“BY HEART” Day Is Almost Here: Time to Nourish Your Memory

Once again, the Museum of Teaching and Learning invites you to join in a celebration of memorization. The Third Annual By Heart Day is almost here—it will officially take place on August 21st. Perhaps you are trying to recall why people say “by heart”? Well, as with so many aspects of our American culture, it started with the ancient Greeks who believed the heart (not the brain) was the seat of learning, emotion, and memory.


On this day, please enjoy the many benefits that come from reciting (or learning anew) significant lines of poetry and prose, facts, dates, or lists of events or special individuals. Your choice! Some readers may find it gratifying to recall such gems as the Preamble to the Constitution, all the U.S. Presidents in order, or the 118 entries in The Periodic Table of the Elements.


On the other hand, perhaps a poem by Carl Sandburg, Emily Dickinson, or Shel Silverstein creates that sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. And many individuals, after enjoying their favorite musicals over and over, realize they know the words to every single song. Whatever the content, exercising the brain and withdrawing noteworthy information with ease and automaticity is good for each and every individual. MOTAL’s advice on this auspicious day: keep your brain agile, not fragile.

Note: What is something YOU can remember by heart? MOTAL would
love to know and share what readers have to say. Just REPLY
to this email blast to tell about experiences with memorizing.

For those who prefer to embrace something new to commit to memory, here are some suggestions. Many favorite poems from across the decades are shared in the grade-level lists of poems prepared by the Poetry Foundation to complement the national standards for the English Language Arts. Whereas Frost‘s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” is a second-grade selection, Thayer’s “Casey at the Bat” is for fourth graders, and James Weldon Johnson’s “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing” is for eleventh and twelfth graders. What fun to learn two, three . . . or more. It might also be time to finally remember the key parts of the brain, the names of all fifty states in the U.S., a favorite passages from Shakespeare, or the birthdays of all your grandchildren.


Poetry Foundation List link: 
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems


You might also want to review your times tables (through 12 or 14) as well as help a young person retain those small, but important, products in long-term memory. A study several years ago in a large urban school district in Southern California determined that 40% of the ninth graders did not know all the tables through twelve. Do your children and grandchildren produce the answers . . . with speed? Do you? Don’t forget to keep things age-appropriate. You may want to consult the article linked here: Analysing Multiplication Tables Check data from real pupils  In the spring of 2022 England instituted a widespread program of times tables assessments for Level 4. It revives the realization that such learning and retaining is important, and points out those combinations of factors that seem to be the most difficult for students.

Why care? A 2019 Forbes article by Natalie Wexler, an education and cognition specialist who examined the subject of memorization, revealing that information securely held within people’s minds can serve to bind further learning and decision making. Some people (alas, even some educators) dismiss memorization as mere recall or simply “rote.” However, those who analyze complex thinking vouch that having knowledge embedded in memory is a foundation for critical thinking.

Tips to help your memory abound across sites on the internet, but three tips appear to dominate. The person doing the memorizing must care about the content, must find a way to practice it regularly and then intermittently (write it down, use flash cards, sing songs), and must devise an appropriate reward for accomplishment. Remember, research confirms that such little gifts do not need to be elaborate nor expensive. They can be mere tokens (yes, even high school kids declare their enjoyment of stickers), perhaps a snack, or a pat on the back.


Tips to help your memory abound across sites on the internet, but three tips appear to dominate. The person doing the memorizing must care about the content, must find a way to practice it regularly and then intermittently (write it down, use flash cards, sing songs), and must devise an appropriate reward for accomplishment. Remember, research confirms that such little gifts do not need to be elaborate nor expensive. They can be mere tokens (yes, even high school kids declare their enjoyment of stickers), perhaps a snack, or a pat on the back.


Please have a great day on the 21st. Enjoy your By Heart journey!
 
Submitted by Greta Nagel, PhD
MOTAL President and CEO


P.S. On By Heart Day, a project that sounds attractive for this writer will be to memorize at least one more poem. See last year’s Heart Day article for some that have already been filed away.   Second Annual "By Heart" Day!