Pair up for an effective Connection Strategy workout.
Welcome to today’s class. Our topic is “Connect It!”
Our TBH Blueprint focus is the “Strategize” action point.
Today we will work on training our brains to remember better using the Connection Strategy, a memory technique that can help us retain new information more easily.
We will be working on the following thinking skills today:
Hand out the TBH Welcome Packet to all new students for a more complete introduction.
We are going to begin with TBH Let’s Get It Started!
Being physically active is great for our brains. This quick warmup is a great way to get focused, build energy and get us ready to learn. We’ll do this right at our seats at the beginning of every class. Just watch what I do and follow along!
(At end of warmup) Great job, everyone! We are started up and ready to go!
FEET GET STARTED!
LEGS GET STARTED!
HIPS GET STARTED!
ARMS GET STARTED!
VOICES GET STARTED!
MEMORY GETS STARTED!
BREATH GETS STARTED!
Click to open the TBH Let’s Get It Started! playlist.
Click to open the TBH Let’s Get It Started! complete guide.
Now let’s do our “Brain Play.” Research shows that working against the clock is an important way we can keep our thinking focused, fast and nimble. And all these skills are essential to learning and remembering better. We will “play” with our brains at the start of every class to support these important cognitive skills.
Today’s Brain Play is called “Let’s Connect.” I’ll start us off by naming a word. The next person will take the last letter of that word and share a different word that begins with that letter, and so on with everyone taking their turn. For example, the word “happiness” might be followed by “sister,” and then the next person might say “raisin.” Just remember, you can’t use a word someone already used!
We’ll follow that pattern until we run out of time.
Let’s set a good pace by (clapping/snapping our fingers) as we go. Ready?
Today we’re going to learn the “Connection Strategy.” The Connection Strategy is a simple verbal association technique that works by giving meaning to new information through attaching it to information we already know.
To use the Connection Strategy, you simply make a connection between something new you are learning and something that you already know well. For example, if I meet someone named Michelle and need to remember her name, I can think about another “Michelle” I know, perhaps a friend with that name, or Michelle Obama, or even the Beatles’ song “Michelle Ma Belle.”
Here’s another example: Let’s say you just received new license plates and need to remember:
V 5 9 D W K
This combination of letters and numbers is pretty nonsensical, until you break it down and give each part meaning. Perhaps your favorite flower is violets, so the V can stand for violets. You were born in 1959, so the 59 is meaningful in that way. Now let’s say you spend a lot of your time in the car chauffeuring children: D W K could stand for “driving with kids.” Now your license plate is no longer a crazy jumble — it has meaning: A flower you love, a familiar date, and a phrase that sums up the main way you use your car. Violet 59 driving with kids!
Click here to view the TBH Learn the Science video for this class.
Password: TBHSCIENCE
Share this video in your classroom or with your community.
Let’s train our brains by practicing the “Connection Strategy.” Let’s break into pairs.
Now, I’m going to write a prompt on the (whiteboard/flip chart). You will work with your partner to come up with a Connection Strategy to help you remember that information. You’ll have about a minute to discuss your strategy and then each pair will talk about the way they’ve connected the prompt to make it more memory-able!
We’ll do as many rounds as time allows. Ready?
CONNECT IT! PROMPTS
7364
MATTHEW LEWIS
22 TULIP PLACE
UR2KND
SUSIE KRAMER
RED MILL FLOUR
5HGT21
RED RIVER INN
ARNOLD HOUSE
While training our brains may seem daunting, learning effective, practical methods like the Connection Strategy can be simple. And memory strategies are habit forming! The more we practice them, the more likely we are to get comfortable using them, even without thinking about it!
Here is a handout you can take home to continue practicing the Connection Strategy on your own.
Can you think of ways you can practice the Connection Strategy this week?
Let’s wrap up with our “TBH Take a Breath.” Being mindful of our breath and sharing some positive thoughts is a wonderful way to acknowledge what we’ve learned together before we go back to our day.
Research also shows that these kinds of exercises help us focus better and even learn more effectively.
My mind is relaxed.
I am glad to train my brain.
I am glad to connect for better memory.
I am grateful for myself.
I take this time and this breath for me.
Click for the TBH Take a Breath music playlist.
Click to open the TBH Take A Breath complete guide.
I am glad we had this time to learn together today. It was so nice to give our memories a boost and connect with each other.
I look forward to seeing you for our next Total Brain Health class. Be sure to bring a friend!
NOW DO IT! WORKSHEETS
Use these optional worksheets to run your class.
Connect It! Worksheet. Use this worksheet to support the class exercise as needed.
TBH TAKEAWAY HANDOUTS
Distribute these optional handouts to extend the learning experience.
TBH Strategies: The Connection Strategy Handout. A recap of the importance of attention to memory and suggested daily attentional workouts students can use to extend their learning outside the classroom.