Monday, February 9, 2009

2-D Geometry

Through the use of several different cognitive learning principles my lesson plan will stick in my students’ long-term memory.

Attention and Sensory Memory

One of the key aspects to an effective lesson is a hook. The main reason a hook should be used is to grab the student’s attention. Hooks get the students excited and prepared for what they are about to learn. Our sensory memory is the initial processing that transforms incoming stimuli into information so it will make sense to us. Having attention and perception are extremely important at this stage, that is why hooks are so crucial in a lesson plan. For the 2-D Geometry lesson plan the hook is demonstrating the geometry vocabulary words through body movements. I will create different body positions and movements and the students will mirror me. An example would be to use your arms to show what a right angle would look like. Then I would have them think of different ways to use their bodies to show a right angle. An activity like this keeps the students attention while they are processing the information.

Working Memory

Working memory has very little capacity. There are several strategies that can be used to turn working memory into more concrete. First off working memory needs to be kept activated to be retained. This concept is reinforced throughout the entire lesson plan. The lesson first focuses on ten angles or forms of lines when we do the movement activity. We then play Geometry says using the lines and angles vocabulary. Then the students explore different lines and angles around the room. The geometry vocabulary keeps getting activated throughout the lesson. Some strategies of retaining information in working memory are elaborative rehearsal and chunking. A way that elaborative rehearsal is used in the lesson plan is by having them go around the room and find the angles and shapes. This helps them make connections to things they already know. Another activity that encourages elaborative rehearsal is the Geometry movement activity because they are associating movements of their body with the angles or lines they make. Students are also able to use chunking to process the information they are learning. The first part of the lesson focuses on lines and angles. Then the second part of the lesson focuses on shapes. By chunking lines, angles, and shapes into their own categories it is easier for children to retain the vocabulary terms.

Long-Term Memory, Declarative Knowledge, and Procedural Knowledge

The two types of knowledge, declarative and procedural, are taught throughout this lesson plan. Declarative knowledge is taught by simply making the connection between the shapes, angles, lines and connecting them with the symbols that represent those terms. These geometry terms are simply declared through words and symbols. Procedural knowledge is taught about these geometry concepts because they are taught how to create these geometric patterns and symbols. They also use procedural knowledge when they correctly categorize the shapes, lines, and angles. By using all these different activities students are able to store information about these geometry terms and symbols both visually and verbally. One way to store things long-term is through elaboration, which we discussed previously. Another way that things are stored long-term is through organization. The way this lesson is arranged all of the concepts are very organized, which will help the students to store it in an organized fashion.

Mnemonics

Through the use of several mnemonics strategies the concept being taught will more likely stay in the student’s memory. One way to help the students remember the shapes, angles, and lines is by using the Loci method. The loci method is when you associate items with specific places. This is used in the lesson when I have the students go around the room to find the shapes, angles, and lines with objects in the classroom. These locations will also serve as “pegs.” By having the students categorize the terms with the locations they are using peg-type mnemonics. Another way that I could help my students remember the geometry terms is to create an acronym. An acronym I could use for the shapes would be “The Queen Painted Her Hen Orange” (triangle, quadrilateral, pentagon, hexagon, heptagon, octagon). Distributed practice is also a great way for children to retain memory. Distributed practice is when you practice in brief periods with rest intervals. I would reinforce these concepts over several days, so that the students have time to register the material, have a break, and then practice some more.

1 comment:

  1. You provide very thorough explanations of the different parts of the Information Processing system and how they affect learning. I don't agree with your description of peg-type mnemonics as you equate it to the loci method, however.

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