Put It To Work!

As a Psychology major, I take a few different types of classes that are based on a few different things: from lectures in a classroom to hands-on experience in the community. There are plenty of ways that one can approach these classes and be successful. However, there are times where I have hit points where it seemed impossible to study or like nothing that I was doing worked. Since I’ve learned about these memory strategies, it is easy for me to identify the helpful things that have worked well for me. The great thing about these strategies is that they can be modified to fit just about any kind of class. The strategies that I use the most for all my classes are retrieval practice, elaboration, and spaced practice.

The strategy that I use the most is retrieval practice and I do that through making Quizlets. Retrieval practice is a great way to see what I know and what I still need to work on. The scientific evidence supporting retrieval practice suggests that it is much more effective to test oneself on material rather than simply rereading information (Laconelli, et al., 2018). For tests and quizzes, I like to look through my textbook and find key terms and objectives and make questions for myself based off them. I will also throw in some points from my notes that may not be outlined as much in the book. I’ll put all of this into a Quizlet and study with those flashcards. I like using a website like Quizlet to make flashcards because they also make practice quizzes that I can take. Not to mention, it’s super easy to keep track of the things that I know well and the things that I might need to practice some more.

Elaboration is another one of my favorite strategies to use when I’m studying. But the fun thing about elaboration is that it isn’t limited to study time. I find myself making connections across all my classes frequently. It is amazing how often I will think of Dr. Snyder talking about development and how that background knowledge will make things in abnormal psychology or personality make a lot more sense. Being able to build from something that I already know helps me to deepen my understanding of both topics. It would be hard to make a connection between two things if one only half understands what they are talking about. It helps when I’m studying because it feels like I have a bigger base of knowledge to pull from than I would have if I kept the topics separate. In my field placement at a crisis hotline, I got to take my knowledge from abnormal psychology and apply it to my work. By pairing the concepts that I learned about different disorders with the things that I would hear from the people that were in distress, I was better able to understand where they were coming from and more equipped to help them. The experience also reinforced the knowledge I had of those disorders because I was able to build off of them with my hands-on experience.

Another useful strategy is spaced practice. This is easy to do when there are already flashcards made. I like to make Quizlets after we cover a chapter or an important topic in class and then run through it every few days; I do this so I can really start to grasp the information and make it stick in my brain. Research on spaced practice shows that leaving space in between studying sessions will reinforce the knowledge because it’s like forming a habit of retrieving the information (Brown, et al., 2014). While it is useful for regular classes, I thought this was especially useful in our statistics class. Learning statistics is no easy feat and it can be difficult to keep all the formulas and definitions straight. Taking a day or so to revisit things gave me time to forget information, which was frustrating in the moment, but overall it helped me clarify details. I think that going back to my notes and homework every few days and seeing how much I knew and what I still needed to work on really strengthened my confidence in statistics.

REFERENCES

Brown, P. C., Roediger, H. L., & McDaniel, M. A. (2014). Make it stick: The science of successful learning. Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.

Laconelli, R. T., LaVan, M. H., & Toppino, T.G. (2018). Metacognitive control in self-regulated learning: Conditions affective the choice of restudying versus retrieval practice. Memory & Cognition, 46, 1164-1177. Doi: 10.3758/s13421-018-0828-2

How to Study for a Nursing Exam

If one has done research about Lander’s nursing program, or they are already in it, then he or she knows that nursing exams are different from those of other disciplines. Nursing exams require one to have in-depth knowledge about intricate body systems and to be able to answer questions about those body systems. Sometimes all of the answer choices might be right, but the student has to pick the best answer. Other times there may be a question that is select all that apply, and one needs to choose all of the right answers, or else the entire question is wrong. Since nursing tests are so different, new study strategies have to be implemented such as spaced practice and retrieval practice. Trust me, simply rereading the notes and making some highlights will not cut it anymore.

