Designing and Teaching a Memory Strategies Class Christine Tunstall, MS CCC-Sp Instructional Specialist: Speech Pathology / ABI Disabled Student Programs.

Designing and Teaching a Memory

Strategies ClassChristine Tunstall, MS CCC-Sp

Instructional Specialist: Speech Pathology / ABIDisabled Student Programs & Services

Mt. San Antonio College

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Today’s Agenda Concepts/Exit Skills/Objectives/Evaluation

What are they? The ones for this workshop Design them for your class The ones developed for DSPS 31

What to Memorize Mnemonics and Other Strategies Activities / Assessments in DSPS 31 Course Outline for DSPS 31

Typical Designing Process Identify memory strategies and other

things I think are important to teach. Figure out generally how I’ll cover the

material in class (outline) Write the curriculum, objectives, etc. Determine my grading process for the

class (tests, papers, other assignments) Figure out what I’ll actually do during class

Backwards Design What is backwards design?

“Beginning with the end in mind” Wiggins, G. and McTighe, J. Understanding by Design

(2nd Edition). Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2005.

Understanding by Design: Three Stages Identify desired results

Not “what I plan to cover,” but what they should know or be able to do as a result of taking your class

Determine acceptable evidence How will you be able to tell that they know or can do?

Plan learning experiences and instruction

1 - Identifying Desired Results What should the students know,

understand, and be able to do – 5 years from now?

What are the essential questions of this topic?

What are the enduring concepts of this topic?

What are the key knowledge and skills?

Know/Understand/Be able to do

for this Class Understand and approach development of

a curriculum “with the end in mind.” Know that there are a myriad of strategies

out there and be able to evaluate those strategies’ appropriateness for your goals.

Be able to develop classroom activities and assignments that are functional and personally-relevant to the students’ needs.

Essential Questions What would students ask? What would

help them make sense of the information? Then think about broader questions about

the topic. Play “Jeopardy” with material you are

thinking of covering. Keep them open-ended questions,

engaging, intriguing, even debatable.

Essential Questions for this Class

Why is design important and how do I design something to fit my needs?

How do you find and evaluate what can work effectively to improve students’ memory skills?

What kinds of activities can develop students’ skills?

How can I make their learning functional and transferable?

Enduring Concepts What are they?

Originate from essential questions and what students should know/understand/do

Are statements that reflect the important knowledge & understandings of the topic

Form the basis of developing key knowledge and exit skills

They are the understandings you want the students to grasp

Back to: Know/Understand/Be able to do for this Class

Understand and approach development of a curriculum “with the end in mind.”

Know that there are a myriad of strategies out there and be able to evaluate those strategies’ appropriateness for your goals.

Be able to develop classroom activities and assignments that are functional and personally-relevant to the students’ needs.

Enduring Concepts for this Class

1. Curriculum designs evolve better from desired results, not planned coverage.

2. Memory strategies should be evaluated for their appropriateness to one’s goals.

3. Development and sequencing of tasks can emerge naturally from desired results and acceptable evidence.

4. Personally-relevant activities facilitate understandings and skills.

Group Activity Develop enduring concepts for the course

you are thinking of:(develop just one or two of each)

What do you want them to still know/ understand/ be able to do 5 years from now?

What are the essential questions? What are the enduring concepts of this topic

for your students?

Enduring Concepts for DSPS 31

You’ll get a copy of these when we reach this part of the workshop!

Exit Skills – “Desired Results” What are they?

What should they know / understand/ be able to do at the end of this class?

Which essential questions and enduring concepts should be developed into key knowledge and skills achievable by the end of this class?

Back to: Enduring Concepts

for this Class1. Curriculum designs evolve better from

desired results, not planned coverage2. Memory strategies should be evaluated

for their appropriateness to one’s goals3. Development and sequencing of tasks

can emerge naturally from desired results and acceptable evidence

4. Personally-relevant activities facilitate understandings and skills

Exit Skills / Desired Results for this Course

1. Understand the basic concepts of the backwards design that they have used.

2. Develop a tentative design of a memory class for their settings, including enduring concepts, exit skills, objectives, and evaluation.

3. Be able to evaluate & sequence relevant strategies and activities for their class.

Group Activity

Develop Exit skills for the course you are developing:

(develop one or two) What should your students know / understand /

be able to do when they leave your class? What pieces of knowledge and skills are key to

their ongoing success with this material after they leave this class?

Desired Results for DSPS 31

You’ll get a copy of these when we reach this part of the workshop!

Measurable Objectives What are measurable objectives?

