For my last day at my practicum in Japan, I
wanted to leave my students thinking about the importance of keeping their
minds sharp when they are on break from school. The objectives of my lesson
were for students to demonstrate understanding of what a sharp mind means by
orally providing examples about how they use their working memory, particularly
in the context of what they will do this summer.
I began my lesson with asking students, “What will you do this
summer? What are your plans?” As expected, the students mentioned their
vacation and camp plans. However, I wanted my students to ponder how they could
continue learning sharpening their minds. I then asked, “What does the word
‘sharp’ mean?” The students said things like “a pointy edge” or “when people
look nice.” I told the students that you are sharp when your minds are mentally
alert and can understand things quickly. It is crucial that students stay sharp
over the summer break so that they continue improving their skills and bring
new knowledge for the new school year.
People’s brains need to practice and review what they have
previously learned in order to remember things over a long period of time. The
brain has a short-term memory, a working-memory, and a long-term memory. I told
students that a lot of information we learn gets stored temporarily in our
working memory, which means that we have to work hard to remember it and make
it into a long-term memory.
Students turned and talked with each
other about ways to stay sharp over the summer. They discussed how they can
keep their reading and writing sharp this summer by reading and going to the
library, as well as writing stories about their adventures. Students also
talked about doing fun science experiments or art projects. Teachers and
students have to remember that learning never stops, and can be found in many
contexts.
