To Read or Not to Read. A Dilemma

To Read or Not to Read: A Dilemma

• There is a subtle yet significant observation[^1].
  • I am curious about who first uncovered it.
  • The idea is this: if we encourage students to read material related to the lecture or lesson in advance, they will grasp the lecture more effectively.
  • But the converse is equally true; if they read material related to the lecture afterward, they comprehend the material better.
  • Reflecting on my experience, I am inclined to agree with this hypothesis.
    • It remains a hypothesis since I have not yet tested it, though I have some ideas on how to do so.
    • ! When I complete my book, I could assign excerpts explaining different aspects of thinking and book processing to students in online groups and observe their level of comprehension.
      • This might yield some insights. There is potential for an experiment here.
  • This idea is an excellent starting point for our research with Max into how to deliver the most effective instructions[^2].
    • There is an intriguing concept regarding the visualization of instructions; we’ll see where it takes us.
  • The phenomenon where students not only remember better but also comprehend more thoroughly is known as “supportive memory.”
    • This concept was introduced by British researcher John Morton.
    • It is well-established that we are generally poor at remembering. However, what is less recognized is that our memory suffers particularly when expectations are not clearly set beforehand.
    • This is easily demonstrated: take a child of any age and instruct them to recite back to you the sequence of numbers they are about to hear.
      • The number of these digits is universally 7.
      • If the child knows the exact number of digits they need to remember, they recite more accurately and in the correct order.
      • If they are unaware, they anticipate more numbers to follow and forget more quickly what they heard at the beginning.
      • This suggests one clear principle: if a teacher wants their students to retain information better, they must establish expectations in advance.
    • There are numerous ways to do this effectively and non-intrusively:
      • ! Through small home assignments. This is something I plan to implement in the next academic year.
      • Small talks and explicit explanations regarding what and how much they need to accomplish in the classroom. This is something I already do daily at school, but this year I may intensify my efforts in providing clear and concise instructions about what will occur in the classroom.

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BIO

theBrain mapping

Source:: Outsmart Your Brain - Why Learning is Hard and How You Can Make It Easy, Reader, Come Home - The Reading Brain in a Digital World Friend:: Child:: Next:: Visualizing instructions is a great way of simple idea delivery from a teacher to the student Students capture notes less efficient

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Reference:

• Willingham, Outsmart Your Brain.
• Morton, “Interaction of Information in Word Recognition.”