tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4711406005322167702.post8379332803991165289..comments2023-11-05T01:25:25.276-07:00Comments on Because I Can Teach: Knowing By Heart~The Dynamics of MemorizationSusanna Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16373453569493897034noreply@blogger.comBlogger55125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4711406005322167702.post-5487732980285865542020-05-03T17:32:04.357-07:002020-05-03T17:32:04.357-07:00Memorization, my biggest fear in freshman year col...Memorization, my biggest fear in freshman year college. Public speaking, I disliked the class so much the professor attitude or how he approached himself didn’t make it any better. Now when it was time to talk for 10-15 mins and memorize the speech. My heart skipped a beat, I didn’t not like one bit of it. when it was my turn to talk. My hands were shaking and remember hiding behind the small podium or that day I had a scarf on and I would play with the strings hanging at the end of the scarf. Then I started to sweat, forget the order of my speech. In shorter words, I was a complete mess. To a point the professor cut my out and said, Thank you Jessica. Now I felt like I had my speech memorized just the nervousness left me blank and scrabbling in the files of my brain. It was bad. Now whenever I need to speak/ present in front of class I take a deep breath and not look at their faces and look at the back wall or the side walls and try to stay relax as possible. If I get lost ill look away and take a deep breath and get back to the topic and have something in my hand to entertain my fingers. To that has helped for me so far. A fear I had to overcome somehow. <br /><br />Jessica M. <br />AWP4000Jessica Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08190691761987021140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4711406005322167702.post-43727982925179391052020-02-07T14:39:40.583-08:002020-02-07T14:39:40.583-08:00I remember taking a public speaking class at Middl...I remember taking a public speaking class at Middlesex College. My teacher was a sweet soft-spoken old lady but when she told the class that we each had to present a 10-20 minute speech, it's amazing how quick we thought her cuteness went away. The thought of having to do something that we each struggled with and to have to be graded, was so damn stressful. She allowed us to choose our own topic, which I thought would be easier but it wasn't. It took me two weeks, possibly more to figure out what I felt most comfortable with. <br /><br />I don't remember what topic I chose but I do remember my class was having a great time. I think I made it into a fun workshop where my audience had to participate. Even my teacher joined the fun. Afterwards I had classmates asking me for tips which was unusual. I did write my speech on paper as a reference but not one time did I use it. The moment felt really good.<br /><br />Now, I do get nervous talking about particular topics but when reading my poems, it comes almost naturally. If I had to memorize it to perform, I don't know if I have the guts but if presented with that challenge then I can do something. I cannot guarantee it will turn out the way I would like but I will say it may be unforgettable. <br /><br />Meagan AWP 5000Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05906662420567974074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4711406005322167702.post-23272379815558906402019-12-19T07:44:59.307-08:002019-12-19T07:44:59.307-08:00
Although I am only 22 years old, I remember a tim...<br />Although I am only 22 years old, I remember a time where memorization was a huge part of my life. I remember having to memorize my best friends phone numbers so that I could call them during commercial breaks of American idol to speak about the performances. This was before I had a cell phone of course! I also had to memorize many family member phone calls in case of emergencies or if I wanted to chat. When I was in 6th grade it was the first time I was gifted a cell phone. I thought it was the best thing in the entire world! (Especially because it had its own keyboard and I was able to type on it rather than press buttons massive amounts of time to form words). Little did I know, that progressively over time I would forget how to memorize people’s phone numbers.. I can count on one hand how many numbers I have memorized...and most of them are ones that I have known for years! It actually saddens me that I have lost this sense of memorization throughout the years without even realizing it. When it applies to memorizing things for class, it also becomes very difficult. People become freaked out at the thought of having to memorize their work...As do I. As I am nearing the end of my college career, after many presentations, I can honestly say that the best ones I have given were the ones I have memorized and practiced on multiple occasions. Its extremely true when they say “practice makes perfect”! You can tell when your audience is engaged in your topic if you become the master of the topic you are sharing. In the near future, I am challenging myself to memorize more phone numbers!