How to teach: Lessons learned from information processing theory

By Jesus Modesto
College of Education
Long Island University, C. W. Post
November, 2010

I really enjoyed the way professor Boyanton started the class today. The main topic that we covered was memory. Professor Boyanton had us learn Chinese so we could understand the concept of memorization. The point of this exercise was to show us how our brain undergoes a specific process in order to store information. There are three memory stores; sensory register, short term memory and long term memory. One strategy that will help people learn better is to pay very close attention. A teacher must be able to capture their student’s attention and make sure they are focused on the lesson. The student will not remember anything if they are zoned out and thinking of other things. Another strategy teachers should use is rehearsal. The teacher should make the student constantly repeat something in order to remember it. For example, professor Boyanton had us repeat the same Chinese word many times in order for us to remember its definition and how it sounded like. The more the student repeats something the better he/she will remember it.

I found it very interesting when professor Boyanton told us that students tend to remember things better if the lesson is fun and exciting. This is very true because I would not like to sit through a class that was completely boring. Students will learn better if they are interacting with other and having fun. They are more likely to remember a fun class rather than a boring class. When I become a teacher I will definitely incorporate “play” into my lesson plan. This will allow me to capture my student’s attention. If they are paying attention then I know they will remember what I spoke about in my lectures. This class was very fun and I look forward to using the methods I learned today in the work force.