Memory Tips and Techniques:
Know your personal learning style. The techniques which are appropriate for you will vary according to your learning style.
- Sensory or visual learners normally have a preference for practical approaches involving the use of images.
- Active learners tend to prefer to learn by physical activity such as manipulating materials.
- Reflective learners prefer theoretical and analytical approaches to derive meaning.
- Verbal learners opt for word based tactics.
Creating lists: this is the most basic technique. Distill your notes into a series of headings. Ding this helps imprint the knowledge and the end result is an overview of the subject allowing you to place your knowledge in the right context. This is suited to verbal or read-write learners. Numbering your lists can be useful for memory.
Making timelines: You can use timelines to plot the progress of events, procedures, or developments. These can be drawn as vertical or horizontal. They are particularly useful if a lecture has referred to a set of events.
Sketching Mindmaps: These are extremely visual and rely on their colour and shape to produce a memorable and attractive image. Some people use these in lectures or classes. For revision, they should be quick, legible and coherent. Concept maps can be as useful as outlining answers.
Drawing Diagrams: Diagrams can be used to show hierarchies, processes, or relationships. They can be used to build an answer outline. Sometimes they can even form a part of your formal answer. They are extremely useful to visual learners. However, take care when they are personal and only have meaning to you because they may not add value to any content in exams.
Posters and Post it notes: This is good for people who like to subliminally absorb information. It suits kinesthetic learners. The idea is to create an area full of posters to help embed the information into your memory a a part of your normal everyday world.
Use nonsense words and mnemonics: I will always remember the colours of the visual spectrum through Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain.
Use rhymes: We all know how memorable music is and how much it gets stuck in our heads. Use it. Create your own lyrics for a tune you know, or adapt rhymes that you’ve known since childhood. Nursery rhymes are really great for this.
Listing: Knowing how many points there are meant to be can hep you work out if you’ve forgotten something.
Practice: Keep going over the material.
Revisit your notes with memory techniques in mind.
Chunking: Chunk the information (break it up into smaller and more manageable pieces).