Studying requires us to remember and comprehend a lot of new information. Some people can do it with ease, while for others it is quite hard. American journalist Joshua Foer, in his book “Moonwalking with Einstein”, offers a few techniques to remember better. He has done an experiment and trained his memory from the average level to the Memory Champion of the USA. Why not use his piece of advice for completing your homework?
Our Brains
It is said that brains of memory geniuses and other people have the same structure. That means we all have potential. When memory gurus remember new information, parts of their brains responsible for visual and spatial perception are active. Why does it happen? The answer is evolution. Our ancestors remembered where to find food and how to get back home but not phone numbers or exchange rates. Through evolution, our memory has not fully adapted to the modern world. That's why, when doing homework, we put so much effort to memorize the dates of historical events. All the memorizing techniques are based on transforming difficult information into easy one. Let us look what Joshua Foer advises!
“Visualization”
The first technique is called “Visualization”. The main idea is to create bright memorable images from boring information. The more absurd and grotesque images we create in our mind, the more likely we are to remember the information. Our brain is programmed to remember funny and vulgar things. So, let's not be shy and give your imagination some freedom.
"Castle of Memory"
The second technique is called "Castle of Memory". Experts advise putting new information in a familiar space. It could be your home, your room in a student hostel or even the desk where you do your homework. It can be any type of information like a to-do list, phrases in a foreign language or abstract ideas. The most important thing is to transform each piece of information into a memorable image. When you need to recall the stored information, you go through this space and inspect each image you have created. At first, this technique requires effort, but the result will please you. If you are so overloaded, and your castle of memory is in a total mess, consider HomeworkNeeded.Com.
"Fragmentation"
The third technique is "Fragmentation". This one is good for memorizing numbers and texts. Probably you have heard that our memory is able to store from 5 to 9 elements. Fragmentation allows shortening the number of elements by enlargement of each. What does it mean? Let's look at the example. Imagine that your homework is to remember twelve numbers. By breaking up the numbers into three groups you will simplify the task. You can also break them up into two groups and say that these are two dates of the American revolution. But if you know nothing about the American revolution, it will be impossible to do. Therefore, the knowledge that we already have determines what we can memorize. The more we already know, the more we can add into our brains, no matter how paradoxical it sounds. In case you feel that there is too much to remember, you need to prioritize and not to lose grades, you may need the assignment help online.
"Memorize in Context"
The fourth useful method is "Memorize in context". We don't keep separate things in our memory, but we remember things in context. There is the “Baker paradox” known in psychology. It explains why we would rather remember not someone's name but their profession. If we were told that a man's last name was Baker, it would give no information, but if a baker was his profession, it would provoke a number of images about what it means to be a baker. We would imagine a person wearing a uniform, baking bread and smiling to the customers of his cozy bakery. The last name connects only to a face and such a connection is quickly destroyed. Whereas baker as a profession connects to a network of neurons storing information. To create a context, we can make associations of words and gestures, colors, people, or actions. Be creative and very soon you will spend less time doing your homework.
Let’s sum it up. Even an ordinary memory can give outstanding results when trained. Use techniques to transform the text and numbers into bright memorable images placed in familiar space and become a homework guru. If you are interested in memorizing and want to sink deeper into the idea, you can read "Walking with Einstein" by Joshua Foer.