<br />Amanda Gruenlinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12981807734487950807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4711406005322167702.post-16005626183454765442019-12-19T05:41:40.817-08:002019-12-19T05:41:40.817-08:00I agree with the idea that media has left us not f...I agree with the idea that media has left us not feeling the need to memorize certain things or certain poems because of the easy access. However I don’t think it’s that we don’t want to remember I just think it’s that we don’t make the time to go back the average person especially if they’re like me has far more screenshots on their phone then they do selfies or videos because there are simply things that we want to remember or look back on and the screenshot allows us to remember. The only issue is the fact that we don’t ever get the chance to look back and reflect on the again. I just deleted a lot of the extra photos and videos from my phone knowing that I’m about to get a better phone that will allow me to do even more. While I deleted I recalled this quote from Beyoncé about being a boss and taking days off to recuperate however I didn’t look at it again after I saved it because I focused my energy somewhere else instead of back on the moment I was trying to save. I think that media and the chance to save thigs makes us take the idea of trying to remember for granted because we always think that it’ll be there later so we can reflect so what’s the rush. However nothing is worst then forgetting to go back and then later on checking and seeing you didn’t remember it in time.Lester Ellishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05779526269541132098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4711406005322167702.post-49243962817264108742019-12-19T04:27:03.538-08:002019-12-19T04:27:03.538-08:00Memorization is not my forte. Today everything I n...Memorization is not my forte. Today everything I need is literally at my fingertips. However, I find it interesting that I can memorize a new song I heard on the radio 3 times, but not a speech that I rehearsed for months and spent hours writing and revising. Memorizing has always been a subject of like vs dislike. I memorize what I find interesting, appealing like a new song or daily routine. I do not memorize something that might not really benefit me in the long run, which is eerie to say because you never really know what you made need. The purpose of school is to “teach” and I put that in quotes because that is not what they are doing. It wasn’t until I got to college, deprived of a necessary tool, that I realized the importance of memorization. There is beauty, and grace and a form of intimacy in listening to a poet recite without constantly looking back and forth between the book and the audience. You notice all the subtle movements, facial expressions and tone change that makes the poem a different feeling. Much like, home economics and woodshop, memorization is a skill we need to bring back into our school system. <br /><br />Donika H.<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11242695432545776953noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4711406005322167702.post-11156182000340794172019-12-18T13:23:49.103-08:002019-12-18T13:23:49.103-08:00I now for a fact that I would find it very difficu...I now for a fact that I would find it very difficult to memorize a poem, especially if its a poem that I don't deem to be a favorite. So maybe one day when I do write a poem that I like, I would be able to memorize. I always relate to the songs that I have made in the past years when commenting on your blogs.. I find it easy to recite my music because of melody and also sharing with others. Once the words are out there the words come back to the mind and stay naturally. Another interesting point that was made in this, was feeling the words. Emotions that are conveyed when reciting a poem out loud is another poem in itself. I recall someone recite their poems about their life orny. It was a letter to their mom. Although I don't remember the words, the emotions they conveyed when reciting their poem is what made it memorable to me! I was so moved that I had to tell friends and family about it, which I don't find myself doing a lot.the overall idea of memorization can be very difficult but inspiring. I hope that one day if i find myself reciting poetry, I will be able to move others in the process as well.<br /><br />-racquel fanonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17685588416878402576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4711406005322167702.post-18012669796912690332019-12-17T18:32:00.308-08:002019-12-17T18:32:00.308-08:00I never thought about how the podium acts as a bar...I never thought about how the podium acts as a barrier but I completely understand it. When allowed to read off a paper, I could look down at it and not at the audience, as a way to make myself pretend they are not there and I am reading it out loud to myself. I feel that it is a boring presentation, but I do it to calm my own fears. However, when I am told to memorize I do, and I deliver the lines with confidence and I know it shows. I feel more empowered when, despite fear, I could speak in front of an audience and maintain direct eye contact. I feel my words carry more meaning and the audience believes it when I believe in myself. I've participated in plays before and I can't imagine what it would be like if all the actors delivered lines with pages in front of their faces. It would feel so impersonal and leave the audience unable to lose themselves in the story. Tracey Swanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02647952631253430769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4711406005322167702.post-18045061485169043922019-12-17T17:22:37.330-08:002019-12-17T17:22:37.330-08:00I related this on a whole different level. As a wr...I related this on a whole different level. As a writer, I use the excuse that my voice carries so well on the page that speaking would not do my thoughts justice. I was also 100% gravitated towards writing in general because it meant that I would not have to speak publicly, or not that often, so I thought. Coming