Nursing exams cover massive amounts of material. If the material is to be remembered by the time the test rolls around, it needs to be studied a little bit every day, from the day one gets the information, until the day before the test. This is called spaced practice, and it allows for the information learned in class to sit in the mind longer, which helps it to solidify in memory. For instance, I used the same method in pathophysiology, when I started studying the material every day and got an A on my first exam. My experience with spaced practice is supported by a study where primary school students in a mathematics class who used spaced practice scored higher on a post-test than other students who used massed practice, also known as cramming (Castro-Alonso, et al., 2018). Many times, in a nursing class, information given in previous lectures lays the foundation for what will be taught in future lectures. If one does not use spaced practice from the first lecture on, he or she may find themselves not having any clue what’s being taught in future lectures. Especially in pathophysiology, information I learned on the first day was still being referenced half way through the semester. Since I studied the information every day, allowing it to solidify, I could still recall the information. For more information on spaced practice see Spaced Retrieval Practice Increases College Students’ Short- and Long-Term Retention of Mathematics Knowledge (Hieb, et al., 2016).

Nursing is really about being able to recall previously learned concepts and build on them at a later date. Another effective way to do this is by using something called retrieval practice. Retrieval practice is when one pulls information from memory (Brown, et al., 2014). You do this to strengthen a memory and make it easier to recall it at a later date. I usually do this by either self-quizzing or having my study partner quiz me. Especially in my life span class, because we get massive amounts of information and it's really helpful to be quizzed on it, to see how much of the content I do and don’t know. While being quizzed, be sure to ask unassisted questions because evidence shows asking unassisted questions elicits elaborative processing which benefits holding information in memory (Anksorus, et al., 2019). Whenever I’m being quizzed, every time I get a question wrong it reinforces the information even more and I learn from my mistakes. It is much better to get a question wrong while being quizzed by a partner, than to get a question wrong on the exam and learn after the fact.

These two methods have helped me significantly as a nursing student. It is almost necessary to find a way to adapt one’s study techniques, or else the student will not be successful in the Lander Nursing Program.

References

Anksorus, H., Persky, A. M., & Terenyi, J. (2019). Optimizing the spacing of retrieval practice to improve pharmacy students’ learning of drug names. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 83(6), 1213-1219. Retrieved from http://0-web.b.ebscohost.com.library.lander.edu/ehost/detail/detail?vid=6&sid=0bc2709b-5345-417b-b6d3-7b558bf5c175%40pdc-v-sessmgr04&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=138425810

Brown, P. C., McDaniel, M. A., & Roediger III, H. L. (2014). Make it stick the science of successful learning. Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.

Castro-Alonso, J. C., Chen, O., Paas, F., & Sweller, J. (2018). Extending cognitive load theory to incorporate working memory resource depletion: evidence from the spacing effect. Educational Psychology Review, 30(2), 483-501. doi: 10.1007/s10648-017-9426-2

Hieb, J., Hopkins, R., Lyle, K., & Ralston, P. (2016). Spaced retrieval practice increases college students' short- and long-term retention of mathematics knowledge. Educational Psychology Review, 28(4), 853-873. doi: 10.1007/s10648-015-9349-8

My major is elementary education which focuses on the upper level grades (2-6). A teacher’s role is to act as a guide and educate the students for their future education. Teachers create and follow through each lesson plan for every subject. They help students individually to make sure they stay on track. Teachers also reinforce classroom expectations and procedures. They create and grade assessments along with other activities as well as prepare the students for standardized tests. Teachers attend faculty meetings and participate in after school activities such as school dances. They also communicate with parents, working to keep them involved in the student’s learning and progress. Teachers use many memory strategies to help the students retain information as long as possible. I am currently observing a fifth-grade teacher every week for two hours and have seen her use elaboration and retrieval practice in her classroom. These strategies were used for studying, assessments, and standardized tests.

Teachers are always elaborating and trying to make connections so that the students can relate and better understand the material being taught. For example, the teacher that I am currently observing has students watch a science video on estuaries, which relates to the environment around them. Afterwards, she summarizes the video in her own words, so the students can make connections and understand what they just watched. Doing this will help the students to better remember for the test. The teacher also makes the students think, pair, share with a partner close to them. This is great because elaboration is about taking an introspective look at a concept, asking oneself questions and contemplating answers (Kemper, 2017). Another elaboration strategy educators can use is making mnemonics devices. An example that she used was HOMES, in order to remember the five great lakes: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior. This helps build bridges to information that needs to be learned.

