大学入学共通テスト2023(R)⑦第４問

                                           Tim Oxford
                         Science Teacher, Stone City Junior High School
   

    As a science teacher, I am always concerned about how to help students
who struggle to learn. Recently, I found that their main way of learning was
to study new information repeatedly until they could recall it all. For example,
when they studied for a test, they would use a workbook like the example
below and repeatedly say the terms that go in the blanks: “Obsidian is igneous,
dark, and glassy. Obsidian is igneous, dark, and glassy …” These students
would feel as if they had learned the information, but would quickly forget it
and get low scores on the test. Also, this sort of repetitive learning is dull and
demotivating.

    To help them learn, I tried applying “contextual learning.” In this kind of 
learning, new knowledge is constructed through students’ own experiences.
For my science class, students learned the properties of different kinds of 
 rocks. Rather than having them memorize the terms from a workbook. I
brought a big box of various rocks to the class. Students examined the rocks
and identified their names based on the characteristic they observed.

    Thanks to this experience, I think these students will always be able to 
describe the properties of the rocks they studied. One issue, however, is that
we don’t always have the time to do contextual learning, so students will
still study by doing drills. I don’t think this is the best way. I’m still searching 
for ways to improve their learning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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    Mr. Oxford’s thoughts on contextual learning were insightful. I agree that
it can be beneficial. Repetition, though, can also work well. However, the
repetitive learning strategy he discussed, which is called “massed learning,” is
not effective. There is another kind of repetitive learning called “spaced
learning,” in which students memorize new information and then review it over
longer intervals.
    The interval between studying is the key difference. In Mr. Oxford’s
example, his students probably used their workbooks to study over a short
period of time. In this case, they might have paid less attention to the content
as they continued to review it. The reason for this is that the content was no
longer new and could easily be ignored. In contrast, when the intervals are
longer, the students’ memory of the content is weaker. Therefore, they pay
more attention because they have to make a greater effort to recall what they
had learned before. For example, if students study with their workbooks, wait
three days, and then study again, they are likely to learn the material better.
    Previous research has provided evidence for the advantages of spaced
learning. In one experiment, students in Groups A and B tried to memorize the
names of 50 animals. Both groups studied four times, but Group A studied
at one-day intervals while Group B studied at one-week intervals. As the figure
to the right shows, 28 days after the last learning session, the average ratio
of recalled names on a test was higher for the spaced learning group.
    I understand that students often need to learn a lot of information in a 
short period of time, and long intervals between studying might not be
practical. You should understand, though, that massed learning might not 
be good for long-term recall.