How can I improve my memory?

1. HOW CAN I IMPROVE MY MEMORY?
A PERSONALISED GUIDE FOR BRITANNICA STUDENTS FROM MR. BARKER

2. Make remembering hard!

3. WHY DO WE REMEMBER?
We remember when
• we make
connections/links
• it’s of personal interest
to us
• we write it down
• we say it aloud or record
it
• We create a mental
memory tree
• Associate what we are
learning with what we
already know
• we are stressed
• we aren’t interested in it
• we haven’t looked at it,
thought about it or
listened to it long enough
We don’t remember
when

4. MEMORY CAPACITY
We can only commit a certain amount of
information to memory at any one time.
But we can do things to
increase the amount we can
retain.

5. EXERCISE 1
You will have 1 minute to memorise these words:
Panda
onion
peach
jeans
car
coke
Hare
label
hat
puppy
currant
cab
tie
tea
bean

6. EXERCISE 1
Write down all the words you can remember
How many
words did
you
remember
?

7. EXERCISE 2
TRY THE SAME THING WITH THE NEXT LIST OF WORDS:
window
wall
door
blue
purple
green
butterfly
wasp
ring
necklace
bracelet
desk
chair
guitar
drum

8. EXERCISE 2
Write down all the words you can remember
How many
words did
you
remember
this time?

9. COMPARE YOUR RESULTS
Perhaps you did better with the second list? If so,
this is probably because…
• the words in the first list were in random order
• in the second list the words were grouped into
categories
We can remember
information
more effectively if we
organise it
into meaningful ‘chunks’

10. KOLB’S LEARNING PYRAMID

11. REPETITION
• Whatever our personal memory style, repetition is key to
learning and remembering long-term
• We can’t hold much in our short-term memory so we have
to move things from our short-term memory to our long
term-memory
• And then we have to be able to retrieve them promptly
when we need them in the exam
• Reviewing the material regularly makes the ‘memory
pathways’ to the information stronger

12. REPETITION TECHNIQUE
• Carry mini revision cards on a key-ring. Look at
them in ‘dead’ moments such as in queues
• 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 10 days then randomly. This
technique works on the fact that if we repeat
something intensively to begin with, it becomes
more secure in our memory, so we can gradually
leave longer gaps between revisions

13. THE TEN ENVELOPE TECHNIQUE
• Number 10 envelopes from 1-10
• Write 10-15 related facts on separate mini-
cards
• Put them all in envelope 1
• Test yourself once a day:
oMove all the facts you can remember to
envelope 2
oLeave the ones you don’t know in envelope 1
• Every time you remember a fact, move it to the
next envelope; every time you forget it, leave it
where it is
• By the time the fact reaches no.10, you should
know it

14. MNEMONICS: WHAT MAKES
THEM SUCCESSFUL?
They should be:
• important to you
• logical
• dramatic
• funny/bizarre
• colourful
For example:
The order of planets in average distance from the Sun:
(Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus,
Neptune, Pluto)
My Very Easy Method: Just Set Up Nine Planets (The
Mnemonics Guide, 1997).

15. WRITE YOUR OWN QUESTIONS
If you are studying for exams, try to
create your own questions rather than
relying on past papers.
The process of question generation
can itself reinforce learning, since it
forces you to reformulate the material
in a new way.

16. TEACH IT TO SOMEONE ELSE
Perhaps the most potent technique is to teach the material
to another person, since that forces you to demonstrate a
deep conceptual understanding.
If you don’t have a willing partner, you could imagine
describing it to someone, or draft an email setting out what
you’ve learned in as much detail as possible.

17. TRY NOT TO SPEND TOO LONG ON
ANY ONE TOPIC
Switch between them regularly. If you are learning a new
language, for example, you might rotate between two or three
vocabulary topics, or switch between the different verb tenses
you are practicing, rather than studying them in turn in
blocks.
This strategy is called interleaving and it can feel frustrating
since you can’t really get into the swing of things before
moving on. But according to the theory of desirable
difficulties, that is why it works.
Numerous studies have shown that this momentary confusion
hugely increases your long-term recall

18. DO NOTHING
Prof Michaela Dewar at Heriot-Watt
University in Edinburgh has found that
“wakeful rest” – without any external
stimulation – allows the brain to consolidate
the memories of what it has learned.
So kick back, close your eyes and let your
thoughts go wherever they want – in the
knowledge that your mind is busy
cementing your learning for the long term.