Mnemonic: (n.) A device, such as a formula or rhyme, used as an aid in remembering.
Mnemonics, or the science and art of aiding memory, is an ancient concept. Many people rely on mnemonic devices to help remember what they have learned or need to recall, from grocery lists and people’s names to kings and queens or the presidents.
However, what works for one person may not work for another and so the best mnemonics are those made up by the student, as they are more meaningful to him or her.
The following five types of memory devices will help to improve retention of information:
1. Associations
Developing associations is a familiar strategy used to recall information by connecting it to other, more familiar pieces of information. For example, memorizing a sequence of seemingly random digits is easy when that number series is your birth date or street address.
2. Rhyming
Rhymes and jingles are powerful memory devices. Just think how often you have used the rhyme, “Thirty days has September. . .” to recall the number of days within a month.
To use the Rhyme Technique, all you have to do is make up a rhyme to remember what you want to remember! It is fun! If you are musically inclined, you can even make up whole songs to help you remember long pieces of important information.
3. Chunking
When reciting a telephone or Social Security number, most people tend to speak it in three chunks. For example, the first and second chunks of a phone number consist of three digits and the third chunk contains four digits. Chunking the numbers makes a meaningless series easier to remember. Chunking is also an excellent strategy for remembering how to spell words.
4. Acronyms
An acronym is a word formed from the initial letter or letters of each of the words in a name or organization. For example, LASER stands for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation, REM sleep stands for Rapid Eye Movement,and NASA stands for National Aeronautical and Space Administration.
You can also make up acronyms to help you remember information. Think of an acronym as a “fun” word or phrase in which each letter stands for the first letter of the item to be recalled.
5. Acrostics
An acrostic is a memory strategy similar to an acronym, but it takes the first letters of a series of words, lines or verses to form a memorable phrase. Sometimes the phrase is nonsense, which may actually help you remember it!
Here is one: King Philip Came Over For Grandma’s Soup. Each acrostic stands for the biological classification hierarchy (Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus and Species).