Use it or lose it, again

Repetition has long been debated as to its benefit in education.  Proponents of repetition say that things are learned for mastery by repeating the principle involved a great number of times when one starts to learn a new precept.  Lots of homework is usually given by a teacher who believes this.  The idea is to see an idea explained, see it used in its basic form, and practice, practice, practice.

We've all had a teacher like this.  Memories of such a teacher rank right up there with dentists who have not been to dental school in the last 30 years to update their skills and knowledge of what's available in dentistry.  But, are these teachers' approach to repetition right?  If so, there are quite a few soft teachers in the business who practice only a small number of times comparatively.

Studies about memory show that any kind of memory is created when something memorable happens.  Memories are not created by things that are part of an unnotable nature.  Experiments abound in working with people's recall.  For example, in one experiment, people were allowed to watch an accident happen.  They participants were not told there would be an accident before it happened.  When interviewed after watching the video clip, the participants agreed on the fact that an accident happened because that was notable.  But, they agreed on little else about the clip because nearly all else that had happened was not remarkable.

The brain turns things to the gist of what happened rather than remembering a lot of details about an incident.  Some experiments actually ask people to take the same survey a day after watching the video, again after a week, and again after three months.  Details disappear from memory if they were present in the beginning.  Many times, details are not even present in the beginning.  Details such as what people were wearing, what colors of clothing people saw, makes and models of cars, heights of buildings, names of streets on street signs, number of people involved are not remembered well to begin with, but certainly disappear over time, if remembered to begin with.

If applied to learning, a person can see that a great deal of homework doesn't achieve what those teachers giving it say is the benefit.  Principles learned don't really stay.  They disappear over time.  That's why people forget the rules of how and when to use commas, what the formulas for right triangles are, or the principle involving where cold and hot air can be found in a house.

What promotes learning is not mere repetition, but whether or not use of an idea learned is applied somewhere else in life.  Is there a reason for learning commas?  Yes, if one writes real world material a lot.  Is there a use for know the formula for right triangles?  Yes, if one designs interiors for house blueprints.  Is there a reason to know about cold air and warm air?  Yes, if one has to fill up a tire on a car often in the early spring or late fall of the year when daytime and nighttime temperatures are about 30 degrees apart.

Oh-h-h! What do we do with dinosaurs in life who don't want to keep up with knowledge that grows more current.