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Memory is the brains ability to record and recall information experienced and gathered in our lives. It is ultimately how we determine our sense of self. Our memory allows us to utilize past experiences to drive our present and future events (Harvard Medical School, 2023).

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When a stimulus causes multiple neurons to fire in succession, the brain links them together so that they will fire together in tandem in the future. The more neurons thar are chained together, the more networks of the brain that can be accessed. Because of this, the brain has numerous pathways to access data and gather more understanding and meaning from said memory.

Memories begin as immediate sensory input before being used as working memory and then, as it is recalled on more and more, long term memory.

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Short term memory is a brief storage of information that needs to be consciously processed for a short period of time (Psychology Today, 2024). Short term memory begins as sensory memory and will either be forgotten in a few minutes time, or stored as long-term memory.

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Working memory is a type of short term memory that is used for current or imminent tasks at hand. Working memory is information that is held in the forefront of thought and is in the process of being mentally worked and regulated so that it can be used for the current task (Psychology Today, 2024).

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Sensory stimuli that have just been experienced are known as sensory memory (Psychology Today, 2024). This can be instances such as the smell of french fries as you walk through a food court, the sound of the windchime that just blew in the breeze or the unique color of the hair in the woman who was just in front of you in line. This is the initial input for what will become other types of memory.

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There are three main types of long-term memory: episodic, semantic and procedural.

Episodic Memory

Episodic memory allows one to recollect specific events and details pertaining to such. Themes events can be moments ago or even many years prior in one's life (Psychology Today, 2024).

These memories are what form our life's story.

Examples: how you felt at your graduation, details of a conversation with a coworker earlier

Semantic Memory

Semantic memory is an individuals long-term knowledge that consists of facts and their related concepts (Psychology Today, 2024). These concepts can either be related to us as an individual or unrelated to ourselves.

This is also the type of memory in which we distinguish the meaning and appropriate use of words.

Examples: naming the 50 US states, telling the current date, knowing the meaning slang terms and colloquialisms.

Procedural Memory

Procedural memory is the memory of how we do both physical and mental tasks (Psychology Today, 2024). This allows us to learn and hone skills.

Examples: how to dial a phone, how to swing a bat, how to zip your jacket.

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Our memories are used as we look forward in our lives. We rely on previous experiences to help us make decisions for the future. If we are not gathering and retaining information appropriately, then there is the risk of not being able to make good choices both socially and academically as well.

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Students, whether they know it or not, have learn learning from the moment they were born. All of their experiences and actions now help guide them in school.

As educators we are tasked with helping students turn new information from short-term memory into long-term memory. We can do this by making sure to provide enriching activities that involve their episodic, sensory, short-term and working memories so that they are making as many neural connections as possible so that when they need to recall information in the future, there are a multitude of pathways to provide that access.

For instance, a student might not remember that you had on a blue shirt that day, but they'll remember reading "Bartholomew and the Oobleck", making ooblek and how it felt in their hands when they were learning about states of matter. That will trigger the thought process about solids, liquids, gasses and non-Newtonian fluids and the properties of each.

Educators should incorporate sensory stimuli into lessons to engage the precursors of memory retention and call upon prior knowledge before offering new information.

Because long-term memory is both durable and flexible, it can grow and change when new information is obtained (Harvard Medical School, 2023).

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Depending on the sensory stimuli, memories are stored in various parts of the brain. When information comes to the brain the hippocampus catalogues the parts needed for that new memory. The Amygdala assigns that memory and emotion then the memory is sent to various parts of the cerebral cortex. When a memory needs recalled, the frontal lobes seek that information from the cerebral cortex and put it back together for us to use (Harvard Medical School, 2023).

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Transfer, in short, is how the brain takes older information and uses it in future situations for problem solving, art, inventions and higher order thinking.

There are two distinct parts of transfer:

Transfer during learning is when past experiences or learning affects how new learning is processed and acquired.

Transfer of learning is how and to what extent an individual uses new learning in the future (Sousa, 2022).

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Why is transfer important for learners in the classroom?

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Why is transfer important for learners in the classroom?

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When individuals are learning, the new information is held in their working memory while the hippocampus signals the brain to look through the long-term memory for past references and experiences. If the content can be connected to long-term memory's network of neurons, a stronger connection between the two can be made.

When transfer happens, individuals are able to cope with future situations better because they have already gained prior contextual knowledge (Sousa, 2022).

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Trauma does more than effect our emotions, it also impacts how we use our knowledge and memories. When an individual is rapidly put into a stressful situation, their ability to problem solve and recall information is diminished.

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How Stress Impacts the Brain | Stress, Trauma, and the Brain | PBS LearningMedia

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Learn from Dr. Perry about the impact of stress on students and teachers, and how creating a safe, secure environment is critical to allowing students to reach their full learning potential.

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When you experience a traumatic experience or threat, your amygdala tells your brain to shift its priorities from managing higher thought, problem solving, emotions, and your bodies functions, to only focusing on what the body needs to survive. When the perceived threat is gone, the body slowly returns to it's baseline functioning. However if the body does readjust and debrief about the experience, this can cause PTSD to set in (Lebow, 2021).

When your brain fails to cope with a stressful event, it begins to perceive any similar event as a threat as it is reminded of the past.

The brain's hippocampus can shrink and the pre-frontal cortex can become more dormant as an individual lives with more and more stress. Unfortunately those changes cause the brain to struggle with memory, logical thinking and information gathering as well (Lebow, 2021).

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In order to maintain a healthy and active memory, one must make an effort to continue to learn and activate their brain throughout their lifetime.

We can encourage life-ling learning for children by teaching how to seek out information and modeling how we ourselves are life-long learners (Harvard Medical School, 2023).

Keeping your brains busy can look like:

traveling

learning new languages and topics

doing puzzles often

playing board and strategy games

having meaningful discussions with others

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Upgrade your downtime with full access to The Crossword, The Mini, Spelling Bee and more.

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Mindful meditation is the action of calling attention to what is presently happening and accepting your thoughts and feelings and letting them go for the moment so that your focus and be honed in on an important matter.

Mindful meditation has been found to reduce stress, anxiety and depression which can be useful for individuals who have experienced trauma.

Studies have shown that meditation increases blood flow to the brain and the density of the hippocampus therefor improving memory and learning.

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Calm is the #1 app for sleep and meditation. Join the millions experiencing better sleep, lower stress, and less anxiety.

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Harvard Medical School. (2023). Harvard Health. Www.health.harvard.edu. https://www.health.harvard.edu/topics/memory

Lebow, H. (2021, May 27). How Does PTSD Affect the Brain? The Physical Effects of Trauma. Psych Central. https://psychcentral.com/ptsd/the-science-behind-ptsd-symptoms-how-trauma-changes-the-brain#trauma-and-the-brain

Mindworks Team. (2017, August 29). Does Meditation Improve Memory? Mindworks Meditation; Mindworks Meditation. https://mindworks.org/blog/does-meditation-improve-memory/

Psychology Today. (2024). Types of Memory | Psychology Today. Www.psychologytoday.com. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/memory/types-memory

Sousa, D. A. (2022). How the brain learns (6th ed.). SAGE Publications

Think TV. (2020, September 22). How Stress Impacts the Brain | Stress, Trauma, and the Brain. PBS LearningMedia. https://alaskapublic.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/how-stress-impacts-the-brain-video/stress-trauma-and-the-brain-insights-for-educators-thinktv-cet/