Deep Learning Practice Resolves Retention Issues

 This article expands on my recent January “Content Timing Process Realized” and March 2022 blogs on “Deep Learning Applied” findings, to elucidate on how learning retention can be actualized through applied parallel thought (Erland, J. K. February 4, 1986); Rumelhart. D. E. McClelland, J. 1986), and neurological codes, (Hinton, G. 2006). Looping, puppetry dramatization becomes a key deep memory element for re-training career and academic skill retention (Erland, J. K. 1980).

 A highly skilled workforce is a requirement in today’s demanding technological economy. Business and industry now grapple how to create upskilling training that retains and advances eager workers in need of procedural learning. Many have ingrained lack of focus creating erratic behavior and follow-through with written and oral directions that underlie all procedural details.

 Working memory becomes the impetus for activating layered segmented chunks, rotating in spans or units, known as “Deep Learning”, earlier referenced as “Contrapuntal, Sweeping, or Parallel Thinking”© (Erland, Janis L., 1986) in my early writings. This innovative Deep Learning, cognitive process is a vitally needed retention component for up-skilling and re-skilling training. Deep Learning offers a critical component for planning, making coherent decisions, and expressing newly learned skills.

 As a conduit to create the procedural system outcome, are “Deep Learning” practice sessions. Art, science, and computational skills are provided by innovative ventriloquist, prosody speaking, puppets. The participant assumes the role of detecting new patterns and systems.

 The Bridge to Achievement’s (BTA)™ mental agility, a cognitive, span-expansion coding process, has been documented through serial published, juried, award-winning, longitudinal experimental research for academic and career achievement. Outstanding outcomes were documented in math, reading and language skills.

Additionally, the extensive longitudinal data research revealed new mental strength will sustain the enhanced skills over time, when applied consistently. The BTA™ Deep Learning practice becomes a valued supplemental front engine for all reading, math, and language programs, or used independently as a “stand alone, mental jump-starter”. Subsequently, the intense, Deep Learning rehearsal process creates a new, higher functioning, and more optimistic, empowered individual.

 The unique BTA content elements cement learning retention in multiple ways:

 -     Brief, timed, self-paced lessons. Mental focus maintained through ongoing fixed, focal interest.

-     Original, one-of-a-kind, phonetic and coding practice lessons.

      -     Lessons increase gradually in complexity with locked, timing, pacing.

      -     Fourteen to thirty minute short, segmented, daily lessons offer less time involvement.

      -     Whole-brain, peers and puppets, modeling rehearsal regimen (Erland, J. K.  1980).

      -     Authentic, Hollywood Golden Age ventriloquist puppets applied as adjacent role models.

      -     Thirteen choreographed character positions rotate in loops over 800 unique segments.

      -     Solid, verified, data-based published results with multiple 3^rd party reviewers (Erland, J. K. Fall 2000).

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Erland, J. K. (1980). Vicarious modeling using peers and puppets with learning disabled adolescents in following oral directions. The University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas.

Erland, Janis L. (February 4, 1986; copyright TXu 225 862). Contrapuntal Thinking and Definition of Sweeping Thoughts.

Erland J. K. (c 1989), Hierarchy of Thinking. Mem-ExSpan, Inc.

Erland, J. K. (Fall, 1998). Cognitive skills and accelerated learning memory training using interactive media improves academic performance in reading and math.  Journal of Accelerative Learning and Teaching,  23, (3 & 4), 3-57.

Erland, J. K. (Fall 2000). Brain-Based Longitudinal Study Reveals Subsequent High Academic Achievement Gain for Low-Achieving, Low Cognitive Skills, Fourth Grade Students. Journal of Accelerated Learning and Teaching. 25, (3&4) pp.5-48. ERIC ED # 453-553. & # CS 510 558. https://Books.Google.com/jankuypererland page 41.

Erland, J. K. (© 2008). Downloadable, unpublished report. Five Generations, 27-years of iterative Brain-Based Accelerative Learning Experimentation Demonstrate Cognitive Skill Improvement Enhances Academic and Career Goals. (https://memspan/jalt).

Hinton, G. (2006). Deep Learning and the recipient of the 2001 Rumelhart Deep Learning Prize.

Rumelhart, D. E., McClelland, J. and the PDP Research Group. (1986).  Parallel distributed processing:  Explorations in the micro structure of cognition. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.      

