Memory is a wonderful trait of human beings. Now, more than ever in history, scientists are unlocking the secrets to enhancing memory. Memory is extremely important to educators, not only for them personally as they age and worry about failing memory, but, most important, for the role that memory plays in the teaching/learning process. Memory, as a concept, often is relegated to a minimal role. As noted by Caine and Caine (1997), "Many of us associate the word memory with the recall of specific dates or facts or lists of information and sets of instructions, requiring memorization and effort" (p. 41). Memory, however, goes beyond this one-dimensional aspect of learning and, rather, focuses on attending, learning, linking, remembering, and using the thousand pieces of knowledge and skills we encounter constantly. For educators, memory is the only evidence that something or anything has been learned. Think about it. If students cannot commit knowledge or skills to memory, even briefly, how can we know they have learned the knowledge or skill? It conjures up visions of the cartoon where two boys are talking. The one boy, with his dog at his side, says, "I've taught my dog how to whistle," and the other little boy says, "Great! Let me hear him whistle." This prompts the first boy to say, "I said I taught him how to whistle. I didn't say he learned it!" For educators, what's the point? If teaching occurs without learning, we might as well skip the teaching in the first place! Educators must ensure that students attend to learning, attach new learning to previous learning, actively engage in learning, construct meaning, and demonstrate their learning. All of this requires memory. No true educator simply wants to "teach"; educators want students to "learn." Educators want learners to be able to organize, store, and retrieve knowledge and skills. By applying what we kn?w about how the brain learns and remembers, educators can focus on the "learning" aspect of the "teaching/learning process." To assist educators, this article will focus on three aspects related to memory: • An information processing model of memory, • Instructional strategies designed to enhance memory, • Reasons why we forget.
