…of long-term memory.
Hello and welcome to the 90th edition of our fortnightly newsletter, Things in Education.
Over the past few posts, we have dived deep into sensory memory (the fleeting doorway to experience) and working memory (the brain's tiny, but mighty, workbench). Today, we explore the powerhouse of our cognitive system: long-term memory (LTM). We can imagine long-term memory as a vast spider web of knowledge and experiences. It is the ultimate goal of learning and the reason we remember a childhood vacation, a math formula from school, or how to ride a bike. Let’s take a look at how this intricate system works and why it is so vital to everything we do.
If working memory is where information gets processed, long-term memory is where that information is stored for a long time. In the context of education, whether it is a student mastering the periodic table or a hobbyist learning to knit, success hinges on moving knowledge or skills from working memory to long-term memory.
The Web of Knowledge
Long-term memory does not work like a filing cabinet, neatly stacking information in separate drawers. Instead, it is more like a spiderweb—intricately connected and interwoven. When we learn something new, our brain links it to what we already know. The richer and more numerous these connections, the deeper our understanding and the easier it becomes to retrieve that knowledge later.
Say you are learning about photosynthesis. If your brain links this concept to leaves being green (observed/experienced), the air you breathe (learned in school), and your earlier knowledge that plants ‘make their own food’, the web grows stronger. These connections act as pathways, making it easier to recall and apply the information. Think of it as adding extra signposts to guide your brain to the right answer.
Deeper Connections, Longer Recall
The strength and number of these connections determine how well we remember something. A single connection might help us remember a fact temporarily, but a web of connections ensures it sticks. This is why teachers and learning experts emphasise the importance of connecting new material to prior knowledge.
For example, if a history teacher ties a lesson about ancient trade routes to modern global commerce, the students will likely find it easier to grasp and retain. Similarly, creating visual aids, telling stories, or using hands-on activities strengthens these mental connections. The deeper these connections go, the longer the memories will last.
Learning: A Tough but Rewarding Process
Creating long-term memories (or learning) is hard work for the brain—and it is energy-intensive. Human brains are essentially lazy. They are more adept at recalling information than at processing entirely new ideas.
Imagine your brain as a trailblazer, carving a path through a dense forest. The first time you walk this trail, it is tough—full of obstacles and uncertainties. And the more you use the path, the clearer and more defined it becomes. And you use less energy as there are fewer uncertainties on the clearer path. This is essentially what happens when we learn: when new information is introduced to the brain, it needs to create these connections (paths) through ‘uncertainties and obstacles’ which increases the effort needed by the brain. This is learning. But once the connections are well established and strong, the effort needed for the brain to recall is not high. This is recalling.
Now, imagine if we did not walk on the already made paths in the forest for sometime. It is likely that weeds and plants will start growing on them. So to maintain the pathways it is important to practise and repeat for effective students learning. Repetition strengthens those long-term memory pathways, making information easier to retrieve. This is why practising math problems, rehearsing a speech, or revisiting old material are effective for learning. So, even if learning is hard and energy consuming, it becomes easier with time. What this means for student motivation or what it means in terms of teaching strategies or what it means for intervals between practice or why cramming does not work, but rote learning is important, are important things to consider which we will take up in our upcoming editions.
To summarise, LTM is a vast network of connections. If the connections are numerous and deeper, then learning lasts and students remember and recall for a long time. But making these deep and intricate connections takes effort, which makes learning and hence teaching a nuanced and deep endeavour.
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Edition: 3.38
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