Part 2

In order to identify which learning strategy is the most effective, we handed out a survey to about thirty classmates and even some teachers, asking them detailed questions about their study habits and learning preferences. The survey was written in a way as to avoid leading subjects to choose a certain answer, reducing possible bias. Also, the anonymity factor helped to make the subjects more comfortable with giving honest answers. When asking about study methods outside of the school setting, some responses were unexpected. Not surprisingly though, about 68% of the respondents declared that their preferred method of studying was cramming the night before an assessment. Only about 23% admitted to studying daily for at least a week before an exam, and a mere 9% said they do not study at all. But the most unexpected answer was that 0% of surveyed subjects said they studied in groups. This is a surprising fact because in a question about learning preferences, 27% of subjects stated that they learned best when in a group setting. Most people (59%), however, preferred learning alone in a quiet setting. These answers lead us to think that time and setting are very important factors in studying and learning information.
Another important finding was that 59% of students remember only half of the information they studied after the exam is taken. A smaller number, 27% remembers information only when it is needed again. Very few students (9%) remember all of the information.This shows that there is a flaw in either the learning method or the study method of these students because if the information was learned fully, more students would remember all of the information, even after the assessment. The next important result from our survey came from a question asking which learning method (kinesthetic, visual, or auditory) was preferred. Here the results were not as clear. About 45% of students preferred hands-on work such a science labs and class activities, 23% liked film clips and slide shows, and 32% preferred lectures and note taking. This lack of a majority proves that there is not one set learning method that works for every single student. This information helped us to format our own learning method which incorporates elements from kinesthetic, visual, and auditory strategies.
One method we came up with involved visual aspects which mixed pictures and words to effectively use both sides of the brain. The brain perceives pictures mostly with the right side of the brain, while words are read and deciphered with the left side which is more logical than the other side. When a word is read, it is received in the brain’s Visual Cortex. This part of the brain is spread out across both hemispheres and each side works with the other to decode images and words. By involving both sides of the brain through exercises which combine each hemisphere’s dominant trait, a student would learn more effectively. Because learning comes from experience, the exercises used would vary slightly each time as to prevent rote memorization of the information. Such exercises would contain pictures of film clips which would then be associated with words or definitions. The more exposure there is to something, the more easily it is remembered.
The scientific procedures behind this learning method focus on neuroscience. In this method, which is an example of Classical Conditioning, a subject learns to make associations and then anticipates other answers based on what was learned. After the initial first stage of learning called acquisition, the subject or in this case a student, learns to make these picture-word associations and applies them to different pictures or words each time. Leaving no room for rote memorization. Also, because the mind is actively matching pictures and words, it is cognitively learning, which means that it makes representations of the objects to save in the hippocampus (memory), there is a higher likelihood that the idea or concept will not be forgotten. Also, by placing the items in a list like form, we will increase the Spacing Effect, which has shown that humans remember information more clearly and for longer periods of time if it is presented in a list. So therefore our information would be presented in list format with pictures and words.
To test this out, I made a lesson, based on these picture-word associations and gave a subject who had never learned neuroscience the papers for one hour, with the instructions to learn the material to the best of their ability. After the one hour time period was up, a short test which contained similar but not the same questions was given to evaluate the level of retention. Out of twenty questions on neuroscience, the subject correctly answered seventeen of them. This is 85% of the information. Given that this information was learned in only one hour with no previous experience in the topic, this is a very high retention rate. To be able to correctly make a theory thought we would need to replicate this method many more times. But for now this definitely proves that this method at least helps within a short time period. To see if the method worked over a longer time period, the same subject was tested two days later, this time the percentage correct was 70%, which is lower that the first test, but much higher than was expected. This means that this method was effective to remember information for the long run.
It is crucial to understand how we learn, think, decode language, and remember things to fully comprehend neuroscience. Learning is based on memory which is based on decoding language, and a whole process drives each step to the next. To understand how language is decoded, we need to understand how information is received in the brain, and how the nervous system plays a role in perceiving sensory information. All of the different stages work off of each other to produce one resulting action or thought. Once we understand how these processes work, we can analyze our own learning styles and better the methods by which we perceive information. This will also enable us to decipher certain reactions and ways of thought which we encounter daily. This knowledge that our daily lives are applicable to learning psychology makes it easier to find examples which we will remember. Because psychology spans such a wide range of information, we can easily find examples from our experiences.
Finally, after having collected all the information from all four different learning methods, we created a more inclusive method which combined the most effective aspect of each method. We decided that picture-word associations, coupled with repetitive studying and a final review session would be the best way to learn neuroscience and remember it for a long time. We also found that playing relaxing music at a low volume while working increases productivity and helps to focus more on the topic at hand. These four strategies put together as one will most likely be the best method to learn without rote memorization. To be able to do this, a student would need to set aside about half and hour every day for at least a week before the exam to work on associations, and at least one hour before the exam to review all of the different associations in one sitting. Self-discipline is the key to learning any subject though, and if the student is not disciplined enough to sit down and actually study the material, then no results will be achieved. But if the method is followed well and the student is focused and willing to learn without any incentive other than a good grade, then this will practically guarantee results.