Kids' World

Memory-Friendly Teaching

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Whole-Part-Whole
Children are incredible at this memory strengthener - using minimal clues to remind them of words they have learned, thus reinforcing the memory. We often employ this reinforcing technique at our school when using vocabulary picture cards. Holding a pile of such cards, the teacher begins to expose the picture on the back card, pulling it very slowly, little by little, out from behind the other cards into the children's view. After glimpsing only a mere splash of detail, children will often correctly identify the whole picture. The same can be done with word cards. This 'part-whole' reinforcing method helps children become more spontaneous at recalling the words and pictures you have already taught. Our 'Letterland' learning-to-read materials use this method successfully to teach even advanced phonics. The plain alphabet letters are the 'part' used by children to quickly remember the previously learned, 'whole' related pictures and sounds.

Mnemonics
This is when you remember new information by using something seemingly unrelated as a hint, creating a relationship (often strange or amusing) between the hint and the new information. For example, a Japanese word for 'two' is 'ni', pronounced like the English word, 'knee', of which I have 'two'. 'Knee' becomes a mnemonic for the sound and meaning of 'ni'. Children seem to create mnemonics like this naturally. As an example, when we teach, 'How much is it?' children around here (near Lake Hamana) often spontaneously say, 'Hama Cheese'. It has little meaning for me, but they laugh and use the sound to remember 'How much is it?' Some of the local junior high school English teachers also use such mnemonics to help their students remember various English phrases and grammar points. Keep your ears open to any mnemonics that your students come up with. Maybe you could make a collection to share with others.

Spaced Revision
Many children's classes are held once a week, so their revision is already spaced. Spaced revision leads to stronger memory than that which results from constant revision. Once reminded of something learned and 'forgotten', children usually then continue remembering it even longer. And long-term memory is one of our goals. If you have been constantly revising something so that the children now 'know' it, stop revising for two or three lessons, let it fade a bit, then review it again. This seems to enhance its importance in children's minds and memories.

Systematic Learning
Previously, in teaching reading, we used texts, word cards and phonics workbooks that progressed little by little through the basic spellings and sounds of English. The books were logically arranged, but that logic was not apparent to children. Not until we changed to a system that made sense to the children, and was logical from their point of view, did we really begin to see success. Do your children see the relationships between the 'parts' of what you are teaching them? Are recent lessons following logically on from previous ones, from the children's point of view? One logical way to organize lessons, for example, is by providing a monthly or term theme, such as 'eating', or 'family'.

The memory techniques above are not the only useful ones you can find among modern memory methods, but if you choose to use them, they will begin to help those in your classes who are struggling with memory, and learning.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

How to Develop a Perfect Memory Dominic O'Brien	ISBN 07472 45177
The Learning Revolution Gorden Dryden and Dr. Jeanette Vos	ISBN 09583 70109
Your Memory Tony Buzan	ISBN 0563204761
Mindpower System Jonathon Hancock	ISBN 03406 40308
Improve Exam Results Harry Lorayne	ISBN 07225 26407
Accelerate Your Learning - Action Handbook Colin Rose and Louise Goll	ISBN 09055 53403

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Douglas Corin started his ELT career in Japan as a JET Program participant in 1988. He now runs his own English School called the J & N English Club. He is also the manager of Letterland Japan. Letterland produces teaching materials that aims to increase the reading ability of children. Half of the elementary schools in England use the Letterland method to teach reading.

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