A requirement of curriculum development

Goals for knowledge or skills that: Have activities that show their development These activities can be observed and

objectively assessed The assessment occurs in a manner that can

be standardized to all the students

Back to: Desired Resultsfor this Course

1. Understand the basic concepts of the backwards design that they have used.

2. Develop a tentative design of a memory class for their settings, including enduring concepts, exit skills, objectives, and evaluation.

3. Be able to evaluate & sequence relevant strategies and activities for their class

Measurable Objectivesfor this Class

1. Demonstrate understanding of backwards design2. Identify enduring concepts, exit skills, and

objectives for a memory class relevant to their setting.

3. Determine assessment procedures to measure achievement of their objectives

4. Evaluate a variety of memory strategies and select at least four appropriate for their course

5. Plan a course outline or sequence of activities appropriate for their planned activities

6. Be satisfied with their emerging product

Group Activity Develop measurable objectives (one or

two) appropriate for your class They should be able to employ activities

that will show their development (we’ll develop those activities later)

Vocabulary from Bloom’s taxonomy is common: identify, demonstrate, evaluate, apply, analyze, synthesize, etc.

Measurable Objectives for DSPS 31

You’ll get a copy of these when we reach this part of the workshop!

2 – Determining Acceptable Evidence

Usually – but not always – a measurable type of response, activity or product

What would show you that the student got the “desired result” / objective?

Note specifics in your “acceptable” response, skill demonstration, or product

Does it enable you to infer that the student got the enduring understanding/skill?

Back to: Measurable Objectives

for this Class1. Demonstrate understanding of backwards

design.2. Identify enduring concepts, exit skills, and

objectives for a memory class relevant to their setting.

3. Determine assessment procedures to measure achievement of their objectives.

4. Evaluate a variety of memory strategies and select at least four appropriate for their course.

5. Plan a course outline or sequence of activities appropriate for their planned activities.

6. Be satisfied with their emerging product.

Evidence / Evaluationfor this class

1. List the basic concepts of backwards design2. List at least one of (each) their enduring

concepts, exit skills, and objectives planned3. List at least one evaluation procedure

planned4. Select four strategies appropriate for their

class5. Yes/No – do they have a planned outline or

sequence of activities?6. Yes/No – are they satisfied with their

emerging product?7. Comments

Group Activity

Look at each of your measurable objectives: What kind of evidence do you need? What specifics do you want to see in the

response, performance, or product? Can you infer from your evidence that the

student attained the long-term enduring understanding / skill you were aiming for?

Evidence/Evaluation for DSPS 31

You’ll get a copy of these when we reach this part of the workshop!

“Understanding by Design”: Stages 1 and 2

If the desired result is Develop a tentative design of a memory class for their settings, including enduring concepts, exit skills, objectives, and evaluation,

then I need evidence that you have the ability to apply these concepts to your ideas of a memory strategies class,

(for CEUs, write some on your form!)

3 – Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction

so the learning experiences need to engage you (in the benefits of the design) inform you of the process of this design apply to a course you might teach involve you in actively applying the concepts in

a supportive environment produce a useful product (or start of one) that

will reinforce the process equip you with skills to continue on your own

Enjoy Lunch!

After lunch, we’ll start working on the actual instruction ideas for

a Memory Strategies class

Teaching a Memory Strategies Class

The desired results for DSPS 31:

Understand the theory of how memory works, and apply it to their own memory

1. Be able to identify what is important to memorize in academic material.

2. Experience applying variety of memory strategies

3. Select and demonstrate the use of those strategies they found helpful

Desired Result #2Identify what’s important

End result: Be able to identify what is important to memorize in academic material

Acceptable Evidence: Graded group activities on identifying key concepts from increasingly complex material

Instruction: Introduce the identification of key concepts through 3 levels, spiral method 3 times during semester I. Lists, steps of a procedure, labels II. Information made more visible in the text by

bolding, box, margins, diagrams, headings III. Information that you must organize

Be able to identify what is important to memorize

So the learning activities need to: engage the students in seeking this inform them of identifying characteristics facilitate reducing them to key concepts involve them in finding keys – with support guide them to using the information for

improving their memory of information equip them with the skills to locate key

concepts independently

Organizing Key Concepts I

Handout Briefly identify level 1 key concepts Hook them with organizing activity -

Word Sets Try out mapping technique using

memory theory information Try out flow chart technique using O2

↔CO2 cycle and then perhaps with fractions

Word Sets

Organize these words into two sets with three words in each set

Word Sets

Now organize them into another two sets of three words each set.

