LEARNING & MEMORY:

AH-HA MOMENTS

Adrienne Noyes
Arizona State University

AH-HA # 1
Skinner: Behaviorist Theory
Positive and negative
reinforcement are effective
tools to generate desired
behavior in students. It is
important to find what
motivates students because
what is reinforcement to one
may not have the same impact
for others.
L E A R NI N G & M E M O RY A H A M O M E NT S - A N OY E S
Skinner’s theories are “real
- SEPTEMBER 2020
world” and have practical
application in many settings. 
As a future educator, I will
try to use positive and
negative reinforcement –
rather than punishment -- to
guide my students to
appropriate behavior and
action.
2
 Skinner Behaviorist Theory
AH-HA # 2: Negative Reinforcement L E AR N I NG & M E M ORY A H A M OM E N T S - A N O YE S -
SEPTEMBER 2020

Finally understanding that negative reinforcement is not punishment -- but is the

opposite of punishment – and succeeds by removing an adverse stimulant to promote
the desired behavior.

I struggled to think of examples of negative The examples of doing something to avoid a negative
reinforcement because my thoughts incorrectly kept really started to make sense to me, although I still
going to punishments. struggle with this concept.

Reinforcement  make behavior MORE likely

Example: Students do not need to take the quarterly
Reinforcement may be positive or negative assessment exam if they have a 92% or higher grade.
Removing the assessment exam = negative reinforcement
Punishment  make behavior LESS likely
to promote good grades all quarter.
Negative Reinforcement ≠ Punishment

3
 L E AR N I NG & M E M O RY AH A M OM E N T S - A N O YE S
Behaviorist Principles Apply to Verbal Language Acquisition

- SEPTEMBER 2020
AH-HA #3:
Operant Conditioning
Practice…
Using the concepts of serial learning (learning in a sequence), the primacy and 1-Primacy:
Repeat…
remember 1st
recency effects, and paired associate learning can be used in the classroom
M Use
things
with both my ELLs and A Regularly
and
native language learners. 2-Recency: S
Overlearn
remember T
last things E
3-Sequence: R
order

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC

4
Note: A Noyes added print/text to book cover of this graphic
 L E A R NI N G & M E M O RY A H A M O M E NT S - A N OY E S
• Persistent Memory is one of Schacter’s “Seven Sins of Memory” or the

- SEPTEMBER 2020
“darker side of memory.”

• There are events in life such as having been the victim of long-term

AH-HA #4: bullying that can be persistent memories:

Memory is not always a • Even though one would rather forget these memories, one
good thing and does not always work the way simply cannot.
it should
• They might pop up when one see someone else being
(e.g., it is not infallible, it is not always true to
actual bullyied and wants to help.
events and sometimes • They might appear if when feeling sad or lonely and
there are things we’d rather forget but
make one wonder “what’s wrong with me?”
cannot thanks to
our memory) • No one really knows if persisten memories will fade with time
or persist for a lifetime.

• There are physiological and psychological causes and

consequences to persistent memories researchers are only
Source: Schacter, 1999 beginning to understand. 5
 L E A R NI N G & M E M O RY A H A M O M E NT S - A N OY E S
AH-HA # 5:
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC

Working/Short Term Memory 7 plus or minus 2

7 +/- 2

- SEPTEMBER 2020
The Concept of
7 plus or minus 2 As an educator, I can use this guideline
when teaching my students new concepts,
breaking down information, chunking so
Short term memory is
really short term and has they can absorb information at a pace
very limited capacity.
they can use in short term memory, then
The concept of seven plus-or-minus two is practice and use to commit to long term
really prevalent in how we learn, store and
recall numbers such as phone numbers, memory.
social security numbers, ID numbers …
usually no more than about 5 – 9 items (7
+/- 2)
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC

6
 Our brains function like computers with
AH-HA # 6
L E A R N I N G & M E M O RY A H A M O M E N T S - A

storage (inputting), encoding (modifying)

and retrieval (finding). 
NOYES - SEPTEMBER 2020

INFORMATION PROCESSING THEORY

 Focus on all three components of memory (storage, encoding and retrieval) for students to succeed in
my classroom.

