“Mnemonic” is another word for memory tool. Mnemonics are techniques for remembering information that is otherwise quite difficult to recall; a very simple example is the '30 days hath September' rhyme for remembering the number of days in each calendar month.
Imagination is what you use to create and strengthen the associations needed to create effective mnemonics. Your imagination is what you use to create mnemonics that are potent for you. The more strongly you imagine and visualize a situation, the more effectively it will stick in your mind for later recall.
There are several mnemonic devices that can be used, like acronyms, rhymes, patterns, chunking or grouping, imagery, and peg-word systems.
An acronym is a word formed from the first letters or groups of letters in a name or phrase. A rhyme is a saying that has similar terminal sounds at the end of each line. Rhymes are easier to remember, because they can be stored by acoustic encoding. Grouping, chunking, and patterns are probably the most widely used and most successful approaches to help with memory. If you are able to group or chunk what you need to remember into categories, you process the information in more depth, because you are adding meaning to what you are learning. Anytime we add meaning, we are more likely to remember new information. Imagery is when you create a mental picture that you use to connect items and attach meaning--the more vivid the image, the better. The peg-word system attaches a visual with a list by connecting the word with another object.
Any material that is taught with these devices of organization will more likely be remembered and more easily stored and retrieved from short- and long-term memory. Use these devices when learning/memorizing new information. Look for programs that use these tools to aid in learning. Click here to see how Discover Intensive Phonics uses patterns, grouping, and imagery to help in learning the method.
What do you do to remember names of people or lists of things to do? Please share your comments below.
5 Comments
Lincoln Reinwald
I'm no so in to remembering details and I'm always forgetting the things I should do. That's why I'm really greatful to the information you shared. Thanks
Kristie Swanson
I've just been using you phonics with my 5 year old granddaughter as her mom is recovering from lung cancer. I used it as a remedial with my own children many years ago so had not used it before as an initial program. I must say, I absolutely LOVE it. Karis is totally understanding the concepts and doing very well. I have made some mnemonic sentences to help remember the blends, digraphs, etc. which has been very effective. I also wrote out some simple worksheets so she's able to really master the concepts. It is an amazing program. Thanks for developing/selling it. It works!
angie
Glad to hear the program is working so well for your granddaughter!
Gary Shapland
My son was diagnosed with a chronological disorder at the age of 3 where he struggled to construct a word using the correct spelling or read a word by breaking it up into correct pairs. My son spent a number of hours with Angela Liddicoat and worked through a number of books for Dyslexics, one of them being Mnemonics which really speeded up my sons learning. he is now 13 and achieving top results in English and targeted for an A in English GCSE.
John mnemonic devices
Your post is excellent. I’m running a blog about mnemonic devices and you know what you're talking about. Mnemonic devices are my passion so I’ve decided to start a blog about this. I think I will come back very soon to share some ideas. Of course, if you want. Thank you, John