Identifying Key Concepts II Handout

Briefly review level 1 key concepts Describe the visual nature of level 2 concepts Provide on-screen examples in textbook pages

for spotting level 2 concepts Try out identifying level 2 concepts in sample

textbook pages as a class Activity (graded group activity)

Identify level 2 concepts in a sample textbook page and develop an association for one set

Identifying Key Concepts III Handout

Describe the general approach to level 3 Provide on-screen examples in textbook pages

identifying and marking them Try out handling level 3 concepts as class Use mapping / outline to organize them

Activity (graded group activity) Identify level 3 concepts in a sample textbook

page and develop mnemonic(s) (prioritize)

Desired Result #3:Experience applying

strategies End result: Experience applying a variety of

memory strategies Acceptable Evidence: Graded group activities

on applying specific memory strategies Instruction: Introduce mnemonic, practice in

informal groups, then in graded group activity Chunking • Peg Systems: Associations - Verbal Linking/Story - Visual Journey/Loci/Roman Room - Phonetic

Experience applying a variety of memory strategies So the learning activities need to:

hook the students into trying them demonstrate to them the effectiveness explore how the strategy is used involve them in activity with it – with support guide them to using the strategy for improving

their memory more independently equip them with the skills to continue to apply

the strategy independently

Mnemonics: Chunking Handout

Hook: States that start with N (review later) Review various types with examples Comp/Contrast Acronyms vs Acrostics Informal groups try out acrostics

Activity (graded group activity) Review group ratings and grading process Assist groups, they present, class reviews

Mnemonics: Associations Handout

Hook: Exaggerating funny images (& art) Review / Demonstrate various examples Comp/Contrast/Blend visual vs verbal Introduce “key word” concepts Informal groups try out items Nines multiplication / Pi

Activity (graded group activity) Assist groups, they present, class reviews

Other Mnemonic Strategies Continue the same with other mnemonics

Linking / Story Techniques Journey/ Loci/ Roman Room Peg Systems –Visual, Verbal, Phonetic

Distributed Practice (repeated retrieval) Handout, and interspersed with lecture

Prospective Memory (“to do”) Handout, and assigned during lecture

Other ways to improve memory External Aids

PDA, Digital Memos, Cell Phones, Other Health / Nutrition

Healthy Lifestyle Diet and Supplement Issues

Exercise Stress-reduction Mental Stimulation

Desired Result for this class:Stages 1 and 2 If the desired result is Be able to evaluate

& sequence relevant strategies and activities for their class,

then I need evidence that you have the ability to apply these concepts to your ideas of a memory strategies class,

“Know that there are a myriad of strategies out there” Web Sites to consider: (see handouts)

Some Suggested Memory Web Sites

Some Suggested Sites for Mnemonics Examples

Some Suggested Books / Articles

Group Activity Identify about 4 strategies for improving

memory that would be appropriate for your class.

These may include: Mnemonics (Chunking, Association, etc) Other types of strategies (organizing,

repeated retrieval, prospective memory, etc) Other ways to improve memory (external

aids, health/nutrition, exercise, stimulation, etc)

Desired Result #4:Demonstrate use of

strategies End result: Select and demonstrate the

use of those strategies they found helpful Acceptable Evidence: Develop a

portfolio of demonstrations of memory strategies applied to other class(es)

Instruction: Provide in-class support for each student’s development of a demonstration portfolio of strategy applications.

Select & Demonstrate Use of Strategies

So the learning activities need to: engage the students into using material from

their other classes (personally relevant) involve them in selecting material – create a

structure with them that works for them guide them to using strategies for their

material more independently equip them with the skills to continue to apply

the strategy independently

Portfolio Handout

Assignment requirements Chart (for guidance)

Done in 3 separate weeks Need 3 demonstrations / need 5 / need 7 Each broadens possible strategies to use

Develop structure to assist Present, and modify for each semester group

Desired Result #1:Understand theory and

apply it End result: Understand the theory of how

memory works, and apply it to their own memory

Acceptable Evidence: Quiz on theory, structured analysis for application to their own memory

Instruction: Discuss theory with activities, and give assessment tasks as group activities. Provide structure for analysis.

Understand the theory of how memory works, and apply it to their own memory

So the learning activities need to: Allow personal sharing to engage the learners Provide a background appropriate to the goals

of the class (mine had academic focus) Include activities that require retrieval (an

important part of my focus) Include activities that give the students

feedback on their own memory skills Provide a structure and example for analysis

Theory For academics, include influences of

attention and processing Stress the importance of working memory

and retrieval stages Provide numerous examples of how

problems at each step affect the outcome (personal sharing usually has started)

Activity of identifying step – given outcome

Assessment Attention Processing (very general) Working Memory ----------------------------------- Short-term Memory Long-term Memory (Survey) Retrieval / Recall

DSPS 31 Course Outline Theory and Self-Assessment

Need to break up assessment processes Key Concepts – Spiral

Need to integrate them as concepts build Memory Strategies Portfolio – Spiral

Need to include personally-relevant practice as concepts and skills develop