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LS011 Guide To Improving Your Memory

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15 views3 pages

LS011 Guide To Improving Your Memory

Summary

Uploaded by

moraamartha622
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Skills for Learning

Guide to Improving
Your Memory

What You Have to Remember at University


In your work at university, you will be expected to understand and apply knowledge, not just
learn information by rote. However, you will be required to recall key ideas and concepts
quickly and accurately. This study guide will suggest some strategies and techniques that you
might find useful both in remembering facts, but also allowing you to recall ideas, arguments,
and theories in your subject area.

Memory and Exams


Exams can understandably make you nervous. You may be concerned about being able to
recall all the information you need for an exam. A common mistake in this situation is to just
read and reread your lecture and other notes, in the hope you may be able to remember all
you need. This is unlikely to be successful as the exam will ask you not just to remember, but
to understand and apply your knowledge. You need to actively think about the ideas not just
learn them by rote. To do this you need to practice active revision, not passive. Active revision
is about understanding and using the information, testing your knowledge and using it to
construct something. Passive revision is memorising or learning by rote without real
understanding of the subject matter.

Without active revision and review we forget a lot of information very quickly after we first
encounter it. Active revision requires using material that you understand and that is
memorable. The first stage in active revision is to ensure that your revision notes are
memorable and that you understand them. To make your notes more memorable try to:
 Ensure you understand everything in your notes as it very difficult to remember
something that you do not understand.
 Use your own words.
 Understand how these ideas relate to other material you are studying.
 Use colour and images to make particular ideas or concepts stand out.
 Use structure and organisation such as mind maps to help you remember.

The next stage in the process of remembering is reviewing and testing. Once you have notes
you are happy with you need to review them on a regular basis. An effective pattern might be

Ref: LS011 | Skills for Learning | September 2024


to review your notes immediately after you make them, then perhaps the following day, then
the next week and then once a month after that. This process of familiarisation, review, and
reinforcement helps ensure that you are remembering most of the information you are trying
to learn.

Learning Styles

Everybody has particular ways that they like to learn. Understanding which style suits you best
can help you decide how to approach your learning and remembering. You might be better at
learning by writing notes (visual), discussing with colleagues (auditory), or by doing
(kinaesthetic).

Top Memory Tips:

Whilst the work you are asked to do at university is not intended to be merely a memory test,
there are occasions both in an academic environment and in the wider world where a good
memory is helpful.

1. Make sure what you are trying to learn is well structured, broken down into manageable
sections and that you understand it. Plan regular reviews of your notes - not just last
minute attempts to cram.

2. Testing yourself and particularly explaining ideas to others can help fix ideas in your
memory.

3. Use mind maps to remember more structured complex information. The shape of the
mind map will provide a visual cue to remembering the structure of the information.

4. Use pictures, images and colour as part of your notes to help trigger in your memory an
associated image.

5. Separating information into manageable pieces can help you remember, particularly
useful for remembering numbers (e.g. 09112 432 3443 rather than 091124323443).

6. Use colour coded flash cards to learn discrete pieces of information, such as
mathematical or chemical formulae. Put one fact on each card and display one card in a
prominent location e.g. by the toaster until you have learnt that fact and then add that
card to the pile of learnt cards and put a new one on display. Go back to the learnt pile to
review your learning.

7. Create and use mnemonics such as Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain to remember the
order of the colours in a rainbow (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet).

8. Use storytelling, familiar places or objects to provide a structure which you can associate
with ideas you are trying to remember.

9. It is okay to make and use lists. No one is expected to be able to remember everything.

Ref: LS011 | Skills for Learning | September 2024


Help and Advice

For help and advice on any aspect of memory skills, please see the Skills for Learning
website.

Further Reading

Books offering advice on memory and learning are available in the Study Skills collections in
the Learning Centres and as part of our e-book collection including:

Cottrell, S. (2024) The study skills handbook (chapter 18 - memory). London: Bloomsbury:
https://librarysearch.wlv.ac.uk/permalink/44UOWO_INST/13ndfb5/alma991003182027104
901

Cite this work:

Skills for Learning (2024) Guide to Improving Your Memory. Available at:
http://www.wlv.ac.uk/skills (Accessed: give date accessed)

To request this document in an alternative format please contact skills@wlv.libanswers.com

Ref: LS011 | Skills for Learning | September 2024

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