Brain Health & Remembering
Our students’ brains are no different to the rest of their growing bodies; to perform at their best, they require:
- a wholesome diet to provide the necessary vitamins and minerals, glucose, animo acids, carbohydrates, omega 3 and natural antioxidants such as green leafy vegetables
- regular thinking exercises to enhance brain attention, memory retention and flexibility
- the avoidance of drugs, smoking and excessive caffeine, sugar and alcohol
- the minimisation of the exposure to neurotoxins such as petrol, solvents, herbicides, chemicals and painting products
- regular physical exercise to increase the body’s oxygen intake and release 'feel good' brain chemicals, such as serotonin and endorphins
- at least 2 litres of water daily; the brain functions well when moist
- participation in 'timeout' pursuits from the frenetic pace of the 21st century, such as yoga, pilates, ty chi and meditation, etc.
- sound sleeping patterns and taking naps.
All of the above can be controlled directly by each and every student to influence how effectively and efficiently their brains and memories function. Many students and their families may not be aware of how to put these in place, so we need to teach our students how to do these things explicitly and not rely on them perhaps picking them up along the way.
The depth and quality of our students’ memories relate directly to the strategies that we teach them to transfer learnt material from their short to long memory. The more comprehensive the array of techniques we use the better their memories will become. Alternatively, should we choose not to use any techniques, then their memories will not ever be as good as they could or should be.
Following is the first of a number of proven memory strategies:
Mnemonics
- Are cues that prompt the recall of information from the memory and are often referred to as memory pegs.
- When we wish store material, relate it to a word, a colour, a number, a letter of the alphabet, a rhyme or an image; when we need to remember the information, think of the cue and what we require will be retrieved from our memory.
- For example, when introduced to a person relate their name to something to use as a cue; Bruce the moose, Ben is ten, Jean a bean, G’day May, etc. Note - these cues are personal and not a reflection on the person.
The next memory strategy has been used for thousands of years with great affect are:
Locus Pegs
- This involves relating sections of learned material to different locations within a room, house, city, etc.
- When we wish to recall information from our long term memory, think of the place and the material will be retrieved. Locus pegs can be very effective storage techniques because they incorporate the personal relating to places; the more intimately we can be involved in the remembering process the better our memory.
The next memory strategy relies our capacity to possess an overview of the big picture:
Authentic Learning
- This technique involves looking at the material to be remembered from a variety of differing perspectives and then identifying sameness in them.
- This synthesis enables a vision of where it fits and how it is connected with what we already know; association is a powerful memory aid.
- Idea or concept maps are excellent tools that can be used in Authentic learning to provide visual perspectives of the 'big picture'.
When a large amount of information is to be committed to our memory, it is essential that it be broken down into a series on smaller connected pieces. The key is to then find flow between the pieces so that an overall picture emerges, such as the knee bone is connected to the hip bone, which is connected to the ...... and so on. A strategy that works for some people is to write a poem or song that links all of the pieces together that they can commit to memory
“There are two mistakes one can make along the road truth; not going all the way, and not starting” Buddha