This is the last post in my series on memory-friendly anthology teaching and it moves onto that old favourite, the mnemonic. Many web-pages, such as 9 Types of mnemonics for better memory, are devoted to describing these strategies so I’m not going to rehash any of that information here. Most of what I want to suggest is actually exemplified in the pics at theContinue reading “Poem’s title as mnemonic – a closed book conditions life-saver? Memory Strategy 6.”
Category Archives: GCSE Poetry
Why students should map the GCSE poetry anthology, and how. Memory Strategy 5 in series.
Mind-mapping was popularised by Tony Buzan, a psychologist and brain scientist, as a technique that engages both sides of the brain to increase memory retention and productivity, (Buzan, 1976; Buzan, 1993). Naturally, it has its critics, especially since the demise of learning styles and the debunking of the idea that individuals rely on left or right hemisphere. However, thereContinue reading “Why students should map the GCSE poetry anthology, and how. Memory Strategy 5 in series.”
Visualising poetry for memory. Strategy 4(c) in anthology series.
Pictures are remembered better than words. Infinitely better. That is simply a fact. Personal experience – remembering a face but forgetting a name – tells us this, but there is no shortage of irrefutable research evidence either. Strategies like visualisation, exemplified in the clip below, will therefore be important to us as we prepare studentsContinue reading “Visualising poetry for memory. Strategy 4(c) in anthology series.”
Retrieval doesn’t always have to mean a test.
Flashcard activities may challenge the busy teacher’s capacity for forward planning; they may be a faff to count out and then to count back in again; they may even test our good relations with colleagues in repro. BUT, they are worth the hassle. That’s one of the takeaway messages from Benedict Carey’s excellent How WeContinue reading “Retrieval doesn’t always have to mean a test.”
SEEING structure is understanding it – Memory Strategy 4(b) in Anthology Series
Poetry offers us more in less space than any other form of language. Therein lies its appeal but also its challenge. Perhaps the single most powerful thing we can do to promote in learners a sense of mastery is enable them to really see it; help them transform the intensely concentrated language of a poem into much less intimidating visual imagesContinue reading “SEEING structure is understanding it – Memory Strategy 4(b) in Anthology Series”
Poetry pictured. Memory Strategy 4(a) and why Gove was wrong.
Pictures are remembered better than words. Infinitely better. That is simply a fact. Personal experience – remembering a face but forgetting a name – tells us this, but there is no shortage of irrefutable research evidence either. This paper from Grady et al provides a useful summary and of course Tony Buzan, founder of mind-mapping, has written extensively about the superiorContinue reading “Poetry pictured. Memory Strategy 4(a) and why Gove was wrong.”
Top class critical appreciation meets T20 Cricket – Memory Strategy 3, Part 2
“Her eyes twinkled, like the moustache of a man with a cold.” “Their love burned with the fiery intensity of a urinary tract infection.” “She grew on him like she was a colony of E coli and he was room temperature Canadian beef.” These ‘Actual Analogies Used by Students in English Essays’ might not be authentic but theyContinue reading “Top class critical appreciation meets T20 Cricket – Memory Strategy 3, Part 2”
“But I told you this only last lesson, Year 11!” Memory Strategy 3, Part 1
We’ve all been there. Laboured like the sower in Mark’s parable to impart information one lesson only to discover the next that most of our seed fell on stony ground “where it did not have much soil … and whithered away….” (Mark, 4.5) In a bid to experience less of this, I’ve spent the last fewContinue reading ““But I told you this only last lesson, Year 11!” Memory Strategy 3, Part 1″
Promoting #growthmindset, strengthening memory and preparing for the GCSE anthology paper – Strategy 2
I wrote here about why I think that drawing on Booth’s evidence-based ‘Memory Magic’ strategies to teach GCSE anthology poetry is an important idea. Progress 8 means that students of all ability will be entered for English Literature. Further, they will sit a closed book exam. Recall is therefore going to be crucial and Booth’s interventionContinue reading “Promoting #growthmindset, strengthening memory and preparing for the GCSE anthology paper – Strategy 2”
A brain (and SEND) friendly approach to GCSE anthology teaching – Strategy 1
I’ve already written here about why I will be using ‘Memory Magic’ (Booth, 1999) strategies to teach GCSE anthology poetry from September. I’ll have two Y10 classes, one which comprises low attaining and SEND learners. Even if Michael Gove were to pay them, they wouldn’t learn anything about poetry appreciation from listening to a lecture,Continue reading “A brain (and SEND) friendly approach to GCSE anthology teaching – Strategy 1”
Mary Meredith 