Learning & Remembering

Principles for RememberingPrinciples for Remembering It is very important that you have an interest

in what you learn.

Pay attention or you won’t learn anything!

Organize the information.

Practice what you have learned & organized.

Memory Aids/MethodsThere are many types of memory aids/methods that help you remember things,

e.g.:1. Diary 2. Memos3. Turning numbers into letters4. Making notes5. Rote rehearsal.However, some are effective and some arenot so effective.

Effective Less Effective

Extensive recoding

Link-word method Inductive, concept

attainment method Method of Loci

Simple rehearsal

Rote method

Tutoring & lecturing

MnemonicsMnemonicsThe following slides introduces somemnemonics for enhancing remembering.

Mnemonics are: Techniques for helping us to remember.

It is the connecting of two ideas, with the second one triggering yet another one, and so on.

It is based on the idea of making information meaningful by relating it to what you know.

Keyword Method

Select one word to represent a longer thought or several subordinate thoughts.

1. Generate your own keywords.2. Construct an image between the keyword &

the word to learn.3. Keyword word to learn.4. Keywords should be visualizable.5. Keywords should be interacting.

image

Keyword Method (example)

Word to learn: persuade Keyword:

Picture:

to learn keyword

A woman is being persuaded to buy a purse.

purse

Keyword Method (example)

This example relies both on rhyme or sound & imagery

Spanish word to learn:

lapiz

(keyword)

pencil (meaning of lapiz)

trapeze

Keyword Method (example)

Spanish word patio (pronounced pot-o) meaning duck

patio

duck

pot

Keyword Method (example)

French word pere sounds pear,

& it means father. Generate images of

father by using the

keyword pear

Pegword MethodPegword Method1. First memorize a set of objects rhyming

with integer names.

2. Then generate an of each item to be learned.

3. Link the of the item to learn to the corresponding of

the object.

4. Give it a meaning (use picture).

image

imageimage

Pegword Method (examples)Pegword Method (examples)Integers-Objects Image To Learn Image One-bun Two-shoeThree-treeFour-doorFive-hiveSix-sticksSeven-heavenEight-gateNine-wineTen-hen

waitress

coat

Method of Loci (Places)Good for remembering events in a particular

order.

1. Construct a sentimental map of your home/

surrounding area.

3. Place the things in these loci.

4. Walk down the street to pick up the things.

5. No more than one item in one place.

6. Places should not be too much alike.

Method of Loci (example step 1) MacDonald

Barber Shop

Fruit Vendor

Drug Store

Pet Shop

HK Bank

China Bank

Florist

Bakery

ParkHome

Method of Loci (example step 2) public recognition

privileges

extra marks

extrinsic reward

praise

see parents

see principal

detention

copy work

reprimand+ - Reinforcement

Acronym

Remember words by forming one word to represent all of the words.

Word formed on the basis of the first letters.

POLKAP – pegword

O – organizational schemeL – lociK – keywordA – acronym

Acrostics

Construct a sentence to remember a sequence of objects.

First letter of each word represents the first letter of the object.

My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas

=Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn,

Uranus, Neptune, Pluto

Acrostics (example)

Biological groupings used in taxonomy

King Phillip called out fifty good soldiers.

i h l r a e p

n y a d m n e

g l s e i u c

d u s r l s i

o m y e

m s

Acrostics (examples)

Physics

Sober Physicists Don't Find Giraffes In Kitchens. ~The orbital names for electrons (SPDFGIK).

Computer ScienceAll People in Saskatchewan Turned NDP. ~ The OSI model: Application, Presentation, Session, Tr

ansport, Network, Data Link, Physical (from turnock@ism.ca)

Rhymes

Make a rhyme to remember informtaion. E.g.

Black & Yellow, Kill a Fellow

Black & Red, Venom Lack

Ridiculous Association/Image Bizarreness

This method is to remember things by associating objects with bizarre or ridiculous images.

Association is enhanced if the image is vivid, ridiculous, impossible, or illogical.

Make the associations interactive, such as

rule of substitution

out-of-proportion rule

rule of exaggeration

e.g. The dog rode the bicycle down the street.

Imagery Representation Good readers respond to text by constructing

images of the meanings conveyed by the text.

This method requires making mental pictures of material.

No intentional transformation of content is applied here.

e.g. “The king led the elves through the driving rain storm.” – form in your mind the actions and the scene of the sentence.

Memory Strategies

Other than mnemonics, there are memory strategies that are useful for remembering.

The slides below differentiate the strategies into 2 categories:

Elaboration

&

Organization

Memory Strategies

Elaboration Note taking

~ construct meaningful paraphrases of important ideas

~ integrate new & old information in personally meaningful way

Story Grammar

Who is the main character?

Where and when did the story take place?

What did the main characters do?

How did the story end?

How did the main character feel?

PQ4R

1. Preview. Survey headings.

2. Question. Ask yourself as you read.

3. Read. Read the material.

4. Reflect. Make connections to prior know.

5. Recite. Test your memory of the text.

6. Review. Reread portions you don’t

understand or remember.

Self-questioning

“How does this information relate to what the author discusses in the preceding section?”

~(synthesis)

“How can this be applied in a school setting?”

~(application)

Organizing

Classifying /Grouping

girl heart robin purple finger flute blue organ man hawk green lung eagle child piano

green man piano heart eagle

blue girl flute lung hawk

purple child organ finger robin

Concept Mapping

~ Diagram concepts

relationships

~ Identify important concepts & specify their interrelationship

~ You may print this concept map on learning and remembering to help you understand more about this topic.

Major Contrast of StrategiesMajor Contrast of Strategies

Less Effective Techniques are those that rely on

simple rehearsal of material.

More Effective Techniques are those that require:

~ extensive recoding, and

~ relating of new content to other knowledge.

Review of Memory SkillsReview of Memory Skills Pay attention Make sure you understand (Extensive) encoding Make associations (old & new) Impose organizations Use mnemonic device Involve senses (eyes, ears, nose, touch, feel) Image when possible Distribute learning (spread out practicing over days) Overlearn (learn again & again & again & again) Rehearse periodically