Learning & Remembering
Principles 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/Methods
There are many types of memory aids/
methods that help you remember things, e.g.:
1.
Diary
2.
Memos
3.
Turning numbers into letters
4.
Making notes
5.
Rote rehearsal.
However, some are effective and some are
not so effective.
Effective
Less Effective

Extensive recoding

Simple rehearsal

Link-word method

Rote method

Tutoring & lecturing


Inductive, concept
attainment method
Method of Loci
Mnemonics
The following slides introduces some
mnemonics 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.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Generate your own keywords.
Construct an image between the keyword &
the word to learn.
Keyword
word to learn.
image
Keywords should be visualizable.
Keywords should be interacting.
Keyword Method (example)
Word to learn: persuade
Keyword:
purse
Picture:
A woman is being persuaded to buy a purse.
to learn
keyword
Keyword Method (example)
This example relies both on
rhyme or sound & imagery
Spanish word to learn:
lapiz
trapeze
(keyword)
pencil (meaning of lapiz)
Keyword Method (example)
Spanish word patio (pronounced pot-o)
meaning duck
patio
pot
duck
Keyword Method (example)

French word pere sounds pear,
& it means father.
 Generate images of
father by using the
pear
keyword
Pegword Method
1. First memorize a set of objects rhyming
with integer names.
2. Then generate an
to be learned.
image
of each item
3. Link the
image of the item to learn
to the corresponding image
of the object.
4. Give it a meaning (use picture).
Pegword Method (examples)
Integers-Objects
One-bun
Two-shoe
Three-tree
Four-door
Five-hive
Six-sticks
Seven-heaven
Eight-gate
Nine-wine
Ten-hen
Image
To Learn
waitress
coat
Image
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
HK Bank
Barber Shop
China Bank
Fruit Vendor
Florist
Drug Store
Bakery
Pet Shop
Home
Park
Method of Loci (example step 2)
public recognition
see parents
privileges
see principal
extra marks
detention
extrinsic reward
copy work
praise
+
Reinforcement
reprimand
Acronym


Remember words by forming one word to
represent all of the words.
Word formed on the basis of the first
letters.
POLKA
P – pegword
O – organizational scheme
L – loci
K – keyword
A – 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
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
m
y
good
soldiers.
e
s
Acrostics (examples)
Physics
Sober Physicists Don't Find Giraffes In
Kitchens.
~The orbital names for electrons (SPDFGIK).
Computer Science
All People in Saskatchewan Turned NDP.
~ The OSI model: Application, Presentation,
Session, Transport, 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.
Question.
Read.
Reflect.
Recite.
Review.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Survey headings.
Ask yourself as you read.
Read the material.
Make connections to prior know.
Test your memory of the text.
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 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 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