Reconstruction of Memory

I was at a robotics competition this last weekend for the FIRST Robotics St. Louis Regional and tomorrow I'm going to Chicago for FIRST Midwest regional robotics competition. At both events, I'm the the head referee and so there's a bit of pressure to perform: I need to make split second decisions when I perceive an infraction has occurred. Many times, I need to reconstruct events in my head rather quickly if the participants (who are high school aged students) have questions about my calls. Sometimes, my referee crew needs to reconstruct events (usually out loud) so that we can make the best decision as possible. I had a scorekeeper (who was keeping tract of balls the robots scored in a goal) who may have mistakenly reconstructed an event in her head (or she may have been distracted) and scored less balls in a goal for one team (apparently there is video of the robot scoring more). It was curious how she reconstructed the event because she was very verbal about it: not only did she recall scoring the balls going in, she remembered counting the balls in the can in which scored balls landed. Good enough for me and it would have probably been good enough for a jury! (The team lost the match by that one ball!)

In the book and in class, reconstructive memory, as its name implies, consists of smaller memories and impressions that are connected by an event: we use these memories and their connections to recall a memory. Now for the example I gave, it may also be called a flashbulb memory: although the event was probably not significant/emotionally charged enough to be considered "flashbulb." For education and for my scorekeeper, the reconstruction of memory is aided by engaging something that's meaningful. My scorekeeper, who did a great job, probably didn't feel connected to that moment like the students who designed and drove that robot. She saw many matches that day while the kids paid attention to their matches (30+ vs. 3-5 matches). I bet those students will be able to reconstruct that moment in their head for many, many years to come because it was the moment that lost them the game (although, realistically, they had plenty of other opportunities to "put it away."

And to go on a tangent, child led conferences, the CWC for another week, also reminds me of my robotics competition. In the competition, if the team has a problem with the refereeing, only the students may come to me to ask questions. I'm very impressed by how eloquent and assertive these kids can be! Several of them "know" me from the previous years and so I might be more approachable, but I don't feel any reluctance to approach me (ok, I can be curt at times, but I'm refereeing! I've got lots on my mind!). If more students were as outspoken and assertive as the teens who do FIRST Robotics, then we're definitely "on to something." From this, I would wholeheartedly support child led conferences!