Massed Practice Vs. Distributed Practice

S states that there are four phases to the human memory. He suggests that using a filing cabinet approach to learning things help with memorization. “Human memory is a four - stage process: input, encoding, rehearsal, and retrieval. A problem at any stage affects memory and learning”, (S, 2013). The author goes on to discuss how each process works within his system of learning and memorizing. Inputting information into the filing cabinet is through sensory. We are using taste, smell, sight, hearing and touching at this point just to organize and get the information into the brain but not memorizing or learning anything yet. This phase is the same as the first step in “Tips from the Science of Memory-for Studying and for Life”. Arranging the information in a way that it gives the best structure for remembering it. Next, we encode the information with short term memory, only knowing that the information is there but it is not yet fully understood or committed to long term memory. After that we will rehearse and practice the information that is organized and filed neatly in the filing cabinet because now we know where to go to look for the correct information when we need it for retrieval, the final step of the process. We need to know where to look for the things we have rehearsed and practiced over and over, this information is now committed to long term memory and the only way to keep what we have learned in long term memory is to rehearse it continuously. The author gave some tips on how to maximize our memory capabilities such as studying in a well-lit area, be organized with study material and have everything you need before beginning, get 6-8 hours of sleep every night, and take planned breaks during studying

By practicing, talking and writing about a topic, this is the only way our brain can make permanent connections about the information we are trying to learn as studies have shown such as the retrieval practice study, that those students in the retrieval practice group overall scored higher over

John Dunlosky, "Strengthening the Student Toolbox: Study Strategies to Boost Learning," American Educator, Fall, 2013. This article provides different learning applicable techniques both for teachers and students. The most effective methods are practice testing and distributed practice. Practice testing is a self-testing on to-be-learned material while distributed practice is a schedule of practice that spreads out study activities over time (Dunlosky, 2013).

Donald Schon (1983) identified that learning in practice could be enhanced by 2 different kinds of activity – Reflection in-action and Reflection on-action.

We all learn in diverse ways, inclined by the combination of our past educational experiences, study practices and personal approach to particular tasks. This can be designated as our learning style, defined as ‘particular ways of gathering, processing and storing information and experiences’ (Cuthbert, P.F., 2005).

Since day 1, I took a deep look at how I study and how I retain information. My system capitalizes on how I retain the information not just for upcoming exams but for the future as

Whenever you learn something new or you experience something, it's encoded in your brain, and it's encoded by subtle changes in the strength of connections between neurons. For example, one study showed that the white matter in an adults' brains changed as they learned how to juggle over a period of several months. "They found that if you scan [the brains of] adults before they learn how to juggle, and then three months later, you can see changes in the brain structure," (Dumontheil).

to elaborate, review, rehearse, summarize, or enhance the material’, students are given opportunities to practice and consolidate the skills they have learnt during independent practice and homework tasks(Rosenshine, 1986, p.

Much psychological research suggests that new memories require time to stabilize and transfer to long-term memory and that these newly acquired memories are disposed to to interference by competing stimuli. Memory consolidation is the processes involved in the stabilization of a long-term memory after it’s initial acquisition (Dudai, 2004). Consolidation is described by two distinct theories: synaptic consolidation, which transpires in the first few hours after learning and systems learning where memories are stabilized over a period of weeks to years (Dudai, 2004).

Memories constantly change each time an individual recalls them, and eventually these memories begin to diminish over time as we age. The complexity of memory is utilized in unprofessional and professional settings. Memory is defined as being the accumulation of information learned overtime, which can be retrieved at a later time (Myers). Encoding, storage, and retrieval are

The findings of this study could be applied to individuals who are looking to increase performance after a plateau. The second article adds that when you visualize the context of the skill with various changes you can increase performance. When applied to open skills, mental practice could possibly allow for the person to improve adaptation when various environmental uncertainties arise. The last article shows that in closed skills such as keyboard typing, mental practice can solidify the content in a way that makes the movement more effortless. I can see this idea being useful in the theatrical setting, being used by actors to practice lines or movements that they are learning for a production. All examined articles seem to come to a similar consensus, that mental practice is a viable tool used in a variety of

The “curve of forgetting” show the loss of memory over the course of time, it depicts how we either retain or get rid of information over time. It shows how we are losing information over time and there is no way of retrieving that information back. This reveals that we will forget the new information that we have learned unless we are constantly reviewing so it will remain in our memories. The importance of distributed practice to memory retrieval is it helps us to retain our memories whether they are good or bad. Memory revival is also important in many cases whether it is just remembering what you wanted from the grocery store to solving crimes. When going to the grocery store we typically only remember the first and last few items on the

Each person who follows this process can learn new things, by linking them to familiar association’s people or experiences. We all chunk to remember to utilise

The brain uses three steps to store information in you memory system. These steps are referred to as retrieving, storing, and encoding. (“Dig Deeper” 2)The two types of memory are short-term and long-term. Short-term memory is different from long-term memory because information only lasts for a short time when you have short-term memory. (“Dig Deeper” 4) With this information, you may train your brain by taking the information you need to memorize and make it meaningful to you, just as Michael Mirski did. For example, you make take a phone number and relate it to a certain date or time. (“Dig Deeper” 6) Retrieving, storing, and encoding may depend on the strength of your memory. However, you can make your memory stronger by using certain tricks. This is how Dellis and Mirski have incredibly good

Learning is a multifaceted perception unique to each individual. In looking to address the intricacies of learning, there have been a multitude of learning theories established over the centuries. To this day new theories are developed and traditional theories continue to be developed and expanded upon. (Swinburne Online, 2016)