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How much of what we learn is actually remembered and "ready to be used (consciously) and recalled" at a moment's notice?  I have come to understand that a significant amount of observations and stories are located within the unconscious recesses of the brain.  The unconscious contains a wealth of "observations and stories".   Certain stories and observations are easier to list (on paper or verbally) because of the conscious brain.  There are more complex memories which we are not able to list as easily.  We are not always able to connect-the-dots.  As a middle school student, I recall studying fractions.  I could compute all the basic functions by plugging numbers into a formulas and following patterns to solve the problems.  I recall doing this, but did not fully comprehend exaclty what I was doing.  During my first year of college,  I was able to add, subtract, multiply, and divide fractions, but the difference was that I actually understood what I was doing and was able to see patterns.  Sometimes we may think that our students are grasping stories and observations at a particular level, when in in fact they may be just going through the motions.  The students in any given classroom are very diverse human beings.   It is of the utmost importance that we relate  to each one individually as a unique being.  A learner's ability to perform or 'shut down' may be directly related to expectations or lack of expectations of the teacher, and the relationship between teacher and student.  But there are those times when stories in the unconscious (given certain conditions) become conscious.