Materials and equipment

14 items: include related items (like those found on a desk) and unrelated items (like soap and a stick of gum) and one unusual item (like a toy butterfly)
A tray
A cloth

Preparation

Collect 14 objects, including a few related ones and an unusual one.
Before the session, place the objects on a tray and cover them with a cloth.

STEP-BY-STEP PROCESS

1. Uncover the objects and show them to tutors for about 20 seconds.
2. Tell them to remember the objects in whatever way is useful for them.
3. Cover the objects up again.
4. Talk about something else for a couple of minutes, such as the current news or joining Literacy Alberta, or have a coffee break.
5. Then ask tutors to write down what objects from the tray they can remember.
6. Uncover the tray and talk about the activity. Most people can remember up to seven objects.
7. Ask whether they would have been able to remember better with more practice, a shorter break, or if the items had been important to them.
8. Then talk about the basic tenets of memory work: frequency, recency and value.