Interview Format for EDU 542: How does Long Term Learning

Happen
Interview two different people of two different ages (i.e., child, adult) and find out what they know about
when they learned something that is still in their long term memory. Some basic interview questions are listed
below. Add others you might find relevant as you go through the interview. Please provide confidentiality for
interviewees and there should be nothing personal in your questions.

Take extensive notes to share in class and submit in folder.

NO NAMES OR IDENTITY DISCLOSURE.

Interview One: Age: 13 Gender: Male

Your response notes should be comprehensive. No one line responses because this is intended to
be an in depth interview which brings out complexities in the learning process that would have
implications for teaching and learning and which guide you to understand more about learning.

1. What is something that you have you have learned in the past that you still know and
understand today? Describe the place and your age when you learned this information.
One thing I have learned in the past that I still remember is two-step math equations. I
learned it I think in my 7th grade year, so I was twelve years old. I was in my math class
with my teacher Mrs. Frye. It basically where you have a number with x (variable) and
another number, with an equal sign. So for example if it was 3x+4 = 8, I would subtract
the 4 on each side. Then I would subtract 4 from 8, then divide 3 by 4 to cancel out the 3
on the left side then be left with x = 1.33

2. Describe the learning process and explain why you think you learned (remember) that
information? For example, if the learning took place in school what did the teacher do to help
you learn?
The teacher gave us a lot of examples and we did homework on it, so doing it over and
over helped it stick in my memory

3. What particular study strategies did you use to learn this matter? Please describe any
strategies or experiences that might have helped you in this learning process. Do you find
these strategies helpful in any other learning situations?
She taught us how to do it, and then she gave us homework to help us figure out how to
do it. Through repetition and doing multiple examples in class, I was able to learn how to
solve any two step math problem. No I think that only works with math.

4. How did you know you were learning? Please provide evidence that told you that you were
learning.
 Ive been able to complete a lot of problems in a short amount of time, without asking for
help

5. Would you consider learning this information hard or easy? Interesting? Explain or describe
your learning experience.
I didnt have a tough time learning it, because Im a quick learner. No it wasnt
interesting. After being given about 3-5 examples in class, I knew how to do it perfectly.

6. What currently motivates you to work hard to learn something new?

To have good grades

7. Please explain how you remember new information today. Did your prior learning help you
learn better today?
I just have to practice the new information, and yes my past math classes have helped me
learn better today. So if I get to a part of a lesson I dont understand, I wont be able to go
beyond that point

8. Do you believe you are naturally smart or are you smart because you work hard? Provide
examples/evidence for your answer.
I think I am naturally smart. Last year in history, whenever id have to study for a test, id
forget to study or barely study and I would always ace it or get a high B even without
studying.

9. What do you do to learn that is beyond or not required in school or work?

I would ask someone if they can help for my first option, then going online and searching
for tutorials would be my second option.

10. What would you like to tell educators about helping others learn?
I wouldnt really say anything because I really dont have anything to say. When they
teach it, I just happen to pick up on it fast. If I didnt understand, I would ask for another
example and explanation of how it works, then ask for more examples and to help me
work on it to better understand it. Then I would ask for a few problems to do it on my
own to see if I am able to them.

Interview Two: Age 20 Gender: Female

Your response notes should be comprehensive. No one line responses because this is intended to
be an in depth interview which brings out complexities in the learning process that would have
implications for teaching and learning and which guide you to understand more about learning.

1. What is something that you have you have learned in the past that you still know and
understand today? Describe the place and your age when you learned this information.
One thing I remember was from my public health class taught at UCI that discusses
diversity and medicine with guest speakers. I took the class my winter of 2016 quarter.
The lecture was by this woman Miriam and she discussed HIV and stigma, how people
with HIV are stigmatized when they go to the doctors or anywhere. She brought a guest
speaker with her to share her experience, and how people with HIV only go to HIV
clinics for care (even dental care) because treatment they receive at other facilities.

2. Describe the learning process and explain why you think you learned (remember) that
information? For example, if the learning took place in school what did the teacher do to help
you learn?
I remember this information because I had written a paper on it, every week was a new
topic, but with this specific lecture she brought in a guest speaker to talk about her
personal experiences. This made the information more realistic and emotional versus just
reading it out of a book.

3. What particular study strategies did you use to learn this matter? Please describe any
strategies or experiences that might have helped you in this learning process. Do you find
these strategies helpful in any other learning situations?
No particular study strategies, I just paid attention to the lecture, did further research and
wrote a paper about it. These strategies help in anthropology, social and behavioral
studies, and humanities classes but not so much for science or math classes. Science and
math I use more practice and repetition to learn and master the material.

