Technical Leadership: Begins with Knowing Yourself by Tamaira Ross

Author:Tamaira Ross [Ross, Tamaira]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: UNKNOWN
Published: 2016-12-17T05:00:00+00:00

Storing Information

How information is stored in the brain is directly related to learning and memory. Think about what you retrieve from your memory on work topics. Is it a series of images of technical drawings, a replay in your mind of a spoken conversation, or something else? Do you remember plots of information and then recall images of those graphs later? Think about the techniques that best enable you to learn. Some of these techniques include the act of writing information down, teaching the information to someone else, or telling a story.

An example of a learning best practice comes from the university environment. Research suggests that students who write out notes by hand have better retention and understanding than those that type notes on a computer. While material can be recorded almost verbatim with quick typing speeds on a laptop, a simple written repetition of an instructor’s lecture does not lead to increased learning. In experiments conducted by Pam Mueller of Princeton University and Daniel Oppenheimer of UCLA, students took notes in a classroom setting and then were tested on their memory of factual detail, conceptual understanding, and ability to synthesize the information [6]. Half of the students took handwritten notes while the other half took notes on a laptop. The laptop notetaking students took more notes, but those that used handwritten notes demonstrated a better understanding of the concepts and ability to apply them. The results demonstrate that students who write out their notes actually learn more. An explanation for this difference in comprehension is that writing notes takes more time than transcribing by typing. By taking more time and not writing down every word, students must decide what is important enough to include in their notes and how to summarize the concepts that are being communicated. This engages the brain while the communication process is taking place. By transcribing information verbatim, this thought process is not happening at the time information is being received and does not engage the brain in the same beneficial manner.

While frequently overlooked, our other senses can be used in learning, especially tactile. For example, people typically remember touching hardware on technical tours much more than a series of slides about that hardware. A physical experience cements information in the mind much more than experiences that only use our senses that are most used, vision and hearing. The more senses we can engage when learning, the more the learning experience is retained and comprehended.

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