Activity C

How to activate long-term memory

We know that review is essential. This graph details the timing necessary to move what we learn into long-term memory.

Use of overhead, discussion

Materials and equipment

Overhead 8.3: Time, Review and Memory (decide if you want to turn this into a handout instead)
Two different-coloured markers
Overhead projector

Preparation

Prepare Time, Review and Memory to use as a handout or overhead.
Set up the overhead projector.

STEP-BY-STEP PROCESS

  1. Show the overhead Time, Review, and Memory.
  2. Use different-coloured markers to highlight the difference between the amount recalled with review and the amount recalled without review.
  3. If you are not using an overhead, give this out as a handout and have tutors colour in the parts as you would have done.
  4. Then talk about how this shows that spelling needs to be practised frequently to move the learning into long-term memory.

Additional idea

Invite tutors to reflect on how spelling and memory challenges would affect people’s day-to-day lives as children, adolescents and adults. How would you imagine people compensate for these difficulties without revealing their problem?



Memory is aided by frequency, recency and value.

Cynthia Klein and Robin Millar in Unscrambling Spelling