that many findings on the specific letter-word type

challenges of developing mnemonic strategies

most are done in a generic sense and do not target the specific subject of chemistry, let alone the topic of oxidation reduction.

Conclusion

Hypothesized that the students sampled in Robert H. Goddard High School will have similar, successful, results in using the memory device of mnemonics.

Hopefully, with the conclusion of this experiment, a more in-depth analysis of the use of letter-type mnemonic devices in the chemistry classroom can be examined; therefore, bridging the gap that exists in previous studies.

Research Proposal

Oxidation Reduction Unit (3 week unit)Quasi-Action Research High School in Ozone Park , Queens Chemistry students (66 participants) grades ten through

twelve will be split into two randomly assigned groups Pre and Post Test (ANOVA) The control group will be taught the entire unit utilizing

memory techniques that they are already familiar with. The experimental group will be given a plethora of

mnemonic devices to assist in their memory retention.

Research Proposal

The success of these approaches will be measured by the average scores on a unit test (a post-test) given to them at the end of the period.

The students in the experimental group will be asked to complete a questionnaire regarding their impression of the mnemonic devices given to them and if they felt they were at all helpful in the memorization and retention of key concepts throughout the unit.

Quantitative and Qualitative