4. How did you know you were learning? Please provide evidence that told you that you were
learning.
I was interested in the topic, and extremely focused on it. I remembered everything
without taking notes and didnt have to relook at the PowerPoint since I remembered
everything since it was interesting to me

5. Would you consider learning this information hard or easy? Interesting? Explain or describe
your learning experience.
It was super interesting and not a difficult class, or subject matter, so seeing real world
issues like this kind of helped the material stick

6. What currently motivates you to work hard to learn something new?

Grades and a future career
7. Please explain how you remember new information today. Did your prior learning help you
learn better today?
I practice it, repetition, if Im not interested in the material. If I am interested in the
material, it will just stick automatically. Yes, mainly because everything builds on each
other. You cant learn more difficult things if you dont start at the basics

8. Do you believe you are naturally smart or are you smart because you work hard? Provide
examples/evidence for your answer.
I think both; I can put minimal effort in and still pass. But if I want a really good grade, I
need to put work into studying and getting my work done.

9. What do you do to learn that is beyond or not required in school or work?

If I dont know how to do something, I research and read up on how to do/fix something
or ask peers/family for help. Im always trying to learn how to do new things.

10. What would you like to tell educators about helping others learn?
Make it interesting and relatable, homework isnt always the answer to learning. Not
everyone learns through practice and repetition, although sometimes it is necessary.
Study guides and big picture ideas (vs. small ideas and quizzes) help the learning process.
More emphasis on CONCEPTS vs facts.
 After interviewing both two participants, one male in middle school and one female in

college, I have really seen the connections between how students in school mainly use strategies

associated to information processing theory and that the learning strategies which helped make

learning long lasting were related closely with both information processing theory as well as

constructivism theory.

My interview experience for both participants was quite a bit different. Even though there

was only a 7-year age gap, there was a clear cognitive gap between the two. Both subjects

seemed to find certain questions difficult to answer, such as trying to explain the learning process

and trying to reflect on something they had learned. I noticed that both of them struggled to

explain how they learned something not required in school or work, since both of them are still at

the age where school is the main focus of their lives. I almost wish I could have interviewed

someone of age 60+ just so I could see if I could notice a bigger difference between the learning

strategies they have used. I am very curious about what strategies adults/elderly people use to

remember things and what certain things they still remember today (outside of general

schooling).

I was extremely interested in my participants answers for number ten. I plan on teaching

high school, and since my 13 year old participant will be going into high school, and my 20 year

old participant has recently graduated high school, I was interested to see what advice or insight

they would like to tell teachers to help their students learn. Just as brain research and educational

theories state, learning occurs when it is meaningful and when the information is consistently

used (to be stored into long term memory).

Between the learning techniques and teaching styles of the various teachers I had heard

about, it seems as though education has not changed much since I have been in school (k-12). It
hasnt been too long, but even my grandma, a retired high school English teacher, has used

similar strategies as today. However, she did not benefit from all the technology teachers and

students do have regular access to nowadays. I think the technology actually helps out teachers

today because there is such a wide variety of activities and ways to make the material relevant

and engaging to students. There are so many helpful apps, websites, and videos to use alongside

lectures and reading material to really help students learn and see the content in different forms.

Technology has also helped improve collaboration and communication between teachers,

students, and parents.

As far as motivation goes, both participants have similar extrinsic motivation pushing them

to learn. The main reason they try to be successful in school is to get positive grades in hopes of

pleasing parents, getting into a good college, all in hopes of having a positive and successful

future. I realize motivating students in this generation is going to be the hardest part of my job.

Students do not want to work for anything; there is little intrinsic motivation to do well for

personal satisfaction anymore. Because of this, I want to have a huge focus on growth mindset in

my classroom. Both of the participants believed they were naturally smart, because they believe

they do not have to work very hard to pass their classes. Even though both are successful

students, they are stuck in a closed mindset. They will not push themselves to do better, because

they believe they can slide by with their natural abilities. This reminds me of the video we

watched in class about the study done on fifth graders where they had praised two different

groups of students on being smart and working hard. The group who was praised for their efforts

tended to accept challenges, because they knew trying and failing would be better than not trying

at all, or would be better than choosing the easy route. The overall effect that growth and fixed
mindset plays on a students outlook is huge. It affects everything from how successful they are

in school, their careers, and even in their overall outlook on life.

I think the biggest insight I took from these interviews is how effective repetition is in

learning new material. It is essential to making information process from your short-term

(working) memory into long-term memory. Another insight is that by connecting the concepts to

real life ideas and making it relevant and interesting is going to be key into keeping students

attention so they are able to engage in the material and have the information stick. Overall, the

awareness and understanding of how students learn has increased through conducting my

interviews. Ultimately, this will help me become a successful teacher that will be able to provide

my students with strategies that work and will help them learn!