What Makes Learning Stick?

Ideas/Strategies for Integrating the Six Trumps

http://bowperson.com
Compiled by Becky Hacker-Kluver, Leadership Coach
Movement Trumps Sitting

Movement is the most important trump of the six trumps. The more physical movement we insert into our
daily environment, the stronger we become physically and mentally. “The longer learners sit, the less they
learn.”
● Walk around and randomly choose someone to share something about the topic. Choose 3 to 5
random partners.
● Stand up if… (like me)
● Walk around the building or outside taking on the role of a reporter summarizing what you have
learned so far.
● Body Breaks (one-minute oxygen producing motions) before, during, and after lecture segments. Body breaks
increase blood circulation and oxygen to the brain. Topic-related enhances retention.
● Give one-minute body breaks before, during, and after lecture segments -- stand, stretch, or walk
around a chair, table, or the room. You could talk to another by sharing one thing you have learned or
have a question about in the last 10 minutes. Give a summary to partner. Bend, breathe, and write. (Drop
pencil on floor; bend over; exhale; sit up straight again. Inhale.) Stretch arms up. Pretend to write phrase on
ceiling.

● Do a Fact or Fiction. Put different facts/topics that you have learned and/or going to learn on slides.
As you flash one topic at a time, you ask the students to STAND if it is a fact or remain seated if it’s
fiction.
● Walk around your chair, then sit and write a one-sentence summary of what you have learned.
● Read a paragraph, stand, and stretch. Think about what you’ve learned. Take a few deep breaths,
stretch again, then sit down, and continue reading. (You have just increased the amount of oxygen
flowing to your brain. This will enhance your ability to remember what you read.)
● Stand up, turn to your neighbor, and tell this person two pieces of information you think you can use
from the lecture.
● Walk to a chart and write down three things you have learned.
● Stand up and do two jumping jacks while you explain the most important thing you can use.
● The group forms a standing circle. While upbeat music plays, each person takes turn standing in the
middle of the circle and creating a movement symbolizing one thing learned.
● Stand and find a partner. The one talking stands on one foot while sharing the learning and then
switch turns.
● Additional Resource for Movement: 10 Top-Notch Strategies in 12 Minutes: Student Participation from
the Teaching Channel.
● 6 Ways to Add Movement to Your Instruction: Cult of Pedagogy
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Talking Trumps Listening

Talking trumps listening. This “trump” is the easier to combine with others. Minute or two partnered
discussion after each lecture segment -- more beneficial to learners than no discussion at all. You have to give
learners a minute or two to discuss and process information. This begins to move content info into long-term
memory.
● From small group group to large group. The math is simple. When you ask the large group a question,
one person usually answers, and everyone else sits and listens. When you encourage pairs, triads, or
small groups to discuss the question first, everyone gets involved in answering the question.
● Use the Manage Mats (shoulder partner, face to face partner, color partner, number partner) This link
will now take you to images that could be printed off to use.
● Use the Fan-N-Pick Structure from Kagan Structures.

● Pair Share, Neighbor Nudge, or Dyad Dialog. Stop talking and direct students to turn to someone
seated close to them. Tell them to make sure that no one is left out. Take one minute to discuss two
facts you just learned that you didn’t know before.
● Turn to the person sitting behind you and tell that person what you was the most important point of
information you heard.
● Stop your presentation -- Give kids 30-60 seconds to repeat what they have learned in the last 10
minutes and then go on with your presentation.

● Think of one way you could use this information that you have learned. Stand up and find a person
across the room and share this.
● Call a friend and share what you learned today OR text a friend and share what you learned today.
● Walk and talk with music playing about a question they have about the content.
● Three Index Cards -- Use as a review activity: What? So What? Now What?
● Postcard Partner: Give half of a postcard to each person. They then find their other half of the postcard and
discuss question given.

● Talking Whip: Rapid Fire. Each learner stands and explains some content during class. When one is up, another jumps
up. Summarize what was learned or demonstrate a new skill or share w to apply new content. BEST way to learn
something is to teach it
● Protocols for Talking Structures

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Images Trumps Words

Telling a story creates images. Vision trumps all other senses. Brain stores images and sounds for a longer
time than it does words alone. (cartoons, graphics, maps, photos, clip art, video segments, you tube clips,
verbal stories, metaphors, analogies, case studies, vignettes, etc.)

Human brain normally thinks in pictures rather than words. (mental images that words describe) Words
don’t stick as long as we think they do. Image: anything that creates a mental picture. Images Evoke
Emotions: Emotion is the brain’s signal to pay attention. Emotion drives attention, which drives learning and
memory. Images trigger long-term memory.

● To help you visualize this procedure, draw your own flow chart of the procedural steps.
● On the index card, draw an image that represents the major concepts you have learned so far. Tape
the card where you will see it so that it will be a visual reminder of the concept.
● When you use pictures (images, symbols, doodles, icons) to represent main ideas, you will remember
this information longer. Think about how you might represent the main ideas with pictures instead of
words. Time yourself: In one minute, draw as many content-related images as you can. At the end of
sixty seconds, stop drawing. Then, label the images with the concepts they represent and tape them to
a wall. The images will remind you of what you learned.

