A+ Memory Strategies
Happy March! In this busy season of post-spring-break slump and pre-spring-testing review, I wanted to share some of our favorite memory strategies that we help our students practice. Remember that not all strategies work for all students; some may want a more tactile-focused approach, while others emphasize auditory tools.
1. Repetition
Repetition is an oldie-but-goodie that works for short-term and long-term recollection. For long-term recall, it’s best to focus on the information for a short time, then do something else and come back to it. This is called interleaving, and it’s a big part of the Academics Plus program.
2. Linking
Here’s how you can utilize linking: after writing down what you need to remember, look at each piece of information (e.g. numbers in a phone number, words in a sentence/definition, names) and “link” them to something else. For example, a phone number could be a string of football players’ jersey numbers. Each name in a list could be linked to a different picnic food that starts with the same letter. This strategy is flexible, but when you connect something you dislike with something you enjoy, you are more likely to remember it.
3. Melody/Chanting
This one is a personal favorite for short-term recall. You know, when you have to grab a specific material from the shelf, or remember the two-step verification code that was sent to your email. The rhythm helps your brain focus on the information, and can even bring some levity if you decide to use a silly voice or the melody of your favorite song.
4. Chunking
Have you tried to remember a bunch of information, only to get stumped after the first few pieces? Try, instead, to group the information into longer pieces. Don’t try to remember all ten digits of a phone number, try to remember three chunks. Chunking is a great strategy because it can be combined with almost any other memory strategy!
These are by no means the only memory strategies we use. Some students may hold the number of a book they need in their hand, as a form of short-term cognitive offloading, while they repeat the name of the book. Some students may benefit from movement while working. Each student is unique, but these strategies are a good place to start to work against any frustration students may face with memory.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.