into college I was actually a business major, but I immediately switched once I realized the amount of public speaking I would have to do, but in the end I think things worked out. I remember my freshman year taking the GE required Communications class and dreading making presentations every other week. I would use my powerpoint as a crutch, furiously twisting my head to the screen then back to my class regurgitating what I had written in my slide. I did this for all my presentations for the entire semester, even my group presentations. I didn’t learn how to properly stand up in front of a crowd and speak until my junior year. It was a final presentation that I had spent days reviewing because I refused to rely on the powerpoint slides and have them dictate what I would say to the class. So I spent time in front of my mirror rehearsing the presentation from memory and removed parts that didn’t flow with my speech. I even practiced in a public restroom once a girl volunteered to listen to my presentation to help ease my nerves. Fast forward to the day of my presentation and safe to say it was the best performance I could have hoped for. I was “flying without a net” and I felt like I could stay up there and talk for hours. <br /> <br />Yessenia D.Yessenia Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00490885665988273486noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4711406005322167702.post-61957691426033255572019-12-13T08:30:10.578-08:002019-12-13T08:30:10.578-08:00I can see memorization being difficult in turning ...I can see memorization being difficult in turning into another person in order for those words to sound like our own. Most people today do not even memorize phone numbers. I still do because it shows the era I came from and I am proud of it. I find it easier to memorize the things I care about like my grandpa's famous phrases, with him gone i find it harder and harder to recall them so I force myself to talk like him so I keep his phrases alive. Similar to remembering poems I have always memorized the ones that i connect with.Zoe Nardaccihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03205636017002411620noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4711406005322167702.post-29463208662966455892019-12-12T09:13:50.810-08:002019-12-12T09:13:50.810-08:00THIS IS SO TRUE. As an actress, I am very familiar...THIS IS SO TRUE. As an actress, I am very familiar with memorization. When preparing for a production, I run into this problem of letting the script become a barrier to true relationship with fellow actors and with the audience. In the first few weeks of rehearsal, we carry our scripts in hand. The characters we play feel "put on" and undiscovered. They feel incomplete. Their words have not inhabited our bodies. It is only when we memorize our lines (without plans of how we will deliver them!) that the characters truly take form within us. With the words memorized, we begin to analyze their meanings, we assess the character's psychological state and motivation. That is when we find who they are, and that is when the words come to life. I imagine it is no different with poetry and for this reason, I am now moved to begin memorizing the poems that have affected me deeply. Olivia Dalessandrohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07969585077975289163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4711406005322167702.post-60290606597502378322019-12-01T16:12:18.029-08:002019-12-01T16:12:18.029-08:00Memorizing really has to do with memory and re-mem...Memorizing really has to do with memory and re-membering. When you think about it, we, as people, remember what is significant, meaningful, and moving in our lives. Our own poems represent our own thoughts, and our own assigning of meaning. Why not, therefore, dedicate them as part of our memory? Why not at least partially memorize them? I suggest this because it helps us as writers and as thinkers. In addition, memorization is good for communicating one's poems and thoughts to others, good for presenting and sharing.<br />I do not think that we have to memorize everything, and certainly, we do not need to do so all at once. In truth, in our lives we combine some memorization, with some reading and record keeping. We will no doubt commit to our memories certain ideas and pieces of information, sooner than other pieces of info. This is natural. However, if we can memorize even one third of one of our own poems, this can make for a greater presentation of the poem! Knowing the poem by heart, helps us to articulate our ideas, with emotion and eye contact!<br />It's really about knowing yourself and your experiences- as, your poem Is your life experience, is your ideas, is your heart. Do not be afraid to know and articulate your ideas and emotions. I know it takes confidence to present and read a poem to an audience. But writing a poem in one's notebook takes confidence as well. Why let the confidence stop with the writing? Extend the confidence to communicating and sharing with others! The better a person knows who she or he is, the better she or he can share. Likewise, the better she or he knows his or her ideas (poems are ideas) the better she or he can impart them on others. Know by heart, remember by heart, and share by heart.<br />Personally, it is encouraging to me to know that the creative process is all related. As the skills of thinking and writing can be developed, so can we go a little further to develop the skills of memory and communication with others. The fact that we can sometimes remember experiences from so many years ago, is testimony that memory is integral to living. We are simply applying the power of memory to our own writing and ideas.