How to Memorize Better: Mnemonic Devices
Mnemonic Devices are an excellent tool to assist you in memorizing difficult information. I used to rely heavily on this strategy in middle school and high school, but use it less frequently in college and graduate school. None-the-less here are some tips and tricks to help you come up with your own creative and effective mnemonics.
Studies show that our brains have an easier time remembering things that rhyme.
We all remember that famous mnemonic from our elementary or middle school days:
In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.
i before e except after c
or when sounding like “a.”
Unless you have a background in poetry, it can be hard to come up with mnemonics that rhyme, but its one of the most effective methods for making the information stick.
Tip 2: Convert Letter, Numbers, and Facts into words and/or sentences
This is one of the most common mnemonic devices out there, and it is extremely easy to implement and create your own mnemonics using this method.
Simply take the information you need to memorize and turn it into a one-word answer where each letter stands for something or an entire sentence.
To remember the order of operations in math class, people frequently use the sentence Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally, which stands for parentheses, exponents, multiplication, division, addition, or subtraction.
In order to remember the order of the great lakes, people might use Superman Helps Everyone, which stands for Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario.
This method also works for remembering series of numbers, but using it for numbers frequently involves more effort and creative, so I don’t necessarily recommend it.
This method works best for me and the way my brain works. You connect words that sound or look alike.
For example, if you can not remember if longitude runs north-> south or east -> considering the fact that loNgitude has an N in it, and so does north. Therefore, longitude= north-> south
Songs are another effective tool for memory. Did you know the ABC song is a form of a mnemonic device? We have been learning mnemonic devices since we were babies!
Another example is the “Fifty Nifty United States Song.”
Does anyone remember the bone dance from Hannah Montana?
Tip 5: Make it funny, absurd or inappropriate.
Fun fact, when I was in 7th grade I had a test on the different explorers, and I could never remember what Magellan did, so my mom made up a super inappropriate mnemonic “Magellan got circumcised on his gellies” for me to remember that Magellan circumnavigated the world. At the time, she felt bad, because it was such an inappropriate mnemonic (especially for a 7th grader) but I never forgot Magellan’s contribution again!
I hope that you can use these tips to come upwith mnemonics that help you memorize better! What’s your favorite (or funniest) mnemonic? Let me know!
