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Re: [Phys-l] SuperMemo



Student names:

On the first day I have them do some work on a project (paper towers, lab recording methods, notecards to support a peanut butter jar @ specified height etc...). I try to have something with some design restrictions so it can be a bit of a problem solving activity along with data collection and lab notebook practice. While they are working on that project I go clockwise through the room. Ask their name, repeat it. Move on to the next student ask their name, repeat it and identify all other students that I have talked to up to that point. Keep moving through the room until I've got all students. I then go backwards. I get 30 repetitions for each kid in that one period.

I do that for each class on day one. Day two, start by trying to run through each kid. Make it random. Maybe they ask me to name them in any order they choose. Usually have the names by the end of day one. The trouble I run into (repeatedly) is getting siblings. Working at a public high school, I often get multiple sons or daughters within a family. Tough to keep all of the Anderson boy names accessible for the correct boy by reflex. I cheat. Call them all by their last name. I find that's better than calling John, Jake, Joe, or Jeff by their brother's name.

I think using a seating chart becomes a crutch. Once their location changes my disability shows up again.


Paul Lulai
Physics Instructor, Science Olympiad Coach,
.: Medtronic - St Anthony RoboHuskie Team 2574:. Faculty Advisor

Saint Anthony Village Senior High School, ISD 282
3303 33rd Avenue N.E.
Saint Anthony Village, MN 55418
(w) 612-706-1144
(fax) 612-706-1140
 
http://www.robohuskie.com
http://prettygoodphysics.wikispaces.com
http://sites.google.com/site/go4st8physics/
http://www.stanthony.k12.mn.us/hsscience/index.shtml

Education comes from within; you get it by struggle and effort and thought. Napoleon Hill
One had to be a Newton to notice that the moon is falling, when everyone sees that it doesn't fall. Paul Valéry





-----Original Message-----
From: phys-l-bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu [mailto:phys-l-bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu] On Behalf Of Anthony Lapinski
Sent: Monday, April 27, 2009 12:12 PM
To: Forum for Physics Educators
Subject: Re: [Phys-l] SuperMemo

Funny that several teachers have mentioned about student names. I am
terrible at remembering student names, yet I can remember (memorize) most
of the physics ideas I teach! I have the students sit where they want the
first day, but then use a seating chart so I can get to know all of their
names. Even with four classes of, say, 15 students each, it still takes me
over a month to go without using the chart. It also helps me take quick
attendance. I am amazed that some teachers "know" their students after
only a few days.

Forum for Physics Educators <phys-l@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu> writes:
If I deliberately try to memorize student names I come up with the same
negative results. Having a 65 year old brain doesn't help any.

However, I take a picture of each of my students on the first day of
classes. I assign daily homework. When grading the homework I bring up on
my computer the picture of that student. I do the same when I enter
grades. In a couple of weeks I know all the names without deliberately
trying to memorize.

Knowing names early on in the semester is very important to students. I
have core science courses that I teach. Students have commented about the
fact that I know who they are, but professors in their own major still
haven't learned their names after a couple of years. Student appreciate
being treated as individuals.

Bob at PC

-----Original Message-----
From: phys-l-bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu
[mailto:phys-l-bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu] On Behalf Of John
Clement
Sent: Monday, April 27, 2009 9:19 AM
To: 'Forum for Physics Educators'
Subject: Re: [Phys-l] SuperMemo

I have tried to memorize students names during exams, with utterly
negative
results. I have never put the butter in the dishwasher, but I have
forgotten to put the coffee pot in the maker before turning it on. The
current maker tends to prevent that because you must transport the water
in
the pot to the maker.

I had a supervisor who obviously though this was because I was lazy. She
remembered all of the names, but could not think above the concrete
operational level. She could understand that a student might have a
learning problem, but did not seem to realize that my inability to
remember
names was probably also a learning problem. But of course I do not know
for
suer if it is a form of LD. Subtle learning problems like this are often
labeled laziness by others. I saw a student who could not recognize
shapes,
and was having extreme difficulty with locating things on a map. He
worked
very hard, but had extreme difficulty with geography. But how do you get
students the help they need when they have an obvious cognitive deficit?

The criticism of the research on random items is quite valid. It is like
the difference between Skinnerian and Piagetian psychology. Skinnerian
psychology can promote particular behavior and you can use it to train
people to be excellent skaters. But it can't be used to improve physics
problem solving. Cognitive psychology can be used to promote good problem
solving and can be used to treat depression. Similarly the supermemory
method still has the problem that the information decays. Connected
meaningful memorization produces much more permanent results, and can be
used to improve problem solving ability.

Admittedly supermemory might be useful in the initial stages of learning a
language, but retention requires continued usage such as reading or
speaking
the language. My wife retains her German by reading all of her novels in
German. Once the words are connected in a coherent structure, the decay
should be small, and one can readily come back to it after periods of
disuse.

I aced a history class which I had to take in my older years by using
connected memorization. I correlated everything I heard with what I
already
knew, and looked up unfamiliar items to create a better web of knowledge.
This required very little work, and basically no conscious memorization.
The tests required a lot of memorized knowledge, but were easy for me,
and I
even spotted an ambiguous question with 2 possible answers. While many of
the details of the class have faded, many of the concepts have not.

Actually the research behind supermemory is also just aimed at declarative
memory, and not at procedural memory. These are independent and work very
differently. If your hippocampus is damaged you lose your declarative
memory and can no longer memorize anything permanently. You live in a
world
where you only remember what you learned before the damage, and the last
few
minutes of your life. Between these times everything is blank. You
perpetually feel as if you just woke up a few minutes ago, and you feel
the
same age forever. But you can still learn procedures such as game
strategies. As you play new games you get better at them with practice.

So the implied disdain of the cognitive psychology in the article about
supermemory is similar to the disdain by Skinner of Piagetian psychology.
They are looking at different aspects of the brain. So supermemory may be
useful in memorizing the periodic table, but not as useful in
understanding
it. The criticism of teaching techniques is quite valid. But it misses
what I would say is the important mark. Why is rote memorization of lists
an important goal? If you want students to remember states have them
experience vicariously a trip through the states, and then give them a
list
of the memorizable items drawn from the experience. Cognitive psychology
can also be used to help students with memorization. Remember Arons said
concept first, name second.

John M. Clement
Houston, TX


That's very familiar -- now in my old? age in addition to people
aphasia, I confuse e.g "I put the butter in the dish washer."

Garrett Hardin took photo's of his students, and during exams he
would review them.

bc

On 2009, Apr 26, , at 20:32, John Clement wrote:


1. What happens if the memorization does not seem to last long
enough to be
refreshed? I have tried to remember names of people using all
kinds of
systems. I find that I can go down a row of students, and look at
the names
& faces. By the time I get to the end the first one is gone. It
also seems
that I have difficulty in recognizing faces from pictures. But the
one
thing that does help is having pictures of all students, and
referring to
them occasionally. Unfortunately I have had name aphasia from a
very early
age, this includes people I have known for 30 years!

_______________________________________________
Forum for Physics Educators
Phys-l@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu
https://carnot.physics.buffalo.edu/mailman/listinfo/phys-l

_______________________________________________
Forum for Physics Educators
Phys-l@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu
https://carnot.physics.buffalo.edu/mailman/listinfo/phys-l
_______________________________________________
Forum for Physics Educators
Phys-l@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu
https://carnot.physics.buffalo.edu/mailman/listinfo/phys-l


_______________________________________________
Forum for Physics Educators
Phys-l@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu
https://carnot.physics.buffalo.edu/mailman/listinfo/phys-l