Unit 5 Overview–Memory Principles and Techniques; Unit Terms
Memorization has gotten a bad rap recently. Lots of students, and even some educators, say that being able to reason is more important than knowing facts; and besides, why bother committing things to memory when you’ve got Google? My response to this – after I’ve finished inwardly groaning – is that of course reasoning is important, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t know facts as well. It’s not like you have to choose between one or the other. Besides, facts give you a foundation on which to reason about things. Stephanie Weisman
Topics, Objectives, Materials, Terms, To-Do List
Topics
This unit covers the following focus points:
- A memory model
- Memory techniques, or mnemonics
- Memory as we age
Objectives
After you have completed this unit you should be able to:
- Understand how each part of the memory works (sensory, working, and long-term)
- Understand several mnemonic, or memory, techniques
- Understand memory and the older learner: what changes and what stays the same
Materials
- e-book, “How to Learn Like a pro!” (instructor may require some materials to be downloaded)
Terms (These terms also appear in the Glossary of Terms)
NOTE: the definitions are adapted and/or abbreviated from the original.
Acronym: A mnemonic device created by using the first letters of words to make a new word that will help you remember it. Example: NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration).
Acrostic: A mnemonic device made by creating a sentence using the first letters of key words in the items to remember. Example: the order of operations in math problems can be remembered by the acrostic: “Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally,” i.e., Parentheses, Exponents, Multiply, Divide, Add, and Subtract.
Mnemonics: Memory devices such as rhymes, acronyms and acrostics.
To-Do List
- Complete the exercises, as assigned, in each lesson.
- In face-to-face classes, your instructor may include optional additional activities.
