Strategies for Better Memory & Learning
Articles
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On my walk today, I listened to a downloaded interview from the On Being website. The interview was with ‘vocal magician and conductor’ Bobby McFerrin, and something he said early on in the interview really caught my attention. In response to a question about why he’d once (in his teens)... |
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To celebrate Māori Language Week here in Aotearoa (New Zealand), here's some mnemonics to help you learn 25 common words in te reo. These use the keyword mnemonic. Keywords are written in italics. aroha (love), an arrow in the heart awa (river), a water flowing hīkoi (walk... |
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We don’t deliberately practice our memories of events — not as a rule, anyway. But we don’t need to — because just living our life is sufficient to bring about the practice. We remember happy, or unpleasant, events to ourselves, and we recount our memories to other people. Some will become... |
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As I said in my discussion of different scripts, the Hellenic languages use the Greek alphabet. Here it is. I’m afraid the table is a little complicated, because (a) each letter has a name, which it’s useful to know, and (b) there are some differences in pronunciation between Ancient Greek (... |
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In my article on using cognates to help you learn vocabulary in another language, I gave the example of trying to learn the German word for important, ‘wichtig’, and how there’s no hook there to help you remember it (which is why so many of us fall back on rote repetition to... |
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Learning a new language is made considerably more difficult if that language is written in an unfamiliar script. For some, indeed, that proves too massive a hurdle, and they give up the attempt. Scripts, like languages, also vary considerably in difficulty. There are two main reasons for... |
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The story method (sometimes called the sentence mnemonic) is the most easily learned list-mnemonic strategy, although it is not as widely known as the other simple methods we’ve talked about so far. As its name suggests, the story method involves linking words to be learned in a story.... |
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Keyword mnemonic
The one mnemonic strategy that has been investigated quite extensively by researchers is the keyword mnemonic. This has been used successfully in a variety of learning areas, but its chief use has been in the area of learning vocabulary. The keyword mnemonic is certainly... |
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What are external memory aids?
External memory aids include such strategies as:
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Retrieval practice, as its name suggests, is a simple strategy that involves retrieving the target information one or more times prior to testing. It is not the same as repetition or rehearsal! The idea is not to simply repeat the correct information, but to try and retrieve it. Feedback as to... |
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Research on About Memory
- Attention training
- Children's learning
- Cognitive training
- Creativity
- Decision-making
- Expertise
- Face recognition
- Gesture
- Language cues
- Learning another language
- Meditation
- Mental stimulation
- Multitasking
- Music
- Practice
- Problem-solving
- Self-regulation
- Skill memory
- Spacing effect
- Strategies
- Strategies for older adults
- Study skills
- Testing