Brainstorming and the Importance of Retaining Information

     When it comes to learning you think of retaining information for a test or class you are taking. This information you learn normally gets forgotten or pushed aside after the test or class is over. After reading chapter two I found out that there is a name for this action, called the “banking method”. This method was opposed by South American educator Paulo Freire, Paulo wanted his students to be problematizers instead of memorizers. He claimed that the students were just memorizing the information using the banking method, and then forgetting it after the test. This means in reality they didn't learn anything, they just spit out the information given. Now this was interesting to me because I have done the banking method before, mostly in classes that were not as important and ones that I was not interested in. Knowing this is a common thing that happens and it makes you think about what you are learning. Are you learning the information? Or are you just memorizing it? 

Moving throughout the chapter I also read about exploratory strategies to generate and deepen ideas. There were some ideas that I have done without even knowing I was doing them. The first one is Talking, this means you let your ideas sit in your mind/subconscious and go do something else. You can go for a walk, take a nap, stare out the window, or take time off for recreation or other tasks. This helps your mind think about the idea but not put all your focus and energy into it. Another one I have done is Dialect conversation, which is having conversations about the topics. Whether its discussion boards, or having a conversation with a friend, both help ideas flow and bounce back and forth between people. This helps see different perspectives and views that you may not have seen before. 

Now the big connection I made, freewriting. Freewriting has been a huge part of our class, every morning we write about a random topic. Freewriting is a great way to explore and think about a topic. It helps bring in new views and ideas, and it keeps your mind working constantly. Free writing is defined as nonstop writing or silent, sustained writing, asking you to record your thinking directly. Another part of freewriting is focused freewriting which is more towards a specific topic or point. It makes you stick onto a topic and become more focused in, while still doing the process of freewriting. We have done some of these in class, and they are a great way to see new views and ideas on a specific topic.