Memory, Retention and Performance

James E Van Arsdall EdDAmerican National Government

Human Relations SkillsHistory

List principles of adult learning, memory and retention

Objectives: As a result of this presentation you should be able to:

List methods of test preparation and review

Objectives: As a result of this presentation you should be able to:

Demonstrate relaxation techniques applicable to retention and performance.

Objectives: As a result of this presentation you should be able to:

A RELATIVELY PERMANENT

CHANGE IN BEHAVIOR

THAT COMES AS THE RESULT OF

A PLANNED EXPERIENCE

LEARNING

A PLANNED EXPERIENCE

THAT BRINGS ABOUT A CHANGE IN BEHAVIOR

TEACHING

•COGNITIVE - Knowledge

•AFFECTIVE - Attitudes

•PSYCHOMOTOR - Skills

TYPES OF LEARNING

•Participation is usually voluntary

•Slight familiarity with class routine

•More life experience

(+ or - impact on learning)

PRINCIPLES OF ADULT LEARNING

•Varied teaching = higher retention

*20 MINUTE RULE

•Time perspective is important

*IMMEDIATE USAGE

PRINCIPLES OF ADULT LEARNING

Learner must take ownership of objectives

PRINCIPLES OF ADULT LEARNING

Retention

Reading - 10%Hearing - 20%Seeing - 30%Seeing/Hearing - 50%Saying - 70%Saying/Doing - 90%

S4R/QS = SurveyR = ReadR = ReciteR = (W)riteR = Review------------------------------Q = Question

Memory and Retention

In twenty minute segments or with twenty minute breaks.

Six minutes after you learned.

Review

Ten hours after you have learned

Four times as large as the previous time. (40 hours later for third time)

Review

Four times as large as the previous time as needed.

Review

Characteristics of Poor Listeners

1. Avoiding experience

2. Lacking interest

3. Criticizing delivery

Characteristics of Poor Listeners

4. Getting too worked up

5. Listening for facts only

6. Outlining everything

7. Faking attention

Characteristics of Poor Listeners

8. Tolerating distractions

9. Wasting thought power

10. Lacking preparation

Good Listening Skills

MOTIVATIONREACTIONCONCENTRATION

Good Listening Skills

ORGANIZATIONCOMPREHENSIONREPETITION

Good Listening Skills

In order for effective listening to take place, a person must be MOTIVATED.

Good Listening Skills

If he/she decides to avoid the experience of listening to a given encode, this person is showing that he/she is not interested in what is being said, they will not be able to REACT to the communication that is the first step in decoding or interpreting the information.

Good Listening Skills

Criticizing the speaker's delivery or getting too worked up about something he has said can interrupt a listener's CONCENTRATION. Either faking attention or tolerating distractions will make true concentration very difficult.

Good Listening SkillsSince ORGANIZATION and COMPREHENSION are also necessary for effective listening to take place, if a person listens only for facts he/she might not comprehend the unity and coherence of the speaker. On the other hand, if a person outlines everything, he/she might appear to be well organized, but might not be interpreting the full intent of the communication.

Good Listening Skills

Wasting thought power by daydreaming or thinking about something other than what is being said will also disrupt COMPREHENSION. The speaker often uses explanations and illustrations to reinforce a point they are trying to make.

Good Listening Skills

While this REPETITION or explanation might encourage some poor listeners to waste thought power by thinking about other things, it is important for communication because it suggests that which the speaker feels is important.

Current research has clearly documented that test coaching and preparation can significantly increase information retention and test performance. Any examination tests your skill in two basic areas:

Memory and Test Taking

•1. Knowledge, retention and application of the technical material.

•2. Skill and familiarity with test taking and and basic question and test types.

Test Item AnalysisDiscrimination (Discr)-1.00 to +1.00

Difficulty (Diff).00 to 1.00

Imagination

Association

Two Principles of Perfect Memory

WordsOrder

SequenceNumber

Left Brain

ColorRhythm

DimensionDaydreaming

Right Brain

Nutrition and MemoryCholine Green leafy vegetables Improves memory

Vitamin B12 Dairy products, fish, meats

Deficiency impairs memory and concentration

Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)

Wheat germ, green leafy vegetables, lean meats

Need for good memory

Vitamin B6 Brewer’s yeast, bananas, peanuts, poultry

Needed for concentration

Nutrition and MemoryVitamin C Citrus fruits, tomatoes,

broccoli, green peppersRemoves toxins; reduces stress; helps concentration

Calcium Dairy products, green leafy vegetables

Deficiency impairs memory

Physical Exercise Running, jogging, walking, swimming

Reduces stress; improves memory by increasing the oxygen flow to brain

Relaxation Exercise Deep breathing Reduces stress; increases oxygen to brain; improves concentration

Super Learning MethodsGeorgi Lozanov (Bulgarian Physician)

1. Relaxation2. Visualization3. Joy of Learning - Positive Thinking4. Breathing with Baroque Largo Music

(60 beats per minute)5. Review

Summary and ConclusionTips

Try Mindtools Web Site to Improve Your memory.

http://www.mindtools.com

How to Improve Your Memory

Time, June 12, 2000

http://www.time.com