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By the most basic definition, learning is the acquisition of knowledge or skills stored in the brain and available for recall. In this way, memory is closely linked with facilitating learning. While there are many different forms, long-term memory plays a significant role in this process by safeguarding information indefinitely—which can be changed as learners integrate new ideas with existing sentiments.
In addition, these adjustments continually alter neurons that fire through synapses in the brain. To put it simply, famed neuroscientist, Jerry Lettvin, referred to the neural network involved with learning as grandmother cells. Think about it like this: Each of these neurons represents one’s grandmother in their mind, which theoretically fires signals and communicates with the brain whenever there is an interaction with or a thought about one’s grandmother—coding this concept. If one could hypothetically gather all these grandmother cells and remove them, the memory of her would cease to exist altogether.
Neurons that fire together wire together—meaning that making and strengthening neural connections makes learning possible. This is known as Hebbian learning and allows for the activation of neurons that lead to the automatic activation of others. For example, when asked what a dog is, a preschool student would respond with something to the effect of: “A small animal with fur that says woof.” This exemplifies that the concept of a dog is encoded by its corresponding characteristics.
Learning Techniques Based on Neural Connections
As established, the brain learns by bonding and bolstering neural connections between associated concepts. Mnemonic devices can be useful memorization tools, allowing students to store and recall large volumes of information.
Acronyms and acrostics
Acronyms refer to the creation of a word from the first letter of a group of words, such as NASA—which stands for National Aeronautics and Space Administration. It’s also helpful to create acronyms that are already existing words as they are easier to recall. For example, recalling “HOMES” to remember the five great lakes: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior.
Similarly, acrostics serve the same sentiment but with sentences or phrases instead of words. For example, recalling the phrase “Betty Eats Cake, And Uncle Sells Eggs” to remember the spelling of “because” and promote faster learning.
Songs and Rhymes
Adding a rhythm and flow to learning large quantities of information helps to solidify it in one’s brain. From childhood, people are taught songs to recite that help with recollection—such as the Alphabet Song (to the tune of Twinkle Little Star). In fact, when put into song, learning foreign languages becomes more effortless and helps to boost the memory and well-being of people with dementia.
Chunking
As the name suggests, this mnemonic device assists students by breaking down information into more digestible chunks. By dividing a concept into sections, like grouping a phone number into three sets of numbers, learners can memorize more details than usual.
According to psychologist George A. Miller, the average person has the capacity to store approximately seven items in their short-term memory. He also asserts that the number of stored data chunks determines short-term memory capacity. With this in mind, research suggests that chunking may be centered in long-term memory and extends the function into short-term memory capabilities.
The Pitfalls of Rote Learning
Memorization—or rote learning—refers to repeating information over and over again so that it is instilled in students’ minds. While this is the standard of studying techniques, memorization removes understanding from what is being retained and removes it from past and future learning opportunities. Additionally, rote learning stores information in short-term memory and relies on constant repetition before the brain retains it. In this way, memorization is not an ideal method for learning complex concepts.
Rote memory only caters to a specific subject’s basic figures and facts and doesn’t accurately represent actual knowledge because what is learned lacks depth. Unfortunately, in an educational setting, the baseline of a student’s intelligence is their ability to memorize and spit out information. However, this dramatically disadvantages those with learning disabilities or attention disorders like ADD/ADHD. Therefore, this method isn’t an effective way to determine IQ levels.
Memorization also makes learners more passive in their pursuit of knowledge and removes the opportunity to develop critical thinking. In this way, rote learning inhibits students’ ability to apply knowledge in real-world situations. As this approach to learning relies on single-source information transfers, it discourages discussions—eliminating the development of strong social skills.
Bridging the Knowledge Gap with Deeper Learning
To catapult students to conquer their classes, Deeper Learning plugs the holes left by rote memorization by addressing the complexities of learned topics through connections and context. By fostering a sense of both independent and collaborative learning, students are better positioned to develop a richer and multi-faceted understanding—not just surface-level statistics.
At its core, Deeper Learning emphasizes the innate capacity and creativity of students—allowing them to engage in grade-based work that is relevant to real-world scenarios. In turn, this opens the door for greater inclusion in learning environments to support multi-lingual learners and those with disabilities.
Deeper Learning Techniques
Deeper Learning promotes a healthy understanding of topics by applying teachings in real-life settings, which reflects the personal significance of what is being retained.
Active Recall
Active recall—also known as active retrieval or practice testing—steers away from the traditional notion of trying to put information into the brain. Instead, students retrieve this information from the brain. This involves taking the topic at hand and creating questions related to it, then continuously testing what has been absorbed—similar to an exam environment. In this way, the brain actively participates in learning—instead of just passively reading it.
By doing so, the probability of accurately remembering this information is significantly higher as active recall raises acute awareness. As a result, this learning method promotes memory retention and test performance—especially compared to rote learning. In turn, students can maximize learning efficacy while bolstering personal confidence in their learning abilities.
Project Based Learning
Project-based learning is an instructional approach to education designed for students to acquire knowledge and skills through projects. The premise relies on learners actively engaging, investigating, and responding to complex problems with sustained attention. Simply put, project-based learning echoes the old adage that people learn better by doing.
In this way, students are better prepared to overcome real-world obstacles by empowering them to become self-sufficient, creative, and critical thinkers. This further positions learners to thrive in their future workforce by giving them the tools to tackle projects similar to how they would be in their career fields. In turn, this provides students with the opportunity to continually process problems and implement solutions with confidence.
Conclusion
Learning is an essential and lifelong process that guides every aspect of success. While rote memorization is the accepted norm when it comes to study techniques, it neglects the dynamic nature of the human brain and renders learning a mere mechanical process—which couldn’t be further from the truth.
Through Deeper Learning techniques, students have the power to meaningfully engage with content and apply critical thinking to solve real-world challenges. Where memorization encourages the brain to store and retrieve facts, active recall empowers learners to integrate that information intuitively and with true understanding.
By fostering a sense of creativity, collaboration, and curiosity through Deeper Learning, students are better equipped to face anything life throws at them as they enter the workforce—and, ultimately, how they endure the rest of their lives.
