The Wonderful world of Memory

Making Remembering Easier

DoH!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ne-UnC2QpsU 0.30 corona

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjh10kj9Y64

Once we recognise how the brain works - by making links and connections between new stuff and existing stuff - we can aid recall by "helping our brains" to make those links and connections in a deliberate way.

Mnemonics (memory aids) are useful because they can help us to "file" memories in such a way that it is easy to "find" them later on. 

There are lots of different ways to do this.  The following suggestions will appeal to different types of intelligence: you should try to find those that suit you best!

The Electromagnetic Spectrum - mnemonic

• Radio• Microwaves• Infrared• Visible• Ultraviolet• X-rays• Gamma rays

• Rabbits• Mate• In• Very• Unusual• eXpensive• Gardens

Magic Number 7 (plus or minus 2)

…if we want to remember more than that - and we invariably do - we need to find a way to help our brains.

  One method is to sub-group units of information (into groups of 7 or less) and to relate each of these to an overarching group-theme.

Forces

1. Motion graphs2. Balanced3. Unbalanced4. Newton’s Laws5. Falling objects6. Momentum7. Stretching materials

3 Examples of Memory Improvement Techniques:

1.Method of Loci

2.Acrostics

3.Body pegs

How do you use them?

That is what we will explain this evening!

Method of LociTo use the method of loci bring to mind a familiar building, such as your house. Take a moment to conduct a mental walk through the rooms in your house.

Along your route create a list of "loci“ (well defined parts of the room that you can use later to memorize things). A locus can be a door, a bed, an oven, etc. Be sure that you can easily go from locus to locus as you visit the house.

Now, when you are faced with your key words/concepts, you must form visual images for each of the words and place them, in order, on the loci in your route.

To recall the words or ideas now you take a mental walk throughout your house, asking yourself , "What is on the living-room door? What's on the bed. What's in the oven?" And so on.

Associating the words or ideas to remember with the loci, you should create surprising images. More striking is the created image, the more easily you will remember the aspect you are trying to learn.

Science Memory Palace – life cycle of a star

• I enter the kitchen and there are clouds of steam from the boiling potatoes (stars start as clouds of dust and gas)

• I go into the lounge and turn on the light and the fuse goes (stars start to make light through fusion)

• I go up the main stairs one step then two steps, then one step then two steps and so on (stars become a main sequence star)

• In the cold bathroom is a massive rugby player wearing the Welsh kit (stars cool and become red giants)

• I move into the garden and there is a small man cooking on a BBQ on which there are white hot coals and black coals that are not hot (A star becomes a white dwarf before turning into a black dwarf)

Which RE GCSE units could I use this method for?

B601: Belief about Deity/ End of LifeB602: Good & Evil/ Religion & Science

B603: Religion & Human Relationships/ Religion & Medical EthicsB604: Religion, Peace & Justice/ Religion & Equality

AcrosticsAcrostics

One way to remember a list of words in order is to make up an acrostic, using the first letter of each word in the list, for example:

The colours of the rainbow in order, from the outside to inside are:Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet.

They can be remembered using this acrostic:

Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain.

Chemistry Acrostic

• P• A• N• I• C

Chemistry Acrostic

• Positive• Anode• Negative• Is• Cathode

RE Acrostic:

Christianity questions:DeityEnd of LifeGood and EvilReligion and Science

CarefullyDrying EveryGarden Rainbow

Ethics:

Christianity questions:Human RelationshipsMedical ethicsPeace & justiceEquality

ChattingHumansMake Pies Everyday

Body PegsThe principle of the system is that you "attach" one key-word to each body-peg in turn (preferably with a memorable action).

When you need to recall your list of key-words, your body (and the key word associated action) acts as a memory-aid.

In order to use this system, you must learn the 20 "body-pegs" shown on the diagram. (10 minutes) You will notice that points numbered 1 to 9 start at the fingers of one hand, go up the arm, over the head and down to the fingers of the other hand. Points 10 to 20 start at the eyes and move down the body to the feet. You should practice until you are able to point to all 20 "body-pegs" without hesitation.

Example

Number 1

Body Peg: Right fingers

Key word: Cosmological argument (St. Thomas Aquinas.)

Association: Snap your right hand fingers to represent God being the FIRST CAUSE .

Number 2: Body peg: palm right handKey word: Teleological argument (William Paley)Association: bounce an imaginary watch in the palm of your hand. It is so intricately designed, you deduce God is the designer. You relate the Teleological argument to the world.

Number 3:Body peg: right elbowKey word: Moral argument (Cardinal Newman)

Association: elbowing someone to represent moral laws have always existed and actions like this are wrong. This proves the existence of a God who made those laws.

Number 4:Body peg: right shoulderKey word: omnipresent

Association: imagine God sat upon your shoulder, always present. His presence is a warm comfort.

Number 5:

Body peg: Head

Key word: Ontological argument – (St Anselm of Canterbury)

Association: imagine heading a football. God is the most perfect being imaginable. This is a logical argument, based upon reason (not observation).