Mnemonics: A Lost Art in Classroom Presentations
All teachers know about mnemonics (even if they have to refer to a dictionary to spell the word correctly.
But, how many teachers use a mnemonic-based strategy during each classroom presentation to help students remember information.
A "Bad Rap" for Memorizing
But, memorizing has taken an undeserved broadside hit, aimed at "senseless, mindless, mind-dulling drill" .
But, is learning a memorizing skill such as the how-to of using mnemonic devices useless?
Not when students could focus for 30 seconds and remember assignments, assignment due dates, lists for oral presentations, formulas, steps in the scientific method and other key bits of information.
The Basis of Mnemonics
There are three components of mnemonics:
- Attention
- Imagery
- Organization
Association is the basic skills for using mnemonic device for learning. And, association is the basic skill for collecting and chunking information. Association, at least creating associations that other people haven't made the connection with, is one component of creativity.
So, how many ways can you use mnemonics in your classroom. Answer: Well just about as many creative ways that you can devise to make your classroom presentations more riveting, exciting, memorable, creative, attention-grabbing.
What will you Come up with Next?
Keeping your students guessing is a great device for keeping your students paying attention.
Novel, unique, imaginative items are remembered. Remember the teacher who emerged from the rest room with toilet paper streaming from the collar of her blouse? Well, everybody else remembers, too. Vividly. An incident such as this demonstrates "one trial learning," and it was effective. But, made up images like this, when attached to important facts create "instant impact" learning.
If our minds have this ability, why do we push the less than effective, "repeat the words over and over to yourself" method of memorizing?
Sweep the Mental Cobwebs
Besides exaggerated, contorted, memorable images; a mnemonic device requires mental organization.
Take a simple mnemonic list builder. Images are associated with numbers, like, for example...
- #1 - Pencil
- #2 - Duck
- #3 - Split-Bent Bagel
- #4 - Upside Down Chair
- #5 - Coat Hook
- #6 - Golf Club
- #7 - Big Nose
- #8 - Ice Skater's Figure Eight
- #9 - Ram's Horn
Notice that the key words have a similar shape to the number. (The first association.)
Now put the mnemonic device into practice. For example:
Let's remember the names of the Five Great Lakes.
Remember "H-O-M-E-S" Our homes are on the five Great Lakes.
- H - Huron
- O - Ontario
- M - Michigan
- E - Erie
- S - Superior
But, what about the names themselves?
#1: Huron - Imagine a huge, stork-like bird with a bill shaped like a pencil, poking a equally large fish
#2: Imagine a duck eating a tire made of Cheerios™ (On-tire-E-O)
#3: Michigan - The number 3 looks like the letter "M" when turned one way, and the Letter"E" when turned another way. These are the initials for the great sports star (quarterback, pitcher, hurdle jumper, ping pong player and Sumo wrestler -Mich Egan.
#4: Erie - It is a dark and stormy night, and the girls have climbed on a chair in fear of the erie sounds that screech and moan from the spirits of shipwrecks on the lake
#5: Superior - The "Hook-Shaped Letter S" is huge and big enough to lift a smart-mouthed, Superman (who thinks that he is superior to everyone else) up by the seat of the pants
You get the idea...
Interesting images, students paying attention, a rational structure to prompt the recall.
A couple of minutes of "change-of-pace fun" to brighten up an otherwise humdrum, lackluster school day. (Just kidding!)
But the greatest benefit: You don't have to spend much time planning these. And, even better, involve students in creating the images and associations.
What about a Mnemonics Department in your classroom, or what about "hiring" a Mnemonics student helper, with higher rank and importance than the line monitor or door and lights off monitor?
How about a Mnemonics Club for any of you lucky enough to teach in a neighborhood school?
Your opportunities to use this easy to implement mental device are far greater than the simple components of the technique.
Use the technique today, tomorrow at the latest. Keep using it. Measure improvements in learning and measure improvements in your students' attitudes.
OK. Do you remember what you are going to do?
