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As a social studies educator, understanding the importance of memory and retaining information is a huge part of my job. As we often say, those who do not remember the past are doom to repeat it. In this Padlet, we will overview the importance of memory and transfer in education. Also, the importance of understanding and working with students with trauma. Educators need to learn various techniques to support learning for diverse students.

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Memory includes the different senses, subjects, and experiences we learn that helps us retain skills and knowledge. As educators we need to understand the difference between immediate, working, and long-term memory.

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Immediate memory is an okay place to start in the learning process, but it is far from a educator’s goal. At this level the student may remember what a subject is but cannot evaluate or create anything with the information.

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Working memory has limited space and allows your brain to hold onto information long enough to figure out where to place this information.

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Long-term memory is an educator’s goal. Long-term memory is where a person can use the skills learned and use the learned information in various ways.

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Not all memories are the same. Declarative memories help us remember explicit things like dates, facts, and names. (Sousa, 2022)

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Nondeclarative memories help us remember procedural information like how to ride a bike or learn to swim. It is not a sequence of numbers it the motions that after practice feels like second nature. (Sousa,2022)

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By using different senses, emotions, activities, and exercises teachers can help support memory and retention of content.

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The brain is constantly organizing and reorganizing itself when new information and stimuli are introduced (Sousa,2022). The brain can connect the previous knowledge of a learner and help it to grow into a deeper understanding.

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Transfer is using the skills and prior memories retained to help you learn new skills. For example, learning about shapes in elementary school will support learning about geometry in middle school. Then middle school geometry will be taken to a harder level in high school. We need to understand the new and old information to build upon our skills.

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There are many helpful techniques for educators to use to support memory.

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Chunking is a great way to learn a lot of information in more digestible sizes. Learning information in chunks can help get the information to working memory.

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Pausing during lessons allows students to process the information said. Writing multistep information on the board allows for students to use more of their working memory for learning rather than using it trying to remember directions (Collins, 2024).

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Create clear and open communication with the student and their families about the importance of nutrition, exercise, and getting enough rest. These are all things to support brain growth while preparing the student for a long school day. Nutrition, exercise, and sleep will also ensure that oxygen is getting to the brain, supporting student’s memory, and neuroplasticity.

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Peer teaching is another great way to transfer information into long term memory. While the students are preparing to teach other students, they are thinking how to make it understandable and the key items the other students need to take away (Collins, 2024).

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At the end of the class, it can be very helpful to have students journal about what they learned. This can help them look back and draw connections (Sousa, 2022)

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Positive Transfer is another useful tool teachers need to use to help support their students learning. Taking what students know and/ or what might interest them to help them learn something new (Sousa, 2022).

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Memory and transfer is complex for teachers to master, and even harder to reach students with trauma.

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Complex trauma can change one’s brain and how the memory works. Trauma can reduce the volume and the activity in the hippocampus. It can also lower overall brain tissue (Hobbs, 2019).

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The body being a constant state of hypervigilance may cause the student to have issues with controlling emotions leading to outbursts, it may cause complete withdrawal. This may cause the outside world to see this child’s actions as misbehavior. It is also hard on educators because we may never know that a student has a history of trauma (Hobbs, 2019).

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A positive about helping our students with trauma is that trauma informed approach teaching is helpful to all students in the classroom.

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Teaching students mindfulness tactics. This teaches the student how regulate their emotions and deal with stresses in their life (Mendel, 2024). Something as simple as taking a few minutes of class time and teaching students breathing techniques can positively help students and the classroom environment.

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Knowing the students as individuals and having a positive relationship with them (Hobbs, 2019). Some students may not have positive relationships with adults at home and can make them push away from authority figures in their life. Teachers can be the first adults to show them love and respect.

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Have a discussion with the student after a melt down about what triggered them and have them come up with ideas on how calm themselves down (Hobbs,2019).

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Breathing exercises, self-relocation, and self-talk are great self-regulating steps.

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Lastly be a reliable adult and use unconditional positive regard. Students with trauma may already have adults telling them negative things about themselves and may have low confidence. We do not need to add to this. We need to speak positively and in a respectful manner (Hobbs, 2019).