We do not think of it as individual digits, but groups, or “chunks,” of digits (area code – three digits – four digits). Consider, for example, how our brain interacts with phone numbers. The human brain is very efficient at grouping information to make it easier to handle. Important to note here is the word “chunks.” This means the Working Memory is not necessary limited to 7 individual pieces of information. Capacity of the Working Memory is considered to be, on average, 7 (plus or minus 2) chunks of information ( Note: This capacity is the reason phone numbers and license plates are usually 7 digits long). With Working Memory, the capacity and duration are slightly longer than Sensory Memory, but not by much. So, now that students have decided something is important, they can begin to consciously interact with that information. The Working Memory provides temporary storage and manipulation of information being processed. Once it is decided that information is important enough for attention, it finds its way into Working Memory. Motivated by the student’s desire to play an instrument, the Sensory Memory filters out information unrelated to reading the music (e.g., people walking by, other instruments playing) and focuses attention on information relevant to reading the music (e.g., the lesson in front of him/her, the teacher’s voice). The student begins his/her lesson in a noisy band hall. ExampleĪ student is learning to read sheet music for the first time. It takes in the stimuli in the environment, gets rid of anything unimportant by forgetting, and focuses attention on information that is important. A convenient way to think of the Sensory Memory is as a filter. The Sensory Memory has a very limited capacity and duration it can only handle between 3-7 units, or stimuli, at a time and only for about 1- 3 seconds at a time before information is forgotten. The Sensory Memory interacts with all of the incoming stimuli and helps decide what is important enough to direct attention to. This is where the Sensory Memory comes in. Too much stimuli, in fact, for their brains to handle at once. In the classroom, students’ senses are being bombarded by different stimuli. As the name suggests, Sensory Memory deals with any information that can be perceived through the five senses. The first stage of the informational processing model is the Sensory Memory, which provides the initial screening and processing of incoming stimuli. Today, we will look at learning through the lens of the Information Processing Model, and discuss how to leverage this information to improve student achievement in the classroom. The Information Processing Model provides us with a theory on how humans process information. Through a basic understanding of how students (and all humans) learn, we, as teachers, can introduce content to our students in a way that will maximize the likelihood that learning will take place. One of the struggles of teaching is presenting often complex material to students in a manner that they can comprehend. A Primer on How Students (and All Humans) Learn
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