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ASK
OUR EXPERTS...
I have two teenagers who get great marks on assignments
and homework, but their exam marks are always lower. Is there something that
I can do to help them to prepare for exams?
By Terry Hansen of Genius By Choice
The cause of the problem is that not enough information is being
transferred to their long-term memory. When was the last time your child was
told that they were going to be spending the next forty-five minutes to
strengthen their memory of material they learned the pervious day? I am not
talking about a ten minute verbal review. I am referring to creating
long-term memories that can be accessed for an exam.
What is consistently overlooked is strengthening the long-term memory before
any type of recall is required. The very act of trying to recall information
that is not securely learned leads to mistakes and lasting confusion. There
must be a step in between inputting material into the brain and attempting
to recall that material. This means that previously learned material must be
re-inserted into the brain within twenty-four hours with absolutely no
attempt at recall. The time between the first occasion the brain sees new
information and the second time it sees that exact same information must be
no longer than twenty-four hours.
I would recommend placing your students on a rotating schedule that allows
for this incredibly important step in learning; strengthening the memory.
This is easy, but takes attention to timing. Before your child begins to do
homework, have them review their class notes from that day. This information
must be correct and complete. This ensures that they are seeing the same
information within that one-day period. Then they can move on to homework.
The next day, they review their homework from the previous day, and then
review their notes from today’s class, and then begin their homework. This
schedule makes certain that they are re-inserting material within that very
critical twenty-four hour period.
How many times have your children said that they don’t have homework and off
they go to other activities? While they may not have new homework, they have
“memory” work. They need to review information given to them in class that
day, and they have previous homework to go over. This one change in the way
your children work with information will greatly increase the likelihood of
creating long-term memories of their class notes and homework. Then when it
comes to exam time, the material will be in their long-term memory and
available to them for recall.
For more advice on learning techniques, contact Terry Hansen, MSc. BAHon,
RETec of Genius by Choice Inc. at 403.267.2400
www.geniusbychoice.com |
