Memory Building Skills

1
Memory Building Skills

• Ida Hoelscher
• Title III
• Sul Ross State University

2
Four Important Techniques

• Organization
• If information is organized it is easier.

• Being Physical
• If you involve your senses it is easier.

• Clarity
• If you clear your mind of noise it is easier.

• Brilliance
• If you use your memory techniques it is easier.

3
Organization

• General to Specific

• Get a broad overview

• Skim the entire textbook.

• Ask someone what the class is about.

• Review chapter before class.

• Get the big picture and then fill in the
  specifics.

4
Organization - continued

• Make it Meaningful
• Relate what you are learning to what you want to
  get out of your education.
• Know what your rewards are.
• Relate new material to what you already know.

5
Organization - continued

• Create Associations
• Your memory is arranged in a way that makes sense
  to you.
• New data should be organized following the same
  paths.
• Gather material together and create a common
  association.
• One method is to create a metaphor or a story.

6
Being Physical

• Learn it once - actively
• In class, sit up and on the edge of your chair.
• When studying stand up and pace.
• Make gestures when you recite material.
• Draw pictures of concepts in the air.
• Get your whole body involved in studying.

7
Being Physical - continued

• Visualize relationships
• Create pictures about what you are studying.
• Draw diagrams or make cartoons.
• Make visualizations to connect facts.
• By doing this you use both sides of your brain.

8
Being Physical - continued

• Techniques
• Create action
• Make something happen in your picture.
• Make pictures vivid
• Make the images clear and exaggerated.
• Turn abstract into concrete
• Theory is abstract and a picture is concrete.
• Bizarre or unusual images work best for some.

9
Being Physical - continued

• Recite and Repeat
• You remember what you repeat aloud.
• This anchors it in two different senses - vocal
  and hearing.
• Silent recitation can play mind tricks with you.
• Put concepts into your own words.

10
Clarity

• Reduce Interference
• Turn the stereo off.
• Turn the TV off.
• No studying around food or the fridge.
• Study during the day.
• Let your brain warm up to study. It takes 15-20
  minutes for efficient learning to take place.

11
Clarity - continued

• Overlearn
• Learn more about a subject than you have to.
• Study the subject until it is second nature.
• Find additional sources cover them.
• Pretest yourself because this lets knowledge
  grow, so you feel smarter.
• Immerse yourself.

12
Clarity - continued

• Be aware of attitudes
• Your attitude towards a subject can affect your
  recall.
• We tend to forget information that contradicts
  our opinions.
• Take responsibility for your attitudes and notice
  them.
• By being aware, you can use memory techniques to
  unblock your memory.

13
Brillance

• Distribute Learning
• Marathon study sessions do not work.
• You can learn more from 3 two hour sessions than
  2 three hour sessions.
• Take regular breaks every 40 to 50 minutes.
  Consider them mini-rewards.
• The exception to this is when you are on a roll,
  then go for it.

14
Brilliance - continued

• Remember Something Else
• When you cannot remember and you know you know,
  think of something else.
• During a test, remember facts that are related to
  what you cannot remember.
• Brainstorming is a good block remover.

15
Brilliance - continued

• Combine Memory Techniques
• Memory techniques work but they work even better
  when combined.
• Example combine repetition and reflection -
  repeat a math formula and think how to apply it.
• Example combine attitude and distribution - you
  know you have a bad attitude so do short sessions.