Generative Classroom Strategies, part 1
Generative Classroom Strategies, part 1
Jonathan Firth's Memory & Metacognition Updates #32
Hello everyone! I hope things are going well there.
As I said last time, generative learning is a theory that focuses both on memory but also on how we use our existing knowledge to create something new:
“Generative learning involves integrating existing knowledge with new material and mentally reorganizing the new material.” - Mayer (2010).
I’ve now written a fair bit about the theory behind this idea (here and here), but before I move on, I thought it would make sense to look at how exactly to implement it in the classroom.
Classroom strategies
There is no universally-agreed set of generative strategies. However, the work of Logan Fiorella and Richard Mayer has a huge influence on me when I first read it, and their book remains a key text on the subject. I’ll therefore explain the eight strategies that they focus on.
Originally I’d planned to cover all of these in one week, but after writing it, the update was pretty long. This is therefore ‘part 1’ – I’ll share strategies 5–8 next time!
1) Summarising
Here, students write a summary in their own words. Most obviously, this would involve summarising an existing text in a briefer form, but the same strategy could also be applied focus on a talk, a video, a sports match, etc. Students are using their knowledge of the topic to generate something new (the summary), based on newly-encountered material.
How to use it: Summarising texts is likely to be more effective than having students take verbatim notes, though time needs to be allowed for them to think deeply about the meaning of the text. They could also be asked to watch short videos and then write a summary from memory, rather than taking notes during the video.
2) Drawing
This is where students draw something, for example sketching a cartoon, diagram or series of stick figures. Evidence from Wammes et al (2016) found that drawing has very strong memory benefits that can’t be explained by other factors.
How to use it: This could depend a lot on your subject matter, but there are many ways to integrate the strategy. When I teach social psychology, I get students to draw pictures illustrating stages of a theory. Teachers who run science practicals could ask students to draw the methodology (not just the apparatus!), using as few words as possible. Geography teachers could ask for sketches of the layers of a rainforest biome. The focus should usually be on conceptual understanding, so it shouldn’t matter if the student is not confident at drawing (and some research has made use of partially pre-drawn materials to minimise the difficulty).
3) Imagining
Even simpler than drawing, students could simply imagine something, picturing it in their head. This helps them to think deeply about new ideas and to make connections with existing schemas.
How to use it: This could be more practical than drawing in situations where the subject matter is especially complex or would be too time-consuming to draw, such as all of the members of an orchestra in Music. It could also work well for an active system. For example, Leopold and Mayer (2015) asked learners to imagine the human respiratory system in action. Little preparation is required, but prior to being asked to imagine the concepts, students should first get some input e.g. from a text or lecture. They might be asked to close their eyes, which reduces visual input, helping to manage cognitive load.
4) Mapping
Mind maps or concept maps involve transforming new material from a topic and putting it in a visual form, most obviously a ‘mind map’. As I mentioned previously, I have my doubts about the efficacy of this as a study strategy, but it could support initial understanding in the classroom.
How to use it: The mind map should focus on a particular area/topic, and it helps if this is not too broad – a concept or two, rather than an entire topic. Students must then think deeply and add some detail. Encourage them to visually display meaningful links and relationships between concepts and/or examples.
Concluding Comments
I hope these first few strategies begin to give you an insight into a generative approach to teaching. Perhaps you can put one or two of them to use in your classes this week.
A common theme of all of the generative strategies above is that the involve in some way transforming new information in ways that draw on existing knowledge and skills. They help to boost understanding. This make them valuable for classroom practice.
However, we should also be mindful that just because learners actively work to understand material, it doesn’t always mean that they will remember it. Information that is processed deeply (in terms of meaning) is generally better remembered, but can still be subject to rapid forgetting. I would therefore argue that while but we shouldn’t neglect approaches to consolidating this understanding – in particular, the spacing effect.
I hope this provides a lot of food for thought for the coming week, and I’ll be back next Monday with strategies 5–8.
All the best,
Jonathan
Last week: Learning as a Generative Process
Website: www.jonathanfirth.co.uk
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