This may just be all that matters when you are faced with a situation, in an exam hall, in front of a person, your parents\, friends or even yourself. HOW WELL DO YOU REMEMBER THINGS.
An important aspect of studying and becoming an A grade student seriously borders on how well you can remember things after you have come across them or have been taught.
In this post, i intend to share with you just five quick steps to improving your retention capability.
ENJOY THIS PIECE!
Most of us might have
complained about our memory one time or other. But some of you have been
frequently complaining about your poor memory. When we generally talk about
poor memory we are really talking about poor recollection. Recollection is
possible only if the content is retained in memory. This is possible only if we
have recorded it into memory. That is, unless we have not assimilated, we
cannot recall at all. That is why William James and many others including mnemonists give emphasis to how we record things into our memory.
Even if we record something
correctly in our memory, we may not be able to recall it. This is due to many
reasons, the main reasons being problems in retention and stress.
Now let us discuss five
simple techniques to improve memory: Four of these techniques are used to
improve assimilation and thus to have longer retention. The last one is a
simple strategy for recollection.
Chunking
Perhaps Chunking is the
oldest method used in memorization. In this method, the items to be memorized
are divided into small and easily memorizable chunks or groups. This method
works best when the order of the items is not important.
This method is found to
be particularly well suited for memorizing multi-digit numbers (eg., ID nos.,
telephone nos., etc.) and for committing complicated spellings to memory.
Example:
1.
The number 472627607 may
be memorized easily if it is grouped as 472, 627,607 or as 47, 26, 27,607.
These chunks may then be learned by rote. Learning and retention are much
facilitated if you further explore the nos. by finding some relationship among
these different chunks. Finding the digital root will also be helpful. The more explorations or relations you
do, the better.
2.
Words like mathematics
may be divided into mat +he +mat +ics, Together may be divided into to + get +
her; Important may be divided into im + port + ant. This technique will make us
learn much faster.
3.
The list Apple,
cucumber, paper, ink, cabbage, banana, grapes, beans, stapler, orange can be
better learned by rearranging and applying chunking as :-
Apple, banana, grapes, orange, cucumber, cabbage, beans, paper, ink, stapler
-- 4 fruits, 3 vegitables and 3 stationary items.
If possible, organize
the material as meaningfully as you can and think out relationships among each
group. This not only improves learnability and retention but also aids in
faster and effortless recollection.
Psychologists doing
research on Human Memory have found that the capacity of Short Term Memory
(STM) for humans is 7± 2 that is from the
range 5 to 9 items. So you should take care to keep the chunks you create
within this limit.
Rhyming
This is also one of the
popular and oldest methods in memorization. This technique makes use of the
fact that we have a natural tendency to remember rhymes and rhythms. The
following is a very popular example of application of this technique which
almost all school students are familiar with.
"Thirty days haveth
September
April, June and November
All the rest have
thirty-one
February has
twenty-eight alone
Except in leap year,
then the time
When Febs days are
twenty-nine."
If possible create
rhymes like this and it will not only aid in improving your memory but in
improving your creativity as well.
Mediation/Bridging
In this method, a bridge
is built in between the items given to be memorized. This technique is best
suited for learning material involving word pairs or material that can be
reduced to word pairs. An example often cited by memory experts is the learning
of the capital of Poland. The capital of Poland is Warsaw. World War II started
with Germany's attack on Poland. Thus it may be arranged as Poland SAW War
first.
Here, the word pair to
be connected together is Poland and Warsaw. The additional information of the
World War II is used as a bridge or mediator in bringing these two words
together.
Again, like other
techniques, the mediation technique calls for the learner's active
participation in the learning process. This is because one is to bring in the
mediator or the bridge from relevant items one has learned.
Bed-time Recital
In this technique, you
do your recital or rote learning just before going to bed. The mind in the
process of sleeping would then arrange the information in a systematic and
effective way when you are sleeping. Psychologists have also found that if you
sleep after thinking about your problems there is a better chance that you
arrive at a solution the next day.
Steps for Memory
Improvement
1.
Be in a relaxed mood
2.
Write down the things
that you are supposed to remember in a piece of paper.
3.
Read it aloud (if
possible) once or twice and recite it two to three times.
4.
Now go to sleep without
worrying or thinking about anything.
This can also be practiced when you do simple chores like laundry, taking small walks, taking a nap, and any activity that is routine and doesn't demand a lot of mental commitment, thus giving you some freedom.
You will surely retain
the item longer and find it more easy to recall it when in need.
Trying by Not Trying
All of us apply this
method knowingly or unknowingly. Sometimes when you try to recall you may not
be able to recall it at that time even if you are sure that you know it very
well. You experience a blocking that prevents you from recalling it. Normally
you tend to try again and again but in vain. To handle this situation you just
keep away from trying to recollect it and do something else; to your pleasant
surprise that information automatically pops up into your mind after some time.
This is because even if you stopped trying, the mind is searching for that
information and brings it to awareness when it is found. Sometimes the
information was blocked when you wanted, and mind brings it forward when the blocking
is removed. This is where stress plays its role in hindering recall.
If you are very anxious
by nature or very stressful in nature, you may encounter this type of blockage
very often. In such case, it is highly recommended that you practise some kind
of relaxation technique and thus keep your anxiety and stress away. This is
very important because this behavior can bring many undesirable psychological
and physiological conditions. You may even consult a Clinical Psychologist in
extreme cases.
Don't forget to share with your friends, and come around to boost yourself. SHALOM.
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