<br />-Michael LoberfeldMichael Loberfeldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12539149184927216479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4711406005322167702.post-76306850871110151742019-11-30T13:06:58.061-08:002019-11-30T13:06:58.061-08:00I’ve seen two seperate memorized performances of O...I’ve seen two seperate memorized performances of Ozymandias by Percy Shelley. The first one being an unprepared man with flash cards giving a monotone monologue to a bored audience. The second? I really believed she met a traveler from an antique land for a minute there. That was due to her memorization of the poem. There is a content message, and there is a relational message in any communication. McLuhans reminder that when I speak, I am the vessel for both of those messages comes in handy. In high school I had to give a memorized twelve minute speech and while daunting for a seventeen year old, getting at least 75% of the written words into spoken ones verbatim let me be more confident, enunciate more, and be casual when I had* to be improvisational. Memorizing a speech or poem or other performance piece to allow it to be natural means I will be too.<br /> <br />When I watch a movie, I have a well-defined medium to intake. The mise-en-scène frames how I experience a film, but when someone is speaking, they are not a well defined product. The dynamics of silver screen to person vs person to person shows. Watching Citizen Kane I am manipulated with every shot. Watching a screening of Rocky Horror everyone knows when to throw the toast at the screen, but it’s up to the audience to decide when tomatoes should start hitting bad stand up comedians. With memorization a speech can be well defined, and with skill a person be a good vessel for intended messages relational or contextual. If I am monotone, unconfident, have nothing memorized, I can’t properly frame the message I want to get across. Being cool calm and collected with memorized lines can allow me to have more control and be well-defined.<br />MarkHurbanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12336297815076159943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4711406005322167702.post-29589006276430269982019-11-25T14:05:03.521-08:002019-11-25T14:05:03.521-08:00Dear Dr. Rich,
I recall occasions where I was the...Dear Dr. Rich,<br /><br />I recall occasions where I was the audience to speakers who were so nervous that they looked down at their notes the entire time, spoke in a whisper, repeated umm’s every other sentence, and bored us near to death. Although I felt terrible for this speaker, I could not help but criticize. I realized that although public speaking does not come easy for everyone, preparation and memorizations will go a long way! There were times that I tried “winging it” for class presentations but I did not perform nearly as well as when I studied and practiced my lines days prior to my presentation. <br />I think that technology has made people of my generation very lazy. I can confess that I NEED my cell phone because I write everything down since I tend to easily forget appointments, birthdays, phone numbers, events and more. It is refreshing to see the incredible minds of older people like my grandma who did not grow up with the memory killing technology we have now. My grandmother stores everything in her mind, she remembers over 100 birthday dates of family and friends, she recites phone numbers and recipes by heart, and she even memorized a 7 minute poem at fifteen years old that she still repeats word by word now, 70 years later. And now i truly see why people are so attracted and in awe when they listen to her speak -because she "knows by the heart" as you titled this post.<br />“I am the message” and “flying without a net” WOW what a powerful set of words that I will memorize and remember for the next time I am the speaker/host of an audience. <br /><br />Marilyn H. <br />Marilyn Hhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15146868324433230114noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4711406005322167702.post-23419515803427436952019-11-25T07:43:05.896-08:002019-11-25T07:43:05.896-08:00There are so many things that come into play when ...There are so many things that come into play when performing a piece of writing, especially one that I've written myself. I drive myself mad with questions like, "Is my writing good enough? Will my audience be engaged? How do I look? Is there anything odd on my face? Will I speak loud enough?" and these are only a few. Fear of not being able to memorize my writing has always been present ever since the first time I spoke in front of an audience, especially with a poem I'd written. After the second time I read my poetry in a contest I had won second place in, I started to grow confident and even more so when a woman from the audience told me she loved my poem and that I should have won first place myself. If that didn't boost my confidence, I don't know what did! Experiences like that move me forward and inspire me to be a better performer for my audience and for the sake of my writing, which deserves the vocal emotion that went into writing it. <br />I believe a speaker is much more impactful when they trust what they are saying. When I get up in front of class to present, I know it’s extremely difficult to capture my audiences’ attention because most of them don’t want to be there. This is when I bring humor into what I’m saying to lift the tension and bring my audience down to a comfortable level of somewhat listening. I’ve always avoided poetry readings because I don’t trust my work, and it would show. However, I’ve been growing in my journey of trust and feel able to do things I couldn’t before, especially reciting my poetry.