This document discusses how humans learn and remember information. It explains that there are three types of memory: sensory, short-term, and long-term. Short-term memories last 1-25 seconds unless the information is rehearsed, which allows it to be transferred to long-term memory. The type of rehearsal, like repetition or organization, impacts this transfer. Long-term memory stores information more permanently through semantic networks of interconnected ideas. Memory is consolidated as connections are made in the brain and information is recalled. Understanding information requires going beyond just knowing facts to applying, analyzing, and critiquing ideas by making connections between topics.

1. Learning
Information

2. So far in this unit, we have talked
about how humans learn
Today, we are going back to the
Educational Psych lesson to think
about how humans learn
information.
behaviors.

3. Short-Term Memories
Long-Term Memories
Information
Sensory Memories
Forgotten after
1 second.
Forgotten after
25 seconds.
Potentially permanent
storage, although hard to
retrieve.

4. Rehearsal
Rehearsal is the repetition or organization of
information that has entered the short-term memory.
Information is able to remain longer in the memory
if rehearsal is practiced.
Rehearsal allows us to
transfer information
from short-term
memories into long-
term memories!

5. Rehearsal
The type of rehearsal that is carried out greatly
impacts the mind’s ability to transfer information
from short-term to long-term memory…
Repetition
Repeating things over and over again keeps them
stored in short-term memory.
Organization
(Elaborative Rehearsal)
When information is organized in some fashion:
for example, when you link it to another memory.

6. Long-Term Memory
Memory that stores information on a relatively
permanent basis, although it may be difficult to retrieve.
The reason we are able to
store long-term information is
because our brains create
semantic networks:
clusters of interconnected
information.The more
connections our brain makes
between a piece of
information and other pieces
of information, the more likely
we are to remember it.

7. Memory Consolidation
The process of gradually converting short-term
memories into long-term memories.
1. The more connections
we make within the brain,
the stronger our stored
memories become.
2. The more often we recall
information (think about it)
the stronger our memories
become.
Pathways of neurons in the
brain fire when you think about
something.The more often you
think about it, the smoother
and faster those patterns of
neurons will fire in your brain.

8. Memory Consolidation
1. Think about your prior knowledge on a topic before
learning new information related to that topic.
2. Think about how the topic is similar to or different from
other topics (compare & contrast)
3. Think about how the topic relates to experiences in your
life, to a book you read, to a movie you watched, to a
historical event, to a current event in the news…
4. Visualize how topics are connected to other topics by
making a word web, flowchart, or diagram.
Making Connections: How-To

9. There is a difference between
and
understanding
knowing
information.

10. Knowing Understanding
I can remember information:
I can memorize facts, define
terms, answer multiple-choice and
fill-in-the-blank style questions.
I can explain ideas the way they
were explained by my textbook or
teacher. I can summarize the
information and state it in my own
words.
I can describe simple relationships
between ideas by comparing and
contrasting and putting
information into categories.
I can USE information in new ways,
and apply the information I learned
in new situations. I can create and
design new things based on the
information I learned.
I can critique and judge the
information that I learned.
I can form my own theories and
test them.
I can analyze ideas by examining
complex relationships between
information I learned from many
different sources.

11. Knowing Understanding
I can remember information:
I can memorize facts, define
terms, answer multiple-choice and
fill-in-the-blank style questions.
I can explain ideas the way they
were explained by my textbook or
teacher. I can summarize the
information and state it in my own
words.
I can describe simple relationships
between ideas by comparing and
contrasting and putting
information into categories.
I can USE information in new ways,
and apply the information I learned
in new situations. I can create and
design new things based on the
information I learned.
I can critique and judge the
information that I learned.
I can form my own theories and
test them.
I can analyze ideas by examining
complex relationships between
information I learned from many
different sources.
Here’s the hard part:
You need to know
information first before you
can deeply understand it.

12. Knowing -> Understanding
How to “KNOW”
Information:
How to progress from
“KNOWING”
information to deeply
“UNDERSTANDING”:
How to show
that you understand
something in a
“summative”
assessment:
Repeat information over
and over again to help the
information stay in your
long-term memory.
Make connections to help
the information stay in your
long-term memory.
Summarize information
and identify the main ideas
to help you clarify the
meaning.
Organize information into
categories, charts, graphs, or
notes.
Interact and use the
information in lots of different
ways.The more ways you use the
information, the better your
understanding will become.
Repeat, make connections,
summarize, organize, explain,
interpret, ask questions, answer
questions, make predictions, have
discussions, make projects, make
diagrams, solve problems, judge
ideas, criticize ideas, propose new
ideas, create plans, present
information…etc!
Make an argument or an
analysis (this could be
done in a project,
presentation, or essay).
Make original projects or
experiments.
Perform a skill you
learned in a new situation.
Build on other people’s
ideas (don’t just re-state
them).

13. Knowing -> Understanding
How to “KNOW”
Information:
How to progress from
“KNOWING”
information to deeply
“UNDERSTANDING”:
How to show
that you understand
something in a
“summative”
assessment:
Most people study by repeating things over and over…
Yet summative assessments usually ask students to
demonstrate understanding (not just knowing!)
So…can you create a study method that not only helps
you know the basic facts, but also helps you understand
the concepts more deeply?