This is the fourth in a series of blogs focusing on how to use brain research to develop lesson plans and to engage students. The fourth strategy has to do with activating visual memory.
Researchers have noted that our brains remember pictures before words. Since the written word is less than 10,000 years old, pictures have been the means of communication for as long as humans have been connecting with each other.
Pictures can be a powerful way to activate memory and can be used effectively in the classroom to enhance memory and to help students connect new information to previously learned material. We often depend on visual memory to help us understand and make sense of the world around us. When we lose our keys, our brains help us visualize where we last had them and to map out the places we were leading up to the present. When someone mentions a vacation you have taken, it is easy to visualize the places you went and the things you experienced.
Your “mind’s eye” can quickly and easily visualize, often in great detail, things you’ve experienced in the past. This natural connection between the brain’s ability to visualize and learn new information can also be tapped in the classroom to help students activate their memories when learning new material. By showing an image to the class when presenting new material, it is easy for students to make connections between that picture and information learned when preparing for a test.
Using visual information to enhance learning isn’t limited just to pictures. Artifacts can also be used to help activate memory. When taking a field trip, many teachers purchase items that can be later used in class to enhance the memories of students who participated in the trip. Also, when presenting new information, some teachers use novel props to help students connect the new material to the artifacts or props used during instruction. For example, I once knew a history teacher who came to school dressed as a flapper when she was teaching a unit on the Roaring 20’s. When it came time for the unit test, the students were reminded of her outfit and they could easily remember the information she presented while dressed in those clothes.
My daughter’s pre-K class took a pretend camping trip complete with backpacks and campfire materials to help them learn about ecosystems. She now can remember the different animals’ ecosystems by seeing the items they carried with them on that trip. Also, some teachers like to have students draw pictures or collect artifacts of the concepts they are learning. Again, the brain will make connections between the picture and/or artifact and the new information which will improve recall at a later time.
Tapping into the brain’s abilities to use visual information to improve memory is an easy trick that teachers can use to enhance their lessons and support all learners.