<br />Daianahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02326617176174608426noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4711406005322167702.post-40870635941299567252019-11-24T14:16:00.855-08:002019-11-24T14:16:00.855-08:00Memorization is beneficial when it comes to live p...Memorization is beneficial when it comes to live performances or presentations. I agree that If the performer or speaker knows their information, it gives them more confidence to engage the audience. Unfortunately, I alike so many other people have anxiety and panic when it comes to getting up in front of an audience. I find that as soon as the attention is aimed at me my mind goes blank. I freeze up, and I forget all the confident self- talk I gave myself before getting up in front of an audience. I become terrified of making a mistake or saying things wrong. Or I am afraid of the judgements people in the crowd have of me. <br /><br />Prior to reading this writing, I never took the time to memorize my presentations. Just thinking about my presentations causes me to become anxious. But, I do think if I was able to memorize my work it might help me feel more confident. If I memorized my words I could focus more on the way I said them. I could put more emphasis on certain words that hold more meaning. And this in turn will give me the confidence to not put so much pressure on myself to be right or say things how I want people to perceive it. <br /><br />If I didn’t memorize my words I would be constantly looking down at my paper and rushing. This really gives the audience more time and opportunity to judge because I am not being as engaging. So, for future presentations I will do my best to memorize my work and engage the audience more. <br />April Dolanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18221580454671923708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4711406005322167702.post-83277777146880155812019-11-12T17:34:00.720-08:002019-11-12T17:34:00.720-08:00Memorizing and knowing pieces of work or simply ju...Memorizing and knowing pieces of work or simply just numbers is difficult for me, as a person who has anxiety and goes into total freak out mode when I don’t have my crutch with me. My anxiety is so bad that I couldn’t even present to the class my senior seminar presentation (it was on PowerPoint by the way) because I was shaking and trembling, heart beating fast, with cold clammy hands and a throat that was closing up on me, making it incredibly hard to breathe. <br /><br />But I did grow up at the tail end of an era where most people would memorize phone numbers and names so I believe that I have some of those skills within me.<br /><br />To me, memorization is hard because I always mix things up with each other. And with a talkative and active brain, I try not to let it get the best of me. However lovely this post is, I do not want to memorize. I think it is better to understand and know the whole poem or script as a whole to understand the concept and then learn the lines from there. Memorizing leads me to think about standardized testing or just testing in general. Many students memorize for a test and then simply forget about the information to make room for the next test. I took AP classes and I cannot, for the life of me, remember anything from what I have learned. Wait, no, I’m sorry. I know the picture association for the word “angiosperms.” Thanks, AP Bio! I could not give you a definition if I tried. <br /><br />This is why I want memorizing or reciting poems to be different. Poetry, in itself, is a piece of the poet. It’s what they think, felt, or had in mind for that particular moment. It is more emotional and soul saving than hard facts about plants or the Louisiana Purchase. <br /><br />Recite the poem with your chest! With the emotions that conjure up when you, as the reader, reads the poem. I want memorizing or reciting poems to be second nature. I want to let it flow easily from the soul as opposed to memorizing the lines and giving a deadpan performance. <br />Lena Zhuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17442815499162312258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4711406005322167702.post-16028395359226582852019-11-11T14:18:16.297-08:002019-11-11T14:18:16.297-08:00I did not realize how important it is to know your...I did not realize how important it is to know your material by heart. Memorizing my poems is something that I have never really considered. But reading this post really opened my eyes to how important it is to connect with your audience. Being able to connect with your audience can make all the difference when presenting or reading something. If there is no eye contact, the audience feels disconnected from the presenter. It can also give off the feeling that the presenter may not actually know what he or she is talking about too. It may be different than performing, but even when other classmates give presentations you can tell the difference between who knows their information and who is reading directly off the slides. And the difference is everything, one is extremely engaging and helpful while the other is very boring. In order to keep your audience engaged with your work, you have to show that you know it and that you care about it. Otherwise, they will not care about it. If the audience does not care, they will get bored very quickly and stop listening to what you are trying to share with them. After reading this post, I will start to memorize all of my writings that will be read aloud to an audience. I believe all writers should try their