BY VICTOR OCHIENG’
Learners who pass exams with flying colours focus on mastery and memorisation of the content taught. A good memory is useful in school and in other spheres of life.
In Proverbs 10:7, Solomon asserted that the memory of the just is blessed. No wonder, memory should be challenged to remember days, dates, events, quotes and sacred scriptures.
As a penman, who sometimes dabbles and meddles in writing and rendition of poetry, I have come to realise that memory can be trained in the following ways:
• Engaging in repetition
Repetition is the mother of all memories. Learners who have discovered this thrilling trick engage in riveting reading rituals. They weld repetition with other useful reading and retention skills like textual marking, textual annotation and note-making.
• Testing oneself
There is nothing wrong with testing oneself after reading a particular topic. Learners can pair up and engage in didactic duels of question-and-answer sessions. Self-testing also entails looking for questions that are in fine line with the topic read.
• Using the drawing technique
Drawing some of the things learnt makes learning to be both active and productive. It’s worth noting that it’s a bad study habit to read notes as if going through a thriller – fun-filled novel.
• Involving multiple senses
Memory is propped up when learners employ multiple senses. It justifies why teachers instruct learners to copy notes. The idea is that the students should see and use their hands while copying notes.
Teachers also identify simple topics that they issue out to students as holiday assignments.
All in all, it is important to practise coordination of the brain, hands and eyes so that information is encoded.
• Using mnemonic devices
Mnemonic devices work as humble and simple strategies that help people to associate information they want to remember with words and images.
Some mnemonic devices include: method of loci, acronyms, rhymes, songs, imagery, chunking and organising the information. For example, using acronyms, learners remember the Plain Nilotes by focusing on the acronym MINTS – Maasai, Iteso, Njeps, Turkana and Samburu.
• Visualising information
It is easier to remember a picture rather than details from a book or lecture. Visualising information read will print it in the mind hence boost mastery and memory.
• Associate the knowledge
In the book titled Public Speaking, Dale Carnegie asserts that associating knowledge
involves connecting what is being learnt with real life situation.
It aids the brain to connect something familiar with something new. Association is very effective when it comes to learning new vocabulary. In order to remember the word, simply pen it on paper, write its meaning then annotate a person or place next to the word.
• Frequently reviewing notes
Some students cram for tests yet it is not a stupendous study strategy since it is very difficult to retain information in the long-term memory from one or two cramming sessions. Therefore, the only sweet secret to retention is to frequently review the notes.
Highlight information that will probably show up in a test. Employ this tremendous trick after completing the textbook reading assignment. Through repetitive review and painstaking study, you will eventually begin to retain it.
• Focusing on laws
In Journey to Academic Success and Beyond, Paul Bundi Karau talks about the 10 Laws of Remembering.
The first law is the law of fun or interest which implies that for one to remember knowledge, they have to enjoy it.
The second law is the law of fitness which underscores the essence of physical exercise.
The third law is the law of places which states that an environment has a puissant impact on mastery and memory.
The fourth law is law of senses which implies that the involvement of multiple senses enhances memorability to a great extent.
The fifth law is the law of repetition, which is the mother of all memories.
The sixth law is the law of concentration, without which, nothing can be retained.
The seventh law is the law of comprehension. Nothing can be remembered unless it is first understood.
The eighth law is the law of small chunks which implies that inch by inch, everything becomes a cinch.
The ninth law is the law of exaggeration which implies that the more one exposes themselves to knowledge, the more they master and memorise it.
The tenth law is the law of previous knowledge. It is always concept upon concept.
• Practising mindfulness and meditation
The rituals of mindfulness and meditation may have influence and puissance on your mental health in umpteen ways.
The two spiritual rituals are used to manage and mitigate stress. They also assuage pangs of pain. Meditation also increases the grey matter in the brain.
As you advance in age, the grey matter declines, which may impair mastery and memory.
Mindfulness is a mental state where you focus on the present situation; maintain awareness of your surrounding and sentience.
Mindfulness is used in meditation which is a more formal practice.
Mastery and memory are also enhanced through quality sleep, aerobic forms of exercise and eating foods that pique powers of memory.
The writer rolls out talks and training services. vochieng.90@gmail.com