 Do NOT just give students a lot of information and hope they somehow commit it to memory. 

 Help students store information with repeated exposure and practice, encode it by understanding its
relevance and practical applications and then provide opportunities to retrieve and use the
information. 

 Then they can then build new learning as they find, use and connect prior memories to new learning.

This analogy -- another learning technique -- makes

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under
CC BY-SA
understanding how we learn, retrieve and use information
very clear for me. 7
 Cogntive vs. Behaviorist // Piaget vs.
AH-HA # 7: Vygotsky
PIAGET VYGOTSKY

Cognitive development is universal Cognitive development varies across

across cultures cultures
Language depends on thought to develop Thought and language are different and This Photo by Unknown Author is
merge to create verbal thought and inner licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

speech
This Photo by Peers are important Adults are important
Unknown
Auhor is
licensed under
CC BY-NC

I more closely align with Vygotsky but believe in the validity of Piaget’s work … as a

teacher, I will use both to help my students.

L E A RN I N G & M E M O RY A H A M OM E N T S - A NO YE S -
SEPTEMBER 2020 8
 L E A R NI N G & M E M O RY A H A M O M E NT S - A N OY E S
AH-HA # 8:

- SEPTEMBER 2020
This Photo by
Unknown Author is

T
hi
Developmental licensed under
CC BY-SA

s
Ph
ot
o
processes and the
by
U
ZPD
nk
no
w
Zone of Proximal Development The ZPD is where I will help my students learn by
n
A
ut Scaffolding expanding their knowledge from what they know to
ho
r
is
Guided learning what they can explore with my guidance as they may
lic More knowledgeable other (MKO)
en
se Methods of problem-solving strategies new connections to the world around them.
d
un result in higher mental function
de
r
through sociocultural environment Scaffolding is used with my English Language Learner
C
C
B (ELL) students and can be used with all students
Y-
S
A regardless of language abilities and learning levels

This Photo by Unknown Author is

licensed under CC BY-SA 9
 Piaget’s Theory of Equilibration
AH-HA # 9
L E A R N I N G & M E M O RY A H A M O M E N T S - A
NOYES - SEPTEMBER 2020

We move from EQUILIBRIUM to DISEQUILIBRIUM through EQUILIBRATION

Assimilate  use existing schemes to understand new events & info AND
Accommodate  modify existing schemes to understand new events & info

This concept struck me as odd at first but then it made sense that we would move from what we know to what we
do not know and need to process it through assimilation or accommodation. One of my goals as a future educator
is to create life-long learners who want to read, study, explore, write and continue to expand their knowledge.
That aligns with striving to be in a state of equilibration.

Like Supercalifraglisticexpialidocious!
I thought equilibration was a pretend word! 
10
 L E A R NI N G & M E M O RY A H A M O M E NT S - A N OY E S
AH-HA # 10: As an educator, I can use these and other

Mix & Match

- SEPTEMBER 2020
theories as guidelines when teaching my
students understanding the flexibility and

This Photo by Unknown Author is

truly knowing each student is key. There
licensed under CC BY

is no right way or wrong way but it is my

job to find the best way for each student to
• Deeper Learning
• Disciplinary Literacy learn.
• Content-Area Literacy
• English Language Learners
• Special Kids
• Interests and Skills
• Real-world
• Project Based Learning
• Theorists & Practical Application
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed 11
under CC BY-SA-NC
 REFERENCES
Schacter, D. “The seven sins of memory.” March 1999. American Psychologist.
Retrieved from Canvas, Arizona State University, EDP 310, Fall 2020, i-course.
http://nwkpsych.rutgers.edu/~jose/courses/578_mem_learn/2012/readings/Schacter_1999.pdf 

August 29, 2020

Unknown. PowerPoint, Online Pictures Library, All photos

and graphics under license agreement and not for monetary
gain. All rights reserved by PowerPoint and license
agreement within. Accessed August 31, 2020.

Verschage, M., Arizona State University, EDP 310,

i-course, Fall 2020, Lecture Presentations Modules 1-5
Accessed via Canvas.