Cognitive Processes

What?!
Today we learned about Cognitive Processes. It was very interesting and helped clarify some things (for example that your brain has unlimited capacity and can never be too full - or overload as I sometimes feel it is). Information comes in and hits the sensory register. If the subject pays attention to that information it goes on to working or short-term memory. If no attention is paid to it, that information is lost. Working memory does have limited capacity and only holds onto the information for 5-20 seconds. If while in working memory the information is learned, or encoded, then it is then moved to long-term memory. Long term memory, as mentioned above likely has unlimited capacity. Our long-term memory is made up of 3 components:
1) declarative/semantic (facts)
2) procedural (cooking, tying shoes)
3) episodic (memories, pictures)

The best methods for encoding information are:
meaningful learning - relating new information with what we already know
organization - way in which learners find connections by forming categories, or using other methods of organizing to group various pieces of info
elaboration - learners expand on new information based on what they already know
visual imagery - process of forming mental pictures of objects or ideas.

We also discussed the best methods for studying which are:
- identifying important information - elaborating
- taking notes - summarizing
- retrieving relevant prior knowledge - monitoring comprehension (asking questions)
- organizing

So What?!
Knowing how the brain processes information is helpful, useful and important as we become teachers. It can help us understand the best way to plan lessons in order to help students get and encode the information in order to retain it long-term memory. As for methods on how to study, that is helpful now to me as a student as I learn new, unfamiliar information. It will be helpful to know as a teacher as well because I can help give my students good methods to use for studying.

Now What?!
As a student, knowing this information makes me more aware of how important it is to pay attention to the material and make an effort to encode the information so it sticks. I have never intentionally thought about making a connection to information I learn in school. It probably seems silly but it makes perfect sense as to why I have a hard time remembering information learned in subject areas such as Physical Science, Social Studies, etc. Those were always difficult subjects for me and now I know why - because to remember the information and for it to mean something, (beyond taking info in to spit back out on a test), there has to be a connection made that makes it relevant and important to the student. This requires intentional thought and questioning to encode that information. As a future teacher, I hope to be able to teach in way that helps students relate information they learn to something they know so they do retain it and see it as important.