best to do this, even if the writing loses a little bit of quality through your words, the audience will still feel more connected with the speaker, and that is most important.Louis Apuzziohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03013279649709161527noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4711406005322167702.post-40253633639793573812019-11-10T13:03:12.183-08:002019-11-10T13:03:12.183-08:00Standing in front of a classroom or audience and s...Standing in front of a classroom or audience and speaking has always given me anxiety (or enhanced the anxiety I already have). I feel eyes on me, burning into me. I feel judgement. I don’t enjoy it but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve gotten a little better at it. When you know a friendly face or two in the audience, it helps to maintain eye contact with them so you’re less aware that there are others watching you. Last semester, each student had to get up in front of the class and read one of our works, anything we wanted. Rather than standing in front, we were able to sit in a chair at a table. I don’t know why but this helped me relax. I knew eyes were on me but I wasn’t as anxious and didn’t feel as much on display. My go-to tactic is usually to find a face I know and talk/present to them. This has helped me in the past. But I do always have my paper in front of me and find myself trying to navigate between reading the paper and looking at others. Maybe one day I’ll try memorization and see how that turns out. Maybe. RachTarantinohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17793864869743083738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4711406005322167702.post-89963807649951308662019-11-10T12:16:35.919-08:002019-11-10T12:16:35.919-08:00This comment has been removed by the author.Louis Apuzziohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03013279649709161527noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4711406005322167702.post-42929020448158439782019-05-09T14:22:40.518-07:002019-05-09T14:22:40.518-07:00Dr. Rich,
This post comes in handy especially du...Dr. Rich, <br /><br />This post comes in handy especially during this time. Between final exams, final projects, grocery lists, and daily routines, it is understandable to assume that there is no time for anything else. However, if you are passionate about something - there will be nothing that stands in your way to relish in that passion. We, as human beings, do not praise ourselves enough. We need moments to relish and enjoy what we love. We are so deep in our workaholic lives that we do not give ourselves time to breathe. Memorizing something passionate should be pleasurable, not torture. This is also healthy for our brains, and our souls as well. Some Shakespearean language is difficult to digest let alone memorize, yes. However, the approach has a lot to do with it. If you force a child to eat, they will hate dinner time. If you encourage the child to eat and try new foods,they will most likely want to try new things and be more ambitious when it comes to eating. Heck, they might even become a chef! As a future educator, I believe we need to influence young students to be more academically interested. Such as, interested and looking forward to memorizing their favorite bedtime story, or a plot in their favorite TV show. This sharpens their brains into optimistic school survival mode. That is just it - students should not be in survival mode - they should want to go to school and be successful students - due to their teacher's instruction. The best kind of teacher is always remembered by their students. grella@kean.eduhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12759336045859218531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4711406005322167702.post-11103303623383039622019-05-06T20:37:24.146-07:002019-05-06T20:37:24.146-07:00In elementary school, we memorized all the preposi...In elementary school, we memorized all the prepositional phrases. To this day I can sing them all to you. Other than that, there really is no memorizing anymore. It’s a shame. Being able to memorize something is such a proud moment in a child’s life, it sticks with you forever. Now with all of this technology, they don’t need to memorize anything. You can just google the answers and call it a day. One memory I can remember vividly, was memorizing the times tables. We were given 3 minutes to answer as many multiplication problems as we could. As long as you memorized the times table, you could do the math unthinkable fast. This helps students out tremendously, because they’re able to think quick because of memorizing. Kids today walk around with their calculator in their pockets (their phones) so there's no need to memorize any type of math. Its really sad what our society has turned into. Memorizing is good for the soul!Jessica Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15527914909655288970noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4711406005322167702.post-70813363065121298622019-04-08T10:35:23.360-07:002019-04-08T10:35:23.360-07:00Seanette Martin
April 7, 2019
Eng 4817
Prof Rich
