Mnemonics

Mnemonics argon Necessary A Review of memory and Learning Aids Torrey Price Ameri bunghole Military University 26 June 2009 Mnemonics be Necessary A Review of Memory and Learning Aids We identify many different things during childhood and nevertheless before then. Our brain has the content for teaching to the degree we do non know which means that our happen uponing capabilities be endless and we provide solely limit ourselves with the amounts of information thither is to know in a lifetime.However, how do we get to the drive that we can learn so much? What means or ways be there that we can learn to expand the capacity of our minds? What good would it be to know all of this information if we cannot access it at any point that we want? One way to improve the way you learn and return is a system called mnemotechnicals. It is an aid or in some cases, argon strategies that can increase recalling 10-fold (Patten, 1990). We may already use this system and not be aw ar.Can you recall learning the linguistic communication to your favorite air as a teen? Maybe you interpreted what the artist was grammatical construction and you might have put in your own war crys, then soul comes along and tells you the real lyrics. You may learn the new lyrics alone that variant may be forever associated with the lyrics you came up with. Or when learning the colours of the spectrum, you may have been taught to toy with them by giving them the mnemonic Roy G. Biv Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, empurpled (Coon, 2006).Mnemonic techniques are ways to toy with what you need to know by a way of association, giving them meaning or even visualizing qualification it as vivid or ridiculous as possible. Mnemonic techniques are also ways to avoid rote learning, the more plebeian, habitual and restore way of learning by simple repetition (Coon, 2006). The word mnemonic is derived from the Ancient classical word mnemonikos and is related to Mnemosyne, the name of the goddess of memory in Greek mythology. Both of these words refer fend for to mnema or remembrance. nowadays you may not remember her name or what set mythology she is from but allow me to put it this way. Mnemosyne had a love affair with the highest of the gods in Greek mythology. The affair lasted nine days and nine nights and as a outlet of that affair Mnemosyne gave birth to nine children- the nine muses (Svantesson, 2004). A myth is say to be knowledge in disguise because a story is more easily remembered than raw facts. Mnemonics in ancient times can be considered the basis of what is today known as the art of Memory.Try to believe a time before the widespread use of paper and pens, where the only means for a society to pass on lessons and teaching were by memory. The Romans and Greeks were a society like this and mnemonics were one of the most authorized subjects taught in school (Patten, 1990). Mnemonics are not a neat trick to render off to your friends at a party but a accomplishment that is designed to enhance the way you remember a subject. Paying caution is of the up most importance when practicing your techniques and that attention cannot be divided (Turkington, 2003).It is important to know that even though it may seem like you are paid attention, the brain does take an amount of resource to adhere to your surroundings, for instance, you are in an auditorium listening to President talk about carrots and suddenly soul behind you rips one or somebody is talking on the phone. Although paying attention is only a part of it, actually knowing the techniques willing help you to learning the information you need. There are many techniques you can use to learn a myriad of things much(prenominal) as numbers, speeches and even languages.Association was one of the ways mentioned before, and by associate certain words with others we create cues to help us remember those words (Patten, 1990). The use of Acronyms to remember a phrase or g roup of words is very docile and very common, for example, the acronym NATO stands for North Atlantic Treaty Organization or to remember the Great Lakes we use the Acronym HOMES (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior). Acrostics are a way of using front letter cueing to remember a certain phrase, whereby we take the rootage word of each bit of information we want to learn and turn it into the first word of a sentence (Turkington, 2003).For example, to remember the six New England states in descending order (Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut) we could make the sentence Martha Never Had umpteen Red Cars. Popular sayings can also help you to remember such as righty tighty, lefty loosey can help you to remember which way the common screw or nut and bolt turns and spring forward, fall back can remind you how to set our clock during daylight savings time. visual image is also a great way to memorize information it helps a lot with language learni ng. A good imagination will greatly enhance the chance of you being able to remember. An example of this can be carte which is the Spanish word for letter. If you can imagine a shop cart full of mail, that can cue you to that words meaning. In conclusion, Mnemonics has shown to be a very useful tool when it comes to learning what it is we need to be learned. The more we practice these techniques the better we become at learning.Mnemonic techniques are based on association and should be exaggerated in size, number, and color, absurd, moving, sexual, sensual, ridiculous, out-of-the-way and unexpected. We tend to remember things that are out of the ordinary or that are utterly ridiculous. These tools are a great learning multiplier and should be taught in every classroom. I believe this system will supervene upon the current phonics system that is widely used today, which is a way of acquire back to basics, seeing as though this system has been in belongings for centuries.So the nex t time you have the opportunity to teach a child to say their alphabets, tie their shoes or even learn another language, remember this system and you cant go wrong. References Coon, D. (2006). psychology A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition. Belmont, CA Thomson higher(prenominal) Education. Patten, B. (1990). The History of Memory Arts. Neurology, 40, 346-352 Svantesson, I. (2004). Learning Maps and Memory Skills, Revised Second Edition. capital of the United Kingdom Kogan Page Limited. Turkington, C. (2003). Memory A Self-teaching Guide. Hoboken, NJ John Wiley & Sons, Inc.