Remember those? Memory techniques in the language classroom.

Pete Gibson, DOS

Here are 3 random language items taken from Unit 3 & 4 of Speakout Upper

Intermediate, Student’s Book:

compliment someone

on the edge of

a missed opportunity

Memory & language learning:

“Sometimes described as the fifth skill, alongside listening, speaking, reading and writing, memory underpins every aspect of successful language learning.”Blurb on back of Memory Activities for Language Learning, N Bilbrough, CUP 2011 (underlined words are by P Gibson for emphasis)

Why is there so little research?

Perhaps…

…it’s “to do with the focus on ‘communication’ andprocess that both characterise Communicative Language

Teaching (CLT) and Task-Based Learning (TBL), respectively,and tend to discourage overt attention to memorisation.”

and…

“…there is a more general, largely unconscious bias against memorisation in a society, which, through the internet, has

instant access to infinite information at the touch of a button.”

Melanie Williams, in her ELT J book review of Memory Activities for Language Learning N Bilbrough, CUP, 2011

Memory techniques to explore in the language classroom!

• Mnemonics - verbally or visually focused

• ‘Keyword memory technique’ – uses links to L1 • Creating a story • ‘Finding a place’ / a familiar journey• Repetition; a review slot in every lesson

(productive retrieval)• Physicality, including Total Physical Response

(TPR)• Exploiting & being aware of affective factors

Making your lesson materials more memorable?Educational psychologists Heath and Heath (2008) concluded from their research that the following were crucial:

S implicity

U nexpectedness

C oncreteness

C redibility

E motions

S tories

My challenge to you…!1. Regularly have an explicit focus on memory techniques,

‘little and often’.

2. Encourage experimentation, refection, feedback on these techniques.

3. Raise awareness of the variety of memory techniques students can use – they choose what works best for them!

4. Regularly ask your learners ‘How will you remember the new language items from this activity?’

What else will you do to remember to include memory techniques in the

language classroom?

Why not print out the extra self reflection document that goes with this session – what

conclusions will you come up with?

Memory fact from research: Implications for my classes:

a. Create as many links or associations as possible with the new item.

b. Emotional molecules seem to play an important role as ‘chemical fixatives’ of memory, hence the importance of emotional engagement in learning activities. The stronger the emotion, the easier the subsequent recall (& fear is the best fixer!)

c. If new neural pathways are formed and then used repeatedly, the initial connections between the neurons become much stronger

d. Etc …

Hang on a sec!

Who can remember the 3 items of language from the start of the

presentation?

How did you do?

compliment someone

on the edge of

a missed opportunity

And why the spider?!

Texts used in my research• Memory Activities for Language Learning, Nick Bilbrough,

CUP, 2011

• Training Your Brain, Teach Yourself ® Horne/Wootton 2007

• ‘Memory-Friendly Teaching’, http://eslarticle.com/pub/articles/teaching-methodology/memory-friendly-teaching-565.htm

• Review by Melanie Williams of Memory Activities for Language Learning, Nick Bilbrough, for ELT J

Remember those? Memory techniques in the language classroom.

Pete Gibson, DOS