| A few years ago, we revisited an
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| | English, science, and social studies
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| inner-city middle school where-about a
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| | classes. Largely, ability to succeed in
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| year before-we had conducted an
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| | these classrooms determines their level
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| investigation on the effectiveness of
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| | of success in school.
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| mnemonic techniques in helping students
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| | What factors determine whether a student
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| with mild cognitive disabilities remember
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| | will succeed in secondary content-area
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| U.S. states and capitals. As we entered
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| | classrooms? Pumam (1992b) surveyed 7th-
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| the classroom, Crystal, a student
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| | and 10 th-grade teachers in Kansas,
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| classified as mildly mentally
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| | Indiana, and Florida, and reported that
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| handicapped, recognized one of our
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| | an average of nearly half of a student's
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| graduate students immediately.
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| | report card grades depended on test
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| "Hey! I remember you!" she exclaimed
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| | performance. Clearly, such factors as
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| enthusiastically. "You were here last
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| | attendance, punctuality, participation,
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| year - you taught us states and capitals!
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| | and homework completion are also
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| I remember, go ahead, ask me one!"
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| | important. However, teachers made it
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| "Well, uh," replied our colleague, taken
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| | clear that test scores were the single
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| slightly by surprise, "How
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| | most important factor in report card
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| about…Florida? What's the capital of
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| | grades. Teachers gave an average of 11 of
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| Florida?"
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| | these tests over the course of a single
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| "That's too easy!" she said, smiling.
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| | 9-week grading period. Clearly, students'
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| "Here it is: Florida, the keyword is
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| | academic survival is tied very closely
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| flower - the flower is on a television
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| | with performance on academic tests.
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| set, and television is the keyword for
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| | In addition to the number of tests
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| Tallahassee!"
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| | teachers give, Pumam (1992a) also
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| In this scenario, a student classified as
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| | examined the types of questions teachers
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| mentally retarded effectively remembered
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| | asked on tests. He found that the
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| information she had been taught 1 year
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| | overwhelming majority of test questions
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| previously. Even more impressive was the
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| | students were asked required factual
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| fact that she had not reviewed or
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| | recall:
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| rehearsed this information with any
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| | The majority of questions on tests
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| teacher since the last time we had seen
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| | administered by main-stream secondary
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| her! As startling as this scenario is, it
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| | classroom teachers required the student
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| underscores something we have been
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| | to recall a specific fact - 25.3 per
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| witnessing for many years: the incredible
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| | test. A sample question that asked for a
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| power of mnemonic strategies to increase
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| | specific fact was "Who discovered
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| dramatically the amount of information
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| | America?" Other possible responses, such
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| students remember, even students with
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| | as conclusion, sequence, opinion,
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| learning problems.
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| | discrimination, compare and contrast,
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| In this article, we describe the need for
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| | purpose, correct an example, and summary,
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| effective memory strategies for school
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| | appeared about one per test. (p. 131)
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| learning. Next, we provide a brief
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| | Thus it can be seen that memory for
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| description of what mnemonic strategies
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| | factual information is absolutely
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| are - and what they are not. Following
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| | essential for success in school,
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| that, we describe how you can use these
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| | particularly at the secondary level.
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| powerful learning tools to enhance the
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| | Unfortunately, it is also true that
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| school success of your own students.
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| | students with learning disabilities and
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| The need for mnemonic strategies
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| | other learning problems have been
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| According to the Sixteenth Annual Report
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| | consistently shown to have particular
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| to Congress on the Implementation of the
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| | difficulties remembering academic content
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| Individuals with Disabilities Act (U.S.
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| | (e.g., Cooney & Swanson, 1987). Our work
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| Department of Education, 1994), 71.2% of
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| | in the area of so 7 mnemonic
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| all students now spend all or a
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| | (memory-enhancing) strategies has been
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| substantial part of their school day in
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| | devoted to finding ways of increasing the
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| general education classrooms. As many as
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| | amount of content-area information
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| 78.9% of students with learning
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| | students are able to remember. This
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| disabilities spend all or most of their
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| | article provides information on the
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| educational time in general education
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| | utility, and effectiveness, of mnemonic
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| classrooms. On the secondary level,
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| | strategies in enhancing memory for school
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| students with disabilities are included
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| | learning.
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| in content-area classrooms, such as
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