Cognitive Learning

Cognitive learning environments focus on helping students encode information meaningfully to long-term memory so that it can be easily retrieved. I definitely think there are many methods that I can use as a teacher to facilitate this process. Since information is stored in long-term memory usually in either visual images or verbal units (or both) it is important to teach using varied techniques including visual images, verbalization and actually "doing".

I am currently teaching a unit on Alcohol in my Health classes. There are times when students use the textbook to research vocabulary words and key concepts. We also watch videos that show students real brain activity scans that demonstrate how alcohol affects brain activity. The video also shows students what a healthy human liver looks like and one that has been damaged by alcohol. It's one thing to study the effects of alcohol on the body from the text, to read about it and complete worksheets where students organize what the information they gather. However, when students see the effects, they do appear to understand, apply and remember the information better.

We also read and discussed the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol. Then, I showed a video depicting these dangers, including a story from the Oprah Winfrey Show about a young girl who was burned in a drunk driving accident. The students usually have a stong reaction to what they see and this seems to help them remember the lesson. Then we practice ways to say no to drinking and what to do if the person who supposed to be driving you has been drinking through role play activities. Hopefully, if my students find themselves in one of these situations at anytime in their lives they will remember what we practiced, what they learned and be able to apply that information in their decision-making. I know I can use technology more in this process too. There are a ton of sites dedicated to Health Education including Too Smart to Start where students can play memory games, do crossword puzzles and play other games to test what they remember regarding this particular topic. The textbook Teen Health also offers an interactive site where students can access information, take quizzes, play games, etc. The more varied the methods of teaching, I believe the more likely a student will store that information in their long-term memory.