 

Mastering Sequential Learning

Why Instruct Step-Wise Learning? Although the average person does not understand how sequencing memory works, parents and teachers are beginning to recognize the critical necessity for teaching visual and listening sequential memory as a separate supplemental instructional piece, as it is so integral to academic learning proficiency.

Now, students at all learning levels can be trained to optimum achievement levels with powerful learning solution outcomes.

Not only is serial learning critically fundamental to all technical and skilled trade operations, but it is at the root of all academic and athletic learning – reading, writing, spelling, mathematical equations, learning foreign languages, communicating through written composition, athletic plays, musical compositions, recipes, including operational procedures.

Every movement in your day is a series of orchestrated steps. The faster you can sequence, the more organized you are, and get more accomplished.

Creating adequate working memory resolves often unidentified learning problems. Schools have not overly taught memory organization as an independent course. Not only have there been few available programs, but they have not fit into traditional educational curricula as adaptive learning instruction.

For years, textbook companies did not have a niche for this type of training, and curriculum's absorbed this concept necessity within the routine teaching of math equations or reading comprehension exercises.

Technically speaking, step-wise learning is called visual and listening (auditory) sequential working memory training. Much research was conducted in the 1960s and 1970s in this arena, but few training programs existed, and even today, very few academic or professional programs teach sequencing and coding operations as auxiliary “How To” course.

Now, various supplemental academic learning options abound with digital, online learning, but the question is how to find as an academic companion, like a sequencing training program with evidenced validity. It becomes a question of sorting out options.

Online working memory courses offer teaching visual figural memory matching, and with few
sequencing operations (as in algebraic equations). Two-dimensional cartoon characters lead the way through rapid pacing activities, which actions may be difficult to follow. Video games develop fast visual processing speed, and leave operational logic devices up to the player. Serial operations, or step-wise learning, that instructs formal chunking and coding “How To’s” are not systematically taught.

Now that we have touch screens, we are relegated to visual figural, tactile learning, through tapping interfaces. We are not offered listening/auditory serial processing that is critical as a gateway into our technical world.

It should also be pointed out that any supplemental, accelerated training should not be considered “remedial”. Since listening and visual sequential memory creates conceptualization or the integration of information, parents should step forward to ensure that their youngsters have this necessary foundation to excel in academics at any level.

As a classroom teacher, recognizing the critical need, I researched and developed a training system to optimize fast sequential or operational learning. As the root of all technical operations, it had definite instructional merit.

As a result, my graduates have since risen to top administrative/executive/official levels with the ability to make fast and decisive decisions. Serial training is not only administratively beneficial, but it adds personal power, as it opens access to logic, reasoning, and problem solving, not to mention creating optimized school and workplace efficiency.

For example, recently, an electronics store’s sales clerk inadvertently gave me incorrect operational sequences, leaving out two steps, when programming a newly purchased television remote. Of course, the remote did not operate. Unabashed, I referenced the manual (which most of us are reluctant to do), and noticed that steps were verbally inaccurately transmitted to me. This results in a loss of time, not to  mention the ensuing frustration receiving inaccurate instructions.

To resolve these daily ineptitude issues, schools will emphasize the teaching of reading comprehension, or deep understanding and retention of classroom assignments. There will be alternative forms of practice recitation to create deep learning. Work process flow states will be introduced, and speed of careless input work will be deemphasized.

Professional educator development will be instrumental in learning these new training procedures and processes. The school culture will become one led to continuous personalized student improvement. Now students will move into secondary school levels optimizing their ability to follow directions, compute, read, write, and communicate effectively. All, of which, have the basis of serial learning.

Questions for consideration: Does your student listen, remember, and follow oral directions and/or procedures easily? Can they spell words correctly? Can they complete serial answers clearly? Are mathematical step-wise procedures easily understood and followed without missing steps? Technical operations will not operate correctly if a step is omitted, removed, or out of proper sequence.

Our nonprofit organization, Innovative Learning Stratagems, Inc. offers an information portal
www.edstretch.com to ease parents’ search for applicable online resources. As a result, parents will become more involved and supervise online learning sessions at home, where their child is not lost in a classroom quantum of multiple, asynchronous activities. Students will have their school computerized dashboard transferred to homework assignments. Supplemental online supplemental help – will be utilized and applied at optimum levels.

