• Primacy: People tend to remember the first few items in a list eg grass, paper
• Recency: People also remember the last few items in a list eg pencil, carbon
• Von Restorff Effect: People tend to remember outstanding or unusual words in a list eg Zulu. Interestingly, many people also remember the words either side because of increased attention.
• Specificness: People find it harder to remember abstract terms such as love, truth, wisdom
• Organisation: People find it easier to remember the words if they are organised into groups. eg school equipment, farm items etc.
• Dual Encoding: Pictures are easier to remember
• Meaning: People find it easier to remember the meanings of words rather than the words themselves so, if you know what it means you are much more likely to remember it!
• Context: People find it easier to remember things in a context.
• Sleep: People remember more if they sleep on it.
• Review: Regular and systematic review aids memory

Improving Memory:

-Accelerated Learning in Action

A few ideas:

• Build self esteem, reduce threat
• review, target setting, etc
• Use emotions and self interest
• Utilise left and right brain using VAC- visual, auditory and kinesthetic
• Utilise the 7 intelligences
• Use memory maps
• organisation
• linking
• pictorial
• Use memory tricks:
• memory maps/posters
• use faces/places to 'store' words
• use ridiculous stories to help give you 'hooks' to words
• use raps or rhythm to remember words