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