...Seanette Martin <br />April 7, 2019<br />Eng 4817<br />Prof Rich<br />Knowing By Heart~The Dynamics of Memorization<br /> I am very thankful that the end of the year assignment that has to be read for English Seminar is one that I am allowed to read from my paper. I already feel extremely overwhelmed this semester and I know that would just add onto everything. Some classes depending on the assignment I don’t mind just going with the flow. What I have come to realize is that when I am presenting and I have no paper in front of me I feel I do so much better. When I do have a paper in front of me I begin to stutter and lose confidence in myself. That has made me realize that certain assignments I need to just memorize and freestyle because while I’m in front of my audience I can give them my undivided attention and make eye contact.<br /> Memorizing however has always been something that I struggled with especially when it comes to taking test. I can study for days and once that day comes and the test is placed in front of me I go completely blank. I feel the internet plays a huge role in my skills to memorize many things because Google is so accessible and has all the answers that I need. One thing I know for sure is that when someone goes in front of me and presents their work if they’re reading from slides that I can read from myself I automatically get bored because they sound like a robot. So I take pointers from others and notice that isn’t something I want to do because who wants to bore their audience. When professor read straight from the slides they lose their audience and that’s when electronics and people falling asleep becomes evident. So memorization tends to be the best case scenario in certain cases. <br />Seanette Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11384898429516899471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4711406005322167702.post-90885136737238486912019-04-06T13:44:21.375-07:002019-04-06T13:44:21.375-07:00I am so very glad that our senior seminar class do...I am so very glad that our senior seminar class does not have to memorize our manuscripts for our recital, however, I do believe that memorizing makes the performance so much better. Having the author stand up at the podium so straight and confident, just shows that they are ready to begin. Looking down at the page, or taking time out to figure out where they left off, is distracting to the audience. It almost makes the audience think that whoever is giving the speech, was not prepared at all. <br />Memorizing is not easy, either. It takes time and practice in order to really memorize a speech or poem, then have to recite it without looking down at that page. Whenever I have to memorize, I constantly repeat what I have to say, or make a song out of it. I know that before I read my manuscript, I will not remember it word for word, but I will practice so many times that it flows nicely, and I won’t have to forget where I left off when reading. <br />I know that whoever is going to have to memorize and recite their poems will feel pressure and nervous, but they shouldn’t be. It takes hard work to do that, then have to recite it in front of many people. Whoever is reading this that is memorizing a poem just know that everyone is here for you, everyone understands the hardwork and dedication you must put in to pull this off. It is an accomplishment worth while, when having to do that! Good Luck! <br />Samantha Matehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13841470142729802115noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4711406005322167702.post-91964468461732396972018-12-16T23:28:32.715-08:002018-12-16T23:28:32.715-08:00When Dr.Rich told us that we were going to have to...When Dr.Rich told us that we were going to have to memorize our poems for the end of the year recital, she is right, I did freak. But I realized that I had been doing this for almost all my presentations. I wrote down what I wanted to say and memorized it and that helped me present my content quite well. I do not have a planner like most college students because first, I cannot keep a planner and it is way easier for me to jot it now in my head. I guess my childhood also plays a part because we had to memorize the timetables and recite in school. <br /><br />When our class did the first batch of rehearsals, the poems we had been work-shopping for the semester came alive because the poets presented in the way they wanted us to see. I made eye contact with these poets which took me on their journey. <br />I have never performed my poetry in front of anybody before, so I am quite nervous, but I know that all will go well with the support of the class and also the power of memorization.<br />Priscilla B.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12655804765136891079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4711406005322167702.post-83030038719680307672018-12-16T18:19:20.720-08:002018-12-16T18:19:20.720-08:00Nadia Radwan
I definitely prefer to memorize my sp...Nadia Radwan<br />I definitely prefer to memorize my speeches. When I know exactly what I need to say and when to say it I just feel more confident and I am definitely less nervous. Even if I don't memorize my speech I much rather have read it through a few times. I can wing it of course, but I will be terribly nervous throughout and definitely mess up. I try my best to also practice out any ums, uhs, or likes because I know when i’m listening to other people's speeches and I hear 40 ums it's the worst. In casual conversation no one cares but if we are talking about a group of people who are giving an ear to your ideas, you better be prepared. I use my moment in front of people to deliver my speech as a personal paid ad. Whatever I am talking about, I want you to be interested in. How can I do this if my speech had more uhs than actual content? That's why I think it should be mandatory when your in elementary school to memorize your speeches or presentations. Now it might be annoying at first, but if kids get used to it at a young age then by the time they are in highschool it will only feel natural to memorize their presentations. <br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05074493088977690786noreply@blogger.com