For most of our lives, Most people are continually learning new things
Having new information we can be able to better adapt to the environment and the constant changes of today’s society. Although this learning process is continued throughout the entire life cycle, it is especially visible during training processes, in which we acquire most of the general knowledge and attitudes that we will then apply, deepen, contrast and modify throughout life. life.
In this training it is common to have to memorize a large amount of information in relatively short periods of time. For this reason, In this article they will provide some tricks to remember better when studying
There are very different types of learning, but all of them are based on the acquisition, whether voluntary or involuntary, of information from a source (whether external or internal, experiential, vicarious or even imaginary) and its subsequent retention.
Anyone who has had to study in depth knows that this is an activity that can be exhausting Learning and memorizing especially technical or complicated material can be a real headache for those who must learn it. Although a great effort is not always required (whether due to personal preferences, route through which the information arrives, attitude or ability, there are people who retain certain information more easily), in general it usually requires the repetition of a series of behaviors or information until achieve habituation or mastery of the subject matter.
In any case, if we want to keep the acquired knowledge in memory we must be able to give it meaning for the learner, so that he or she is able to generalize and apply it to other contexts. Without giving meaning to learning, it will become mechanical, not being as beneficial for adaptation to the environment
However, many times what we learn is forgotten very quickly, being applied a few times at most and then disappearing from our lives. Why do we forget this material?
The forgetting curve
Memory and the loss of information retained in it over time have been the subject of study. As time passes, memory traces deteriorate, causing information to be lost. This may be due, among other possible explanations, to the fact that the new information that is acquired is superimposed on the old, so that the old information suffers a progressive deterioration due to the interference that the new material produces.
Herman Ebbinghaus is famous for his studies related to memory Based on his research, he outlined what is known today as the forgetting curve, the loss of retentive information over time. According to this graph, which describes the process of forgetting information in the absence of a consistent review of it, the amount of retained material will decrease exponentially.
If 100% of the material is retained on the first day, on the second day, if it is not reviewed, this percentage could be reduced by half, and after several more days the amount of material retained is close to zero. However, it is important to highlight that reviewing the information to be learned allows us to recover the memorized information more quickly than if we start from scratch. The closer in time the moment of learning and review comes, the less investment of time will be necessary to recover the stored material.
In order to retain information and help speed up and maintain the retention process, it is recommended to use a series of tricks and mnemonic strategies, such as some of those explained below.
Some useful mnemonic techniques
Next we will consider some useful mnemonic techniques to retain information and facilitate study and review
1. Construction of a story
This mnemonic technique is based on creating a short story that links all the elements to be memorized It can be used to remember dates, names and items in a list.
The story itself should be brief and meaningful, since it is about facilitating the memorization of data, and not about presenting an overly complex stimulus that involves extra learning. In this way, a narrative is woven that keeps the elements to be remembered connected to each other.
This is one of the most effective tricks to remember, since each part of the story contains elements that anticipate the next. However, its main disadvantage is that it requires some effort and creativity.
2. Use acronyms
Very useful for remembering formulas and lists, this mnemonic technique basically It is based on using the initials of the words to form another that allows the memory of all It is therefore based on using very specific clues to remember the information.
In this way, the sound of an acronym gives us clues that lead us more easily to the words and concepts we are trying to remember.
This is a well-known mnemonic trick, although it can be complex if the associations are not done well. Its operation is simple, It is about creating an imaginary route in which we link the different reference points to the names or elements what to study For it to be effective, it is necessary to keep in mind that we have to be able to remember the association (for example, that it is the place where it is purchased, that it has a similar color, etc.).
4. Use of rhymes, words or similar phrases
Using words that rhyme with those of those elements we want to learn can allow us to better remember specific material. Breaking it down into smaller, easier to memorize chunks can also be helpful Basically it is about being able to associate the word, number or knowledge to be learned with another element that is more accessible to us.
This trick to remember, by the way, can be used combining it with that of creating acronyms.
5. Use a sense of humor and imagination
Positive emotional states facilitate memorization For this reason, trying to link humor and study, as long as it is done in the right measure and with sufficient prior knowledge, can be very useful to better remember what has been studied. The use of small games, as well as riddles, can be helpful.
6. Use your tastes and hobbies
Another mnemonic technique that facilitates the consolidation of material in our memory is to sprinkle the study process with things that you like. For example, Try to link the material to study to your favorite series, movies or books or try to imagine a relationship with the things you are passionate about, your hobbies.
7. Link the new to the old
To be able to learn easily and effectively It is necessary to be able to give meaning to the information they give us The best way to do this is to relate the material to be learned or retained with prior knowledge or lived experiences. Thus, new information should not be created from scratch, but rather becomes a deepening of things that we have already seen or experienced before, requiring less effort to encode the material and memorize it. We are talking about meaningful learning.
Following this same logic, if what you want to remember better is a text with relatively complex ideas, reviewing is essential and, oddly enough, very effective. Reading a text a second or third time not only serves to see again what needs to be remembered; It also allows us to see relationships between the ideas that appear at the beginning and at the end of the text. This allows us to understand much better what we are reading, and understanding is the key when it comes to remembering, because it means integrating all the data into a coherent information system where there are no “loose pieces.”
Apart from the previously mentioned techniques, It is essential to apply some of the following strategies to achieve good memory maintenance of the material to remember.
8. Review what you learned
It may not seem like a very elaborate mnemonic technique, but taking into account that over time we lose a large part of the material learned, this is one of the main recommendations if you want to remember the material. Every time we review content, this memory becomes more consolidated in our brain.
9. Make summaries and outlines
The fact of making outlines and summaries of a specific syllabus helps to exercise the mind and forces you to focus your attention, which is a good trick or strategy to remember better when studying. In this way we establish categories with the information to be memorized, having to prioritize some content over others, establish hierarchies and in general work with the information at a cognitive level.
10. Use different ways to process information
We often think of studying as an activity in which we basically sit and read specific content until it sticks in our memory. Although this is a method of learning, different types of help can also be used. The viewing of videos, the use of audios and exercises through which to put the acquired knowledge into practice They are helpful.
11. Explain the material to others/ Study in a group
In the same way as in the two previous cases, The fact of having to present the material to be memorized to others forces you to work with the information, so its retention is greater. Furthermore, the fact of working collaboratively means that the vision of the topic can be enriched with the perspectives of others and helps to adopt other points of view.
Likewise, it also makes it easier to take the study in a more relaxed or serious way, depending on the type of person accompanying us, being able to motivate the study or reduce the level of tension. However, there is also the risk of deviating too much or maintaining too opposite positions regarding a specific issue, so the time available and the type of connection with the other person must be assessed.
