Learning and Mostly Forgetting
EconTalk: Conversation for the Curious
Introduction:
Think back to high school or even college. Can you name all the classes you took during those years, or even half of the classes? When I am asked the question: what one takeaway from is high school, the only things that comes to mind is “the mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cells.” Adam Mastroianni explains to us that throughout our lives we’ve been just learning new materials and subjects and then forgetting them and why that could be.
Where it all Began:
They bring us back to grade school, where learning all began. We were taught the tools on how to learn and the frameworks for thinking by teaching us these subjects. However, the frameworks for thinking were all we took with us throughout the years, never the facts. An example of this is, I know I was taught in the sixth grade by my English teacher how to organize my notes (bullet points, color coded highlighters, and everything else). I still use this method of studying now that I am in grad school. However, I cannot tell you anything I have learned during that school year or what topic we were studying.
What is Happening (& Not Happening):
In school, we are not taught to learn. We are taught to remember. They hand out test and the tests come with incentives (a good passing grade). We are taught to cram all the stuff together and call it “studying” for an exam so that we can get the grade, not to show our level of understanding the material. We are taught to learn the material and then never to use it again. Matter of fact, studies show that months later, people who have not taken a macroeconomics course do just as good as those who have taken it.
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Mastroianni explains that the stuff that we do remember, such as my ability to organize notes, it attached to a feeling. This is why we remember jokes and stories. We feel an emotion, which attaches itself to a memory, that we can later find. Therefore, if you want people to engage in a topic (especially a controversial one) you want to get the vibe right first to trigger a feeling, and that should be enough to get people involved.
“People don’t remember your words, but they will remember how you make them feel”
Conclusion
We always knew the classroom setting was outdated. We see it more after COVID, when newly graduated college students enter into the field and have no clue what to do. That is because they fit the criteria: graduated with a degree in their field. However, they are not taught to retain any of the information they are given, just to remember it and pass the test and get the good grades. The classroom needs to change to an environment where emotions are triggered, and feelings get sparked. Instead of living in a classroom where students are being taught to and lectured, it should be an environment where you are learning the subject together and there is more involvement.