When testing, my Cooperating Teacher will use effective retrieval practice methods by including a few short answer questions along with multiple choice options. Studies have shown that even a single test in a class can produce a large improvement in final exam scores, and gains in learning to continue to increase as the number of tests increases (Brown, et al., 2014). Before the test, she will get the students to make foldables which include drawing a picture of the vocabulary word and then writing the definition. This can essentially be used as flash cards, which is a good way to self-quiz oneself and is another great retrieval practice. However, she does let the students go on Quizlet and quiz themselves if they prefer that. The teacher also provides the students with practice tests and gives the students time in class to complete it without using their notes. Once they finish, she goes over the answers with them. This really helps the students in remembering information and looking over what they missed and why they missed it, which is a great study tool. All the tests and quizzes given throughout the year help prepare the students for the end of the year, when there is standardized testing.

Overall, elaboration and retrieval practice are both very effective in memory processes in creating greater retention. Education majors can get ideas for their “teacher toolbox” and implement some of these strategies in their own classroom one day. It begins with the teachers especially in elementary, teaching the students the best way to study and retain knowledge so that they can carry it with them from then on in their studies.

REFERENCES

Brown, P. C., McDaniel, M. A, & Roediger III, H. L. (2014). Make it stick: The science of successful learning. Cambridge, MA: Belknap/Harvard University Press.

Kemper, M. (2017, December 18). Long-Term Learning Strategy: Elaboration. Retrieved

October 27, 2019, from https://visioninpracticeblog.wordpress.com/2017/12/18/long-

term-learning-strategy-elaboration/.

Throughout high school, I never really needed to study. It all just came naturally, that is, until college started. I thought I could get by the same way I did in high school until my first quiz grade came back as a 60. That was a low blow for me, I had always been a good student and making a D- on my first quiz in college was definitely a wakeup call. I realized that I needed a change, so I started using some new techniques. I started studying a few days before the test (spaced practice), making flashcards and quizzing myself with them (retrieval practice), and I realized that connecting the information to things that already made sense in my mind also helped a lot (elaboration). Using these techniques helped me to bring my grade up, and now I tutor that class along with three others.

As a tutor, I now have to use these methods to help other students retain information as well. I use them throughout all of my study sessions. I explain to the students that they don’t need to just come to me the day before the test. This is when spaced practice comes into play. They need to space out their learning, not only with me, but on their own time as well. It is important that they understand “cramming” is not the most useful thing they can do.

Next is retrieval practice, I help other students during tutoring sessions by showing them examples and going over the material at the beginning of the class and then quiz them on it right before we leave. If I see them again before the test, I will also do a little quiz at the beginning to see how much information they retained from last time. During these little quizzes I make sure their notes and books are closed because “having the information right in front of us doesn’t force us to retrieve it from memory; instead, it allows us to trick ourselves into thinking we know something” (Gonzalez, 2016). Making sure they can give examples to help them remember the information is very important, and I try to stress that in every session.

The last technique I use regularly is elaboration. I find that one of the hardest things for most students is that they simply just don’t understand the material. They usually just need someone to sit and explain it into terms that make sense to them. Since “elaboration is the process of finding additional layers of meaning in new material,” (Brown, et al., 2014) I try to explain the information in my own words and give them better examples then their book or notes do.

I find that all these techniques play a vital part in helping students learn and remember information. They make it easier on me and the student later in our study sessions. At first, it was very hard for the students to understand how these techniques were helping since they seemed so hard to do, but after multiple sessions it was easy to see that they were gaining a better understanding of the material.

References

Brown, P. C., McDaniel, M. A, & Roediger III, H. L. (2014). Make it stick: The science of successful learning. Cambridge, MA: Belknap/Harvard University Press.

Gonzalez, J. (2016, December 11). 6 powerful learning strategies you must share with students. Cult of Pedagogy. Retrieved from https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/learning-strategies/