Thursday, July 23, 2009

Mighty Memory - Ways To Improve Memory

By Chris Jensen

Memory is a vital part of the learning process. Without it, learning would be impossible. Without memory, you would repeatedly have the same experiences for the "first time." Memory gives richness to life - the pleasure of happy remembrances as well as the sorrow of unhappy ones. Here are ways to improve memory:

1. Put the information into a rhyme. A good example is the verse that begins, "Thirty days hath September", which helps many people remember the number of days in each month.

2. Provide clues by means of acronyms. Acronyms are words formed from the first letters or syllables of other words. For example, we use the acronym RICE to help us remember the management for sprains or strains, which is rest, ice, compression, and elevation.

3. Use a mental picture. A mental picture can be provided by the key-word method. This is particularly useful in learning foreign words. For example, you want to remember that the German word Gabel means fork. First, you think of a key word in English that sounds like the foreign word. For example, gobble. Next, you connect the two words through a mental image, such as that of a person gobbling food with a fork. From then on, to recall the meaning of Gabel, you would remember gobble and the stored image linking it to fork.

Using rhymes, clues, and mental pictures are generally termed as mnemonic devices.

Mnemonic devices work best for remembering lists of specific items such as words or phrase, and not for learning complex materials such as stories or poems.

They say that the number of patterns of connections of nerve cells in a person's head greatly outnumber the number of stars in the universe. They also say that the great scientific theorist, Albert Einstein just had an average-sized brain. Therefore, we are all capable for greatness. The secret lies in the way we use our brain.

Memory is a vital part of the learning process. Find the ways to improve your memory and discover your limitless potential. - 14130

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