How do I Improve Long Term Memory in Students?

It is possible to improve long term memory. In a process scientists call long-term potentiation, some memories are encoded and strengthened (and others weakened) each and every time the repetition of a new experience causes neural firing across synapses between nerve cells.

Practice, practice, and more practice makes the bonds between surrounding cells increasingly stronger and gets more neurons involved. The result is a whole network of neurons taking part in remembering the skill, word, or event—regardless of whether we’re learning a new language, perfecting our golf game, or learning new math concepts.

Memory can remain strong even as we age. The adult brain remains resilient, adaptable, and ever eager to learn. David Snowden, a professor at the University of Kentucky, has observed this capability in research entitled The Nuns of Mankato. His studies have included the School Sisters of Notre Dame, a convent in Mankato, Minnesota. The nuns routinely live into their nineties, with many reaching one hundred. Their lives are mentally rigorous and their occupations meaningful.

Supporting Snowden’s observations, Positron Emission Tomography scans done by other researchers have shown that the frontal lobes of twenty-five year olds and seventy-five year olds equally illuminated following the same memory tests. This research has shown that intellectually challenging activities stimulate dendrite growth, which adds neural connections in the brain. The brain modifies itself to accommodate learning challenges regardless of age.

Students can therefore improve their long term memory by participating in activities that they enjoy and recollecting such memories through quizzes and games. Long term memory can also be improved through different tasks and activities related to the concept to be learned, and also by  connecting field trips and other experiences to subject content.

What are some of the other ways to improve long term memory?

Learn more…Take this course: Cognitive Skills – Understanding Learning Challenges