Remember Effectively

Isn't it frustrating when you find yourself presented with a piece of information that you desperately need to remember, and don't have any tools around to mark it down with? Or worse, you find yourself presented with a new set of co-workers, or students, and you've got to get their names memorized as quickly as possible? In these situations there are a number of helpful tips you can use to help get that information quickly into your memory, and to assist you with recalling it later on when you need it. The first thing you need to figure out is what your particular learning or memorization style or styles are and then put them to use. There are three types of learning styles most commonly identified, being Auditory, Visual, Tactile/Kinesthetic. These three styles are fairly obvious based on their name, tactile/kinesthetic refers to a method of learning best implemented by touching, moving, or doing.

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   Auditory Learners

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   Those who are auditory learners will recall in exhaustive detail conversations they've heard or lectures they've attended. Their appreciation for words lends them a large vocabulary, excellent linguistic skills, and a tendency towards being a polyglot. Their ability to conduct interesting conversations is near unparalleled, conveying their ideas with ease. For these learners, the tool to make use of for memorization is mnemonic devices. These are things like PEMDAS, either pronounced as written, or with the longer version "Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally". This is used as a device for memorizing the order of operations in mathematics. Tools such as these will go a long ways towards helping the auditory learner memorize information. Combine this with repetition, and the auditory learner will recall things with ease.

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   Visual Learners

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   Visual learners learn, as the title implies, learn best when things are shown to them, diagrams and flow charts are their friends. When they're in the process of learning a new thing, they tend to visualize it, this tends to make them seem as though they're spacing off, but in fact they are seeing the information in their head. They tend to visualize themselves in a place or time relevant to the information they're learning, storing it in their head. They also tend to be quite artistic, appreciating the aesthetics of a situation. They best way for them to recall information is to use visual reminders, symbols, colors, and repetitive writing and reading of the same information.

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   Tactile/Kinesthetic Learners

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   Tactile/Kinesthetic learners learn information by actively participating in a hands on demonstration. Tactile learners are best learned by doing the thing they're attempting to learn, or using physical media to learn how to perform the task. These individuals make excellent craftsmen or service people, learning how to repair an engine, for example, by the process of tearing it apart and putting it together again. When they recall an event, they will recall the specific events that took place, especially those that they took part in. When learning through less than optimal methods, such as reading, it's important that they are able to move around. Sitting in one place won't help you learn, so make sure you're in an open area.

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   Very few people are purely one form of learner or another, most have a mix of these forms of learning and utilizing them in conjunction with one another will result in the best overall learning experience when used together

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   The best of instructors will understand this and utilize these techniques in their classroom. Even if they don't, you're going to want to spend some time learning the best techniques for your learning style, and create a learning process that involves all of them, focusing on your most prominent. Once you have figured out what your learning process is, you'll find you have a much easier time retaining useful information in the future.

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If you have problems with any of the steps in this article, please ask a question for more help, or post in the comments section below.

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