Learning that Sticks

Think back to a lesson that was unforgettable, one that fired you up and you remember even though it was years ago. Consider the things that made it so memorable. For me it was the time our physics teacher asked us up to the front of the class one at a time to put our head between two metal tanks. The one on the right radiated a warmth against my cheek whilst the one on the left radiated nothing. Each of us was asked to look left and right but not to share our information with the class. Once we had all gone up and experienced the experiment our teacher informed us that the water in both tanks was the same temperature. The difference? The wall of the one on the right was painted black. A simple enough finding but the experiential way it was presented with the added excitement of waiting and secrecy mean that I remember it after all these years. Had I simply been told that a black painted tank would radiate more heat (with a diagram perhaps) I might not remember it as well.

There is a well known and overused proverb "Give someone a fish and they will eat for a day, teach someone to fish and they will eat for a lifetime" - a great advert for teaching in general. But I have my own version: "Teach someone badly and they will remember for a day, engage someone fully and they will learn for a lifetime". Engaging students in their learning is sometimes easier said than done especially with subjects that do not always involve physical experiments or with a group that have sat in seats being lectured all day. But there are ways such as creating mystery and suspense, encouraging movement or competition and allowing students to find out for themselves that can keep learning fresh and exciting even on a rainy Friday afternoon.

Confidence in a subject is another way for learners to get engaged. We usually enjoy what we are good at and a positive brain is more open to learning new things. For example building confidence with the basics such as mental arithmetic and number sense will increase learners' engagement with maths almost immediately. Learning when we are engaged means that the information is more likely to stick for a longer time.

And after all this time I am still puzzled as to why our radiators are usually painted white.