We need to teach and model strategies that make it easier for students to process information and store it away for later use. Regina Richards, an educational therapist, states that an overall goal for students is to help them develop automatic strategy use, as this increases their efficiency when learning and studying. Ms. Richards also recommends that teachers ask students to hand in a memory plan prior to a test or learning activity, in much the same way a pilot would hand in a flight plan. Ask students, "How are you going to go about getting stuff into and out of your memory?

From the field of neuroscience research, we learn that there is a potent combination that leads students to learn more efficiently and retain information longer. www.brainconnection.com

They are:
1. Frequency (Repeated exposure to new material builds and strengthens pathways in the brain.)
2. Intensity (Concentrated practice and intense focus builds more neural support in a shorter period of time.)
3. Cross-Training (Cross-training on a wide balance of skills reinforces overall comprehension.)
4. Adaptivity (Adapt instruction to the student's incoming skill level.)
5. Motivation and Attention (Keep students interested in paying attention by using several different motivational strategies.)

Visit Teachley's Amazing Talking Brain to learn additional classroom teaching and learning strategies. While you’re surfing, drop in on Exploratorium’s Amazing Online Memory Exhibit and watch a sheep brain dissection.

According to Dr. Mel Levine, the demands on memory in school only grow greater and more sophisticated as students move up. "Memory problems are often an unrecognized cause of writing difficulty. In fact, writing requires more memory than just about anything else a student is asked to do in school. Learn more interesting facts by reading two of Dr. Levine's short articles:
"Igniting their Writing: The Struggle to Get Ideas on Paper, www.allkindsofminds.org Library
"Memories are Made of This: Schools as an Unending Test of Remembering and What to Do About it" www.allkindsofminds.org Library