How Memory Works and Why We Forget Most of What We Are Taught

Using what we know about memory to improve learning

_____________________________________________________________________________

Part Three of a Three-Part Series: What Research Tells Us About How Children Learn

______________________________________________________________________________

Our memories are like a vast warehouse.

Have you ever wondered why, after reading or listening to a lecture, you can’t remember all of the important points? You probably remember even less after a week. Have you ever watched your child study something carefully, only to forget it a few days later? Or say, “I learned this,” but then struggle to actually use it? This isn’t unusual. In fact, it’s exactly what we should expect if learning isn’t designed in a way that allows it to stick.

What the Science of Learning Tells Us

Whether we are learning advanced mathematics, memorizing lines for a play, or learning to ride a bike, there are certain strategies that speed up learning and make it stick. We know about these strategies through an interdisciplinary field of study called the science of learning. This field of study gives us insight into how the human brain learns best and which tools and strategies facilitate learning. 

​How Memory Works

Our memory system can be thought of as a huge warehouse. Infinite shelves of categorized modules represent all we have learned in the past. The warehouse also has a small workbench, used to expand existing modules by incorporating new parts. As new parts arrive at the warehouse, they are first placed on the workbench.. Matching modules are called in from the shelves to form connections. The more matching modules there are, the greater the likelihood that the new parts will be incorporated into one of them. In other words, new information is more easily understood and remembered if it is connected to prior knowledge. 

Why Too Much Information Doesn't Stick

The workbench efficiently creates new modules as long as the bench is not overloaded. If too much is piled onto the bench at once, parts will fall off, and connections will be jumbled, preventing the creation of new modules. Simply stated: Information overload leads to inefficient learning.

What This Means For Learning

Understanding how our memory system works helps us become better teachers and learners. First, we must carefully consider what information is presented. Does it connect to prior knowledge? The more knowledge we have about a subject, the easier it is to learn more. Second, we must be careful not to overload the memory system. Adults are able to handle 3-5 discrete bits of information at a time without overloading the workbench, whereas young children are only able to handle about half as much. 

Too much information or information that is not connected to prior knowledge can leave a learner feeling overwhelmed or disengaged. 

What Helps Learning Stick?

Fortunately, there are specific approaches that improve learning: 

1. New information is best introduced in small, manageable steps, with clear and explicit instruction that builds logically from one idea to the next.

2. Learners benefit from seeing a skill modeled, then practicing it with guidance before gradually taking on more independence as their understanding grows.

3. One of the most powerful ways to strengthen learning is to ask students to write about or teach a concept. We cannot write about or teach what we do not know well.

4. And perhaps most importantly, learning requires time. Skills and knowledge need to be revisited and practiced over days and weeks so they can be fully integrated into memory and used with ease.

Building Learning That Lasts

When we understand how learning works, it changes how we think about teaching and about ourselves and our children as learners.

When learners are given the opportunity to build knowledge step by step, connect new ideas to what they already know, and revisit learning over time, they are far more likely to develop understanding that lasts.

Learning is not about how much content is covered, but rather what is actually understood, remembered, and available for use over time.