The Forgetting Curve

As we have discussed previously in this dyslexia blog students with dyslexia often have problems regarding memory.

Hermann Ebbinghaus, a German pyschologist is famous for his research into memory which he carried out in the 1880’s. His experiments give an insight into learning and forgetting and his findings are still valid today. He tested his own memory using a large number of nonsense syllables which he created.

His findings were as follows :

It is harder to memorize material that does not have significance or relevance to the learner.

His data revealed that increasing the amount of material to be learned usually dramatically increases the amount of time it takes to learn it. This is the learning curve.

He established that relearning is easier than initial learning, and that it takes longer to forget material after each subsequent re-learning.

Ebbinghaus’s work also suggested that learning is more effective when it is spaced out over time rather than crammed into a single marathon study session.

Ebbinghaus also discovered that forgetting happens most rapidly right after learning occurs and slows down over time. This is the forgetting curve. It shows that about 80% of what students learn today will be forgotten within 24 hours ,if the material is not gone over.

So what can we learn from this ?

It is important that students regularly review the knowledge that they are learning; this is how things move from short-term to long term memory and become easier to recall at speed.

Effective revision should an ongoing process, not a cramming session just before the exams.

It is important for students to revise at particular points in time in order that they don’t forget the information they have learnt :

They should go over the information they are learning in the same day (in the evening for 10 minutes ) also 24 hours later, one week later and one month later ( or sooner ).

Remember that students with dyslexia will also need to revise even more frequently. The more over learning they do the easier it will become to recall information. It is a good idea if students can make up questions to test themselves on the information they are learning, as this is a good aid to learning.

It would be a useful if parents and teachers explain the importance and implications of the forgetting curve to children in order to encourage them to review material learnt more regularly.

MUTLIPLE CHOICE TESTS AND EXAMS

In Turkey children take multiple choice tests and exams on a regular basis.Multiple choice tests and examinations can produce many severe problems for students with dyslexia.

They find it very difficult to transfer information from one source to another ie from the exam or test paper to a computer answer sheet.

Dr John Rack, head of psychology at Dyslexia Action, in an article for the BBC said that mutiple choice questions were hard for dyslexic students because they have to deal with large amount of information, all at once. "Dyslexics often have problems with their working memory, which is the space where we hold on to information. If there are too many options, it is hard to keep track of them and by the last option, they have forgotten the first."

Multiple choice papers involve lots of horizontal and vertical tracking i.e (reading from left to right and up and down) which means that dyslexic students can easily lose their place on the question paper and / or read inaccurately .

Multiple choice questions require a lot of concentration so dyslexic students can tire easily and get under-stress.

Each multiple- choice question typically involves more reading than a true-false, short answer or completion question ,therefore putting on more strain on a dyslexic pupil. Dyslexic students read slower and with more difficulty and they may get lower scores because they do not finish, rather than because they did not know the answers !!

PLEASE NOTE :

It would be better if students were allowed to tick or circle answers on the question paper rather than darkening circles on an separate computer answer sheet as often dyslexic students can make errors when tranferring information. Ask your child’s teacher if they will allow them to circle answers on the question sheet.

If a computer answer sheet has to be used then see if the teacher will allow the paper to be photocopied and enlarged so it can be read more easily.

Students should be allowed to do workings out on the test paper or should be given some scrap paper for this purpose.

General advice

Encourage your child to practice multiple-choice questions.

Students should pace properly throughout the test. On average, they will have just over one minute per question !

If they are struggling with a question it is best to leave that question and to go onto the next question.If they have some time left at the end they can go back to any questions they were stuck with.

They will want to try to keep some time to review their answers – if possible !!

In addition they will need to allow some time to transfer their answers to the computer answer sheet, (if applicable). Remember extra time is not allowed for transferring answers to a computer answer sheet !.

For matching questions, suggest to your child that he read all of the choices, match the items that he is certain of , cross off the choices that he has used and then look at the remaining items. Some children have difficulty with looking at two lists and keeping track of these answers that they have already chosen. Others, may have trouble remembering the specific vocabulary or connections between items.

Remind your child that multiple-choice questions often have a correct answer, an answer that is obviously wrong and then one or two choices that are close to the right answer. They will need to read each choice carefully and try to eliminate as many of the answers as possible before choosing one.

Multiple choice is the not necessarily the worst exam format !! Essay writing can be very difficult if your child is a slow writer and has difficulty producing fluent writing with the correct spelling, punctuation ,sequencing etc ..

Basically, any test or exam will put a strain on a dyslexic pupil as they generally have poor reading and writing skills, plus they have to exert more energy to do the same tasks as other children and they will get tired more quickly.They also may have memory and concentration problems which will impeed their performance. At the very least teachers should allow them EXTRA TIME to complete tests and examinations !!!! Generally however extra time is not given in Turkey !!