Argumentative Drawing
The human mind is made to remember. In order to complete any simple task, recognize people, and live an ordinary life, one must be able to recall the past. Whether in a social situation, workplace, or especially the classroom, remembering is critical to success. So the question arises, what is the most effective way to remember something? Does simple memorization pay off, or must one process deeper, and connect with a personal understanding?
The best way to successfully retain information is to connect an understanding, a deep meaning to the concept. Truly learning a topic is proven to keep memories or information stored more efficiently in the brain. It also allows for a stronger grasp on the topic that can be applied to new situations. When one understands something, rather than simply being able to recognize what it is, they can take the concept that the information implies and bring it into new lights. Whether that be making new idea off of this seed, or using the knowledge to spring other curiosities. The brain is wired in such a way that reusing these neural pathways and adding to them strengthens their connections, keeping the memory strong, and allowing one to recall easier.
On the other hand, straightforward memorization can work in some cases. Some people can be successful with "shallow processing" as a main form of remembering. As shown in the cartoon, if one's main goal is to get all of the information that they can, then memorization efficiently stores things away. They can keep thousands of pieces of information in their head. Furthermore, this strategy does not require much work and avoids deeper level thinking that can be confusing. But memorization will not work forever. The brain files away important things, and discards the irrelevant ones. When the brain decides its inventory is no longer useful, the ability to remember random information proves to be futile. Remembering long strings of information takes time and conscious effort. In the long run, connecting a personal and easy understanding to a topic makes remembering simple and natural.
Memorization may seem easier than working to truly learn information. However, understand allows for higher level thinking, and new ideas that trigger thought and curiosity. Memorization, on the other hand, requires extensive effort, is very ineffective, and frankly doesn't help one to remember information for long periods of time. When a person understands, they are able to really remember.
The best way to successfully retain information is to connect an understanding, a deep meaning to the concept. Truly learning a topic is proven to keep memories or information stored more efficiently in the brain. It also allows for a stronger grasp on the topic that can be applied to new situations. When one understands something, rather than simply being able to recognize what it is, they can take the concept that the information implies and bring it into new lights. Whether that be making new idea off of this seed, or using the knowledge to spring other curiosities. The brain is wired in such a way that reusing these neural pathways and adding to them strengthens their connections, keeping the memory strong, and allowing one to recall easier.
On the other hand, straightforward memorization can work in some cases. Some people can be successful with "shallow processing" as a main form of remembering. As shown in the cartoon, if one's main goal is to get all of the information that they can, then memorization efficiently stores things away. They can keep thousands of pieces of information in their head. Furthermore, this strategy does not require much work and avoids deeper level thinking that can be confusing. But memorization will not work forever. The brain files away important things, and discards the irrelevant ones. When the brain decides its inventory is no longer useful, the ability to remember random information proves to be futile. Remembering long strings of information takes time and conscious effort. In the long run, connecting a personal and easy understanding to a topic makes remembering simple and natural.
Memorization may seem easier than working to truly learn information. However, understand allows for higher level thinking, and new ideas that trigger thought and curiosity. Memorization, on the other hand, requires extensive effort, is very ineffective, and frankly doesn't help one to remember information for long periods of time. When a person understands, they are able to really remember.
Reflection
This piece was very fun for me to create. As someone who likes drawing, it let me be a bit more creative with my project. I did this cartoon/drawing because I wanted something more interesting, fun, and out of the ordinary to catch your interest. I did not want to write a confusing, boring essay. I doubt that your would enjoy or want to read such an essay. By making an intriguing piece that (hopefully) caught your attention, I can still get the important information to you, but you will actually want to have it. This piece was an argumentative piece. One of the most difficult parts creating this genre, which I'll call a "Explained cartoon" or "Annotated drawing" was the explaining part. I tried to keep my explanation simple, while still conveying the important stuff. This explanation is really what inspired the drawing. I had researched various ways in which memorization and understanding were different. I then was able to form my own opinion on the topic, and create a cool representation of that. I hope that you really found some understanding from this genre, and try to remember it.