Page 221 - Keys To Community College Success

get creative

CRAFT YOUR OWN MNEMONIC

Complete the following on paper or in digital format.
Create a mnemonic to help you remember some facts.
1. Identify a group of facts that you have to memorize—for example, the names of all the world’s major religions, or a
series of elements in the periodic table.
2. Now create your own mnemonic to remember the grouping, using any of the devices in this chapter. Write the mnemonic
out in detail.

3. Describe your mnemonic. Is it focused on images or sounds – or both? Is it humorous, ridiculous, colorful?
4. Considering your learning style preferences, describe why you think this particular device will help you retain the
information.

Music can be an exceptional memory tool. For example, a whole generation of
children grew up in the 1970s knowing the Preamble to the Constitution because of the
Schoolhouse Rock Preamble Song (look it up on YouTube and see if it doesn’t stick in
your head). Make up your own poems or songs, linking familiar tunes or rhymes with
information you want to remember.
For example, thinking back to the “wajemma” mnemonic, imagine that you want
to remember the presidents’ first names as well. You might set those first names—
George, John, Thomas, James, James, and John—to the tune of “Happy Birthday.” Or,
to extend the history theme, you might use the first musical phrase of the National
Anthem.
Improving your memory requires energy, time, and work. It also helps to master
the SQ3R the textbook study technique. By going through the steps in SQ3R and using
the specific memory techniques described in this chapter, you will be able to learn more
in less time, remember what you learn long after exams are over, and build memory
skills that will serve you well in the workplace.

WHAT STUDY STRATEGIES HELP
you put it all together?

Especially in the later stages of review, strategies that help you combine and con-
dense materials provide significant reward for the extra time they require. They help
you connect information in new ways and boost analytical and creative thinking, which
is especially important for essay exams.

Create a Summary of Reading Material

When you summarize main ideas in your own words, you engage analytical thinking,
considering what is important to include as well as how to organize and link it together.
To construct a summary, focus on the main ideas and examples that support them.
Don’t include your own ideas or evaluations at this point. Your summary should sim-
ply condense the material, making it easier to focus on concepts and interrelationships
when you review.

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