● On a piece of scratch paper, draw a doodle representing the most important point you have heard.
Now, explain your doodle drawing to your neighbor.
● A story is a powerful way of illustrating a particular point because it paints a mental picture. Tell story
of your own.

● Images Create Shortcuts: When you can picture it and feel it--you get it. Draw a doodle or a picture.
● Use a video clip as a way to introduce a concept or summarize a concept, etc.
● Use visual simile -- This (concept) is like a (blank) because (three reasons).

● Use gadget simile -- This (concept) is like a (blank) because (three reasons). (Put different items on
the table -- paper clip, pen, play dough, whistle, stuffed animal, stapler, golf ball, paper cup, etc. for the
students to use as gadgets)

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Writing Trumps Reading

Writing and thinking are strongly linked. The brain remembers information longer when the kinesthetic art
of writing is added to auditory (hearing) and visual (seeing) modalities. While learners are writing, they can’t
be thinking of anything else other than what they are writing. Learners will write more than what you write.
Writing stimulates memory. Writing is kinesthetic. Writing is visual-spatial. Writing grabs attention.

● Don’t say …. “Take some notes now.” Instead, give the students some specific instructions for short,
quick writing exercise. Examples: Write one-sentence summary of what you have learned so far.
Write three important facts you want to remember from the information you just heard.
● Draw a circle and, inside it, write a question you still have. Draw a box and, inside it, write something
you’ve just learned that you didn’t know before.

● On an index card, write a short paragraph explaining to a friend what you’ve learned.
● Write one word that captures the essence of what you just learned. Show your word to at least five
other people in the room.
● Use whiteboards for students to post answers and share; use computers to do the same
● Give quiet time (one minute) just to reflect on what has just been learned/one application

● Ask kids to write down two sentences regarding what they know about a topic at beginning of class;
write down what they know at the end (Comparing Skill)
● Text a friend one thing you have learned today.
● Use a back channel for gathering learnings from students

● Quick Writes … what do you already know about the topic? Write one or two sentences describing what you
know. (30-60 seconds)
● Use sentence starters such as “I learned, I feel, I wonder” as an exit ticket
● Seven Ways to Incorporate Student Writing in Any Content Area

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Shorter Trumps Longer

The brain research states that a child’s attention span is his/her age plus or minus 2. (Example: If my child is
7 years old, he has an attention span of approximately 5 - 9 minutes.
 ● Before your class starts, time your segments of instruction to make sure they last no longer than 10
minutes each (up to 20 minutes may work; learning diminishes after that). Be aware of how long you
are talking.

● Check in with your learners. If you are not sure how long you’ve been talking, or you’re not sure how
much longer learners can listen effectively, ask them. Have them give you a signal (thumbs up for yes,
thumbs down for no) as to whether or not they can go longer, need to a quick review, or need a break.

● Sometimes you can string two or three ten-minute content segments together if you bracket them
with memorable openings and closings. An example is to start with a story, then complete the story at
the end of your talk.

● Chunking -- divide content into smaller chunks (Every 10 minutes -- stop talking and have learners do something
with the information)

● Get ideas from the other trumps to break instruction up ...

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Different Trumps Same

It is only what the learner CREATES that is learned Our job as teachers is to wake people up to their full
potential of learning. Ideas to get learners to talk, think, move, create, act, and thus to learn! It is all about
from lecture-based to learner friendly,

Emotions: Everything the human learns is filtered through emotions

What works for you as a learner may not work for others. Be prepared to step out of your comfort zone. All
learning is experience. Everything else is just information. Einstein

● Change the pace of instruction: fast, slow, rapid-fire questions, a touching story mixed with facts and
figures, quiet time for reflection, etc. Tell students to stand for one activity, sit for another, move
around for a third activity. Keep them wondering what will come next.
● For this principle, think about the elements of your class that are always the same. Then, change some
of them.

● Think of a motion that could represent what you just learned. Now stand up and show your neighbor
the motion and explain it to him.
● Change up the environment in the classroom. Arrange chairs in circles, empty spaces for standing
groups, bean bags or cushions for floor sitting.

● Use a different opening or closing from what you usually do, especially if your class has an everyday
routine. (Yes, routines are very important, but ...) Change the pace of the instruction: fast slow, rapid-
fire questions, quiet time for reflection, a touching story mixed with facts and figures.
● Think of five ways you could change the physical set-up of your room to create a comfortable and
pleasing sensory experience for your students.

● Showtime: Divide your students into small groups and have each group present a part of the
information they learned in a creative, playful way: role-plays, demonstrations, raps, songs, pictures,
movement, dance, etc.
● 8-Square Bingo Post 12+ words on board that you will be discussing during your session. Take a piece of piece and fold it
into 8 squares. Participants then write one of the words in each square. As the discussion takes place, participants mark off
each word as they hear it When all are marked, participants say BINGO
● Protocols from Expeditionary Learning

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How Can You Use This Window Pane

To Enhance the Six Trumps?
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