"Understanding Cognitive Skills Testing: What Is It? Why Have It Admin? & Where To Find It?"

We can now all move forward to new learning and achievement heights, providing we understand how our own information processing works. Our reluctance to be the very best we can be, can now be left behind us. My work is based upon the premise that “intelligence” is trainable, and that skills, like reading, writing, mathematics and problem solving are dependent on cognitive information processing basic blocks called “primitives.”

Why understand what these blocks are? Because all work proficiency, including academic achievement, depends upon how our “mind works” operate. The renowned psychologist, J. P. Guilford, identified 150 cognitive skills cubes, called the Structure of Intellect theory (SOI), which has been used as a foundation and measurement of general intelligence for decades. See footnote.

Why should we care? Because our future endeavors, how we cope with everyday life and our achievements/life styles will depend upon our information processing capabilities. It will become our lifetime path we lead, and how contented we will be with what we end up doing as a livelihood.

How do we find out what capabilities we have? It is through standardized cognitive skills testing and evaluations can show information processing strengths and weaknesses of the individual.

Why is testing and evaluation not routinely prescribed? Why do we not know about it? It is because testing can only be administered by highly trained, state certified, professionals at the masters/doctoral degreed levels. These people include psychologists, school psychologists, and learning disability specialists. Testing companies will not sell testing materials to anyone other than these highly qualified and trained professionals, who are trained to do measurement and evaluations.

Subsequently, the testing requires trained expertise, money, and takes time. One set of cognitive skills tests usually runs from $2,500. - $3,000. Therefore, parents often go to physicians or psychiatrists who can prescribe medication to calm the learner, which may appear to be a quick, inexpensive solution. Yet, this intervention is not low-cost, and can run $100. a month or more depending upon insurance coverage. And, prescribed medication can become habit-forming.

There is little, if any, scientific knowledge, summarizing the life-long effects of any kind of stimulant medication on the brain and body that is used to increase focus and concentration needed for learning new material.

Cognitive skills training and cognitive skills assessment has been available for some time. In 1975, Guilford's student, Dr. Mary Meeker, formed the "Structure of Intellect" (SOI) Institute and trained educators how to measure cognitive skills according to task. She and her husband, Robert, designed tests and materials. The SOI Institute exists today with clinicians in every state that have been trained at their "Advanced Level" out of four levels of experienced practice and training. The program has focused on reading, math, and learning problems, early childhood weaknesses, Gifted instruction with remediating missing blocks, and career counseling.

Yet, cognitive skills measurement and standardized testing has not been mainstreamed for the average, yet ambitious person, due to training, time, and cost constraints. Generally speaking, individuals needing remediation were tested either privately, in schools, clinics, or within learning institutions.

Subsequently, many who who were fortunate enough to obtain low-cost assessments and training, or at no cost through their school, later felt embarrassed that they might be considered as "inadequate or a slow learner." Yet, they could subsequently experience giant steps forward in perceiving and learning new information faster and reaching greater career heights. Now, this sense of "being singled out as imperfect or having a problem " is no longer the case, as we move forward with a new dimension of identifying learning strengths and weaknesses to create the high performing, confident individual. We must all excel. Tomorrow's world is demanding it of us.

How can I get started with solid, eye-opening measurement of my own or my children’s cognitive skills if it is expensive and time consuming? Is this beneficial, and worth the time and trouble?

Soon there will be available online options that will offer access to finding the right professional in your area, who will now charge less for solid evaluations. And, the online options will give you the information you need and want, and point you in the right direction for not only testing, measurement and evaluations, but for instructional, learning solutions.

My dream is that most of us will want optimum mental fitness in the future for our children and ourselves the same way we want physical fitness and personal well-being. It will be our choice to move forward to higher levels. We can be competitive in the new, global world.

Footnote: Guilford, J.P. (1967). The Nature of Human Intelligence. New York: McGraw-Hill. In Guilford's Structure of Intellect (SOI) theory, intelligence is viewed as comprising operations, contents, and products. There are 5 kinds of operations (cognition, memory, divergent production, convergent production, evaluation), 6 kinds of products (units, classes, relations, systems, transformations, and implications), and 5 kinds of contents (visual, auditory, symbolic, semantic, behavioral). Since each of these dimensions is independent, there are theoretically 150 different components of intelligence.