Don’t Forget to Remember These Memorization Strategies

There is no such thing as a person who does well with studying who does not do well with memorization. The two are practically synonymous (After all, how can you study for a test without memorizing the facts that will be on the test?). The good news: There are hundreds, maybe thousands, of strategies that have helped millions of people to improve in the art of remembering.  Here are four concepts that will help you improve.

Concept 1:  People memorize when they encounter information repeatedly.

Concept 2:  People memorize when they write down important information.

By combining these first two principles, we can develop several good memorization techniques. For instance, one classic idea is to write out flash cards for yourself.  This makes use of both the written and repetition concepts:  You write out the facts on the cards and then you show them to yourself until you’ve got them remembered. Another good idea is to write notes during class time (do not type them; you don’t get the same results).  Again, writing the information helps commit the facts to your memory, and then after class, you can read and re-read the notes until you can recall the facts with ease.

Concept 3: Auditory learners remember facts that they hear.  This also provides us with a few possible memorization techniques. For instance, the auditory learner will find it helpful to read his notes or his text out loud to himself.  Similar to this tip is the idea of recording your notes on a cassette tape or mp3 file, to play back to yourself over and over until you have it memorized.

Concept 4: Linking the unknown helps you recall information. This is the area where some of the most creative memorization techniques have been discovered.  Here are a few samples:

• Put the information to music.  Many a school child has remembered world capitals or the 50 United States by putting them to the tune of a song that they already know (“Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” or “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” for instance). We’re linking the unknown (capital cities) to the known (the song).
•  Envision your house and each item that you need to memorize as a different part of that house. Then take a tour.  Let’s say that your list is of the first 10 Presidents of the United States.  As you walk to the house porch, you envision George Washington on the porch swing.  Then you open the door, and John Adams greets you after you knock.  In the living room on the right, Thomas Jefferson is sitting on your couch putting final touches on the Declaration of Independence. And so on. Again, we’re linking the unfamiliar (the Presidents) with the familiar (your house).

There are many other strategies you could use.  Just keep in mind that they should make use of the basic principles of repetition, writing, and linking the unfamiliar with the familiar.