Remembering things may not be your strong suit. Many people might have the memory of a goldfish or sometimes it can even take a while to remember what you had for breakfast.
But to this day, you may remember the planets in our solar system, the notes of a guitar string, or even the colours of the rainbow.
Through unique practices such as singing, talking about something, learning mnemonics, you can learn how to memorize knowledge for the long term. In fact, here are some scientifically proven methods on how you can learn faster!
1. Teach others about it
It is said that you learn better when you teach others. That is scientifically true! In fact, there’s a name for this, it’s called the Feynman Learning Technique, named after the original innovator, physicist Richard Feynman. The technique consists of 4 repeating steps which are:
- Choose a topic you are interested in or want to learn about.
- Pretend that you are teaching it to your little brothers or sisters.
- Review yourself for any mistakes or misunderstandings, go back to the topic and read more about it.
- Do it over again and simplify it even further.
In the wise words of Albert Einstein, “If you cannot explain it to a 6-year-old, you don’t understand it yourself.”
2. Use mnemonics
Mnemonics is a learning technique that is usually used when people need to remember long pieces of info. Most mnemonics take the first letter of every word, and then makes a sentence out of it.
For example, guitar strings are usually tuned to EADGBE, and many guitar tutors make it easier for students to memorize it by giving them a sentence to learn instead. “Eddy Ate Dynamite, Good Bye Eddy” or “Eat All Day, Get Big Easy.” By learning it as a funny sentence, it makes it much easier to memorize!
Another example of a mnemonic is the popular one, HOMES. Middle school students tend to use this to remember the great lakes which are Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior.
By making a mnemonic out of something that takes a long time to memorize, you might be making it much easier, fun and most importantly, a memorable learning experience!
3. Singing it out
If there is one thing most of us can agree on, whether we like it or not, is the fact that jingles are addictive. Most of us have had a song stuck in our heads for uncomfortable periods of time!
In fact, even you might’ve had a moment where you’ve started to randomly sing or hum a song out of the blue because it’s catchy. Imagine if this was used as a form of learning.
You might remember getting an A+ for a Geography and History exam without studying about it. This was all thanks to the popular cartoon Animaniacs, which helped many memorize the world’s countries’ names through song.
4. Chew gum
Did you know it is scientifically proven that chewing gum increases your focus and improves your memory?
Subjects in many different psychological studies have shown that chewing gum while learning new information increases their productivity level.
In some cases, people prefer to chew different flavoured gums for different concepts they’re learning. For example, chewing peppermint gum when they are learning to code, and chewing bubble-gum when learning a new maths formula.
Whenever they’re learning something similar, they will chew the same flavoured gum. The brain has a weird way of associating new information with flavour or smell that you are experiencing at the same moment. Pretty cool huh!
So, the next time you’re trying to learn a new topic, chew your favourite gum. You might be surprised at how much you can learn and concentrate!
5. Collaborate Online
Nowadays so much learning is done online, but you can use that to further your learning speed. A great way to do this is by joining online groups with your friends or people who are interested in the subject to talk about it.
By talking more about the things you want to learn, you will gain more perspective from other people, and also have positive feedback on your own ideas. This makes it a great learning experience for everyone, and in turn makes learning much faster and more efficient!
Going online and joining discussion groups that are passionate about what you’re trying to learn is a great way to learn from the world around you.
Learning Can Be Fast and Fun
Learning isn’t just about memorizing books and retaining information. It is about finding a way to learn that you enjoy. At the end of the day, the knowledge that you keep will shape your future, and rather than you forgetting about it because it was a chore for you to learn; you could try these different methods and find something you truly enjoy!
If you’re having a hard time studying or learning new concepts, maybe a tutor can help.
This post was written by School is Easy. They are an exhibitor on the FranchiseShow247 Education & Learning floor. You can visit their FranchiseShow247 exhibition stand here.
