Okay, so first folks introduced themselves silently and only using text by signing in on the SMART Board and including, along with their names and positions, something by which they thought folks would remember them. Then the topic changed with the watching of a short film. Now faculty will have the opportunity to see if they remembered what was written on the Board and get to actually introduce themselves orally.
This is a quick memory simulation that intoduces the idea of prior knowledge and brings home the difficulty for some in recalling information that probably never made it past short-term memory, assuming it even entered short-term memory in the first place. For information to make it past short-term memory there needs to be time for reflection and review, and a good night’s sleep to help with consolidating the information into long-term memory.
As Robert Greenleaf writes in the 2000 edition of his book, Brain Based Teaching: Building Excitement for Learning:
The mind will attend for about 15 seconds, attempting to find meaning, a relation to something already known or a pattern. If none is found the new information is typically relegated to short term memory…and soon forgotten. (page 9) If we are to develop long range recall and understanding, we need to “attach” our new learning to something of value to us – to something that has meaning. (page 55)
This is the third of about twenty or fewer posts and for further information about this series, please read Closings and Openings. As you follow the development of this activity, please feel free to chime in with suggestions or questions!
Click to see a full size version of the I Know You! screen.