Takeaway 1: “…human memory works in two different ways, both equally valid but one of which is much better at enabling us to transfer what we have learnt to new contexts. This transfer is an essential prerequisite for creativity and critical thinking.” The article explains the difference between episodic and semantic memory and how educatorscan use each type of memory to their advantage while in the classroom. Episodic memory comes naturally to us and is responsible for remembering people and specific events or “episodes.” For example, we might here the phrase “classroom discipline” and immediately think of that day in second grade when we got scolded for talking even though “I wasn’t talking!” Semantic memory, on the other hand, takes more effort and is much more intentional. An example of semantic memory is when we purposely study definitions for a vocabulary test and still remember those words as an adult. Episodic memory is more contextual, meaning what we learn is “bound up with the context in which it was taught.”Semantic memory is more flexible and context-free. For example, we may not specifically remember learning about shapes, but we can easily identify circles and triangles. Semantic memory is what allows us to transfer what we learned in one context to another novel context. It is important as a teacher to use both types of memory in the classroom. It is the special field trips and science experiments that students will remember most (episodic memory) and can help them have a positive outlook on learning. As an elementary teacher, this is especially helpful to know because children are less likely to remember every word I say and more likely to remember specific instances and emotions. It is a good reminder to always be careful and aware of what you say and do because students are likely to remember how you make them feel. If I make students feel capable and intelligent, they are more likely to work hard and feel valued. If I make students feel incompetent or lesser than their peers, in the future they may feel less intelligent or have a disinterest in school. It is, however, just as important to drill in the facts (even if that means lectures) because the episodic memory is what will allow students to succeed in higher grades. It is great if a student remembers that there was a fun math game that they played, but if they can’t remember the actual addition facts, they are going to struggle when it comes time to learn about multiplication. As teachers, we must find a balance between actual content and making that content fun. Takeaway 2: “Performance is what we can see happening during teaching. Learning, on the other hand, is something invisible that goes on inside children’s heads. We cannot observe learning, we can only infer it. Frustratingly, current performance is a terrible guide to knowing whether or not learning has actually happened or not. Teachers and leaders are at risk at being fooled by current performance and think that change in the long term semantic memory (aka learning) has taken place.” As teachers, it can sometimes be hard to gauge how much students actually understand. Sometimes it may seem that a student understood the lesson because they are able to summarize what they just learned. In reality, they may just be reciting facts back to you and very little of it is actually converted to long-term memory. On the flip side, a student may seem to not understand certain material because they did poorly on a test while in reality, they are just poor test takers or are less detail-oriented and more big-idea oriented. While we may not remember every book that we read as child, the skills that we learned in elementary school help us now to identify what the “spine” of book is or what events in a story are essential to the plot. The difference between performance and learning is important to acknowledge because it reminds us as teachers to use a variety of different instruction and assessment measures in the classroom. If we only use one method to measure performance, we may be missing data on whether our students truly understand the information or not. Of course, performance and learning do overlap to some degree. If a student knows the information well, they are more likely to do well on tests or activities. If the student does not understand the information, it is unlikely that they will perform well on tests. However, it is important to remember that it is possible for information to be in short term memory while never converting to long-term and semantic memory. As a teacher, one way that we can try to bridge the gap between performance and learning is by introducing fun experiments and instances only after the foundational concepts have been taught. This is not to say that we cannot use a fun game as an anticipatory set, but that fun game should not be the only tool that we use to teach information. It is repetition and using what you have learned in one subject in another that builds the critical thinking skills necessary for higher education and life in general. In certain situations, it may be more helpful to teach the lesson first and then do the fun activity. For example, when doing a science experiment where students create their own cloud in a jar, it may be better to enforce the different elements of the water cycle before the experiment. Then, “once the scientific concepts are secure, children are much more able to really ‘think like scientists’ with the added benefit that the practical activity then consolidates understanding of the previous learning.” If students are solely focused on the procedures of the experiment or the excitement that comes with it, they may be too distracted to truly focus on and learn the very concept that you were trying to teach.This is helpful information as a future teacher because it is tempting to just make every activity something fun. Instead, we must find ways to ensure that students are engagedin learning without letting fun replace the learning.