Memory Matrix (classroom)
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Using Memory Matrix activity to measure prior knowledge in a classroom.
| Instructor Prep Time | Medium |
|---|---|
| Student Activity Time | Low |
| Instructor Response Time | Medium |
| Complexity of Activity | Medium |
Description
Memory Matrix is a two-dimensional diagram used to organize and illustrate relationships. In the activity, the row and column headings are given, but the cells are left empty. As students fill in the blank cells, it provides them feedback on their understanding of content while helping instructors assess students’ recall and/or comprehension.
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Use it when you want...
- To help students recall essential content,
- To have students develop the skill of organizing information into categories,
- To see not only whether students have memorized the necessary information, but also how well they can recall new content, and how effectively they organized it.
What students will need
- No special requirements for this approach.
Workflow
The following workflow is meant as guidance for how you can facilitate a Memory Matrix learning activity within a classroom with a classroom.
Pre-Class
- Identify a lecture, reading, discussion, or another assignment that will be the foundation of the activity.
- Review the content and draw a simple table in which rows and columns are useful variables for important information covered in the lesson.
- Fill in the blank cells yourself with the appropriate facts. Use the same vocabulary used in the content students reviewed.
- Identify whether students will complete the table individually or in groups. If in groups, identify group size and group formation criteria.
In-Class
- Ask students either to work individually or in pairs to complete the assignment
- Give students a blank handout at the start of class for the beginning, middle, or end of the class session.
- Direct students to provide the information needed to fill in the cells. Tell them how they should complete the table (individually or in groups) and how much time they have to complete it. Ask them to write only words or brief phrases. Set a realistic limit for the number of items you expect them to insert into each cell.
- Collect the matrices.
Post-Class
- Review matrices and assess the correctness and completeness of the information given.
- Provide feedback/grade based on the quality of the matrices.
- Discuss the results of the activity at the next class meeting.
Accessibility and Room Considerations
- None
Technical Documentation
Examples
Example 1
An Anatomy and Physiology professor wants to help students make the connection between structures, processes, and functions. To assess how well his first-year nursing students understand these connections to the digestive system, he creates a Memory Matrix handout. He creates three columns (Structure, Functions, and Enzymes) and several rows with elements of the digestive system (ex. mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intensive, large intestine, pancreas, liver, and gall bladder). He uses the assessment after the students have read a chapter on that system but before he has lectured on the content. In class, he organizes students into groups of five and gives each group a copy of the matrix. Groups have fifteen minutes to fill in the missing information. When time is up, the instructor collects the handouts. While students are watching a twenty-minute video on enzymes functioning in the digestive system, he reviews the matrices for misplaced and missing information. After the video, he leads a focused discussion on the digestive system, pointing out some of the more common errors that each group had made.
Example 2
In Spanish 1, students are introduced to verb endings. The instructor wants to know how well students have internalized the organizing logic of "families" of verbs. Specifically, she wants to find out whether students could quickly and easily categorize common verbs they had recently learned. She created a Memory Matrix with three columns (-ar, -er, and -ir) and two rows (irregular and regular). Students are given ten minutes to fill in the blank cells with as many different "base form" verbs as they could recall. She collects the list when the time is up. After class, she reviews the list and identifies two problem areas. First, students didn't misclassify irregular verbs as regular, but they did mistake regular verbs for irregular frequently. Second, students confused the -er and -ir verbs — something she often noted during conversational practice. This feedback gives the instructor a clearer picture of the content to review in the next class session. It also helps students decide where to focus their study time before the first test (Angelo 143).
Citation/Source
Angelo, Thomas A., and K. Patricia Cross. Classroom Assessment Techniques: a Handbook for College Teachers. Jossey-Bass, 1993. pp. 142-147.