1. Improving Memory and Reading

2. How does the memory work?
Three Stages
Sensory Register
Short Term Memory (STM)
Long Term Memory (LTM)

3. Sensory Register Lasts less than a second Records sensory experience
Allows the brain to process info
Helps us to focus on relevant info

4. The Sensory Register is like a quickly fading photo of your sensory experience

5. Short Term Memory Lasts about a half a minute Temporary and limited
Records what we see, hear, do, taste, touch
Purpose is to ponder significance and decide if it is important enough to remember

6. Magical Number 7
It is easier to remember material grouped in chunks of seven (+ or –2)

7. Common 7’s Telephone Number License Plate Days of the Week
Colors of the Rainbow
Deadly Sins
7 Dwarfs (Snow White)
Can You Name Some Others?

8. Long Term Memory Large capacity Permanent storage
Use it to store important information for future use
Use it to store information for college success

9. How are long term memories formed?
Takes purposeful action
Repetition
Meaningful association
It must have survival value
Personal reasons
To pass a test

10. These Help Motivation
Interest or
Joy in learning

11. Is It True that We Never Forget?
We remember what is stored in
Long Term Memory (LTM)
This is the goal of college study

12. How Long Do We Remember? Sensory Register less than one second
Short Term less than one minute
Long Term permanent

13. Summary

14. To Store Information in Long Term Memory
Requires rehearsal
Apply memory techniques

15. Rate of Forgetting (or losing access)
AFTER 20 MINUTES 47%
AFTER 1 DAY %
AFTER 2 DAYS %
AFTER 15 DAYS %
AFTER 31 DAYS %
Hermann Ebbinghaus

16. When is the best time to review?

17. Review within 20 minutes

18. Ready for a memory test?

19. How did you remember?

20. Memory Techniques

21. Meaningful Organization

22. Memory is like a library

23. If you miss-file a book,
You cannot find it.
It is still there and you may
stumble across it one day.

24. File your books correctly.
Organize those thoughts!

25. Organize it.
Learn from the general to the
specific
Make it meaningful

26. Remember the Magical Number 7?
Organize in Groups of 7 or Less

27. Visualization Make a mental picture of what you want to remember
Commercials make good use of this technique

28. Recitation One of the most powerful techniques
Memories exist in the form of a chemical neural trace
Some researchers think it takes 5 seconds to establish this trace
Repeat it 5 times or keep it in your mind for 5 seconds

29. READY FOR THE TEST AGAIN? YOU’LL DO BETTER THIS TIME

30. More Memory Techniques

31. Develop an Interest
We tend to remember what interests us

32. Can You Remember?
Music
Sports
Hobbies
Styles

33. Find Something Interesting in Your College Studies

34. See the Big Picture
Understand the main points first and the details second

35. Imagine trying to see a painting one inch at a time
Imagine trying to see a painting one inch at a time! It is difficult to appreciate or understand.

36. “The essence of genius is knowing what to overlook.”
William James

37. Intend to Remember
Tell yourself that you are going to remember.

38. Intend to remember where you put your keys!

39. Distribute the Practice
Learn small amounts at a time
Review frequently

40. EXAMPLE: SAFMEDS SAY ALL FAST ONE MINUTE EACH DAY SHUFFLE

41. Create a Basic Background
We remember by making connections to what we already know
At first college is difficult because you are establishing the basic background

42. Relax While Studying

43. You can’t remember if you are embarrassed

44. Frustrated

45. Tired

46. Memory Tricks

47. Acrostics Creative rhymes, songs or poems
Musical Notes: Every Good Boy Does Fine

48. Acronyms
Create New Words as Memory Aids
NASA
LASER
SCUBA

49. Exercise: Practice with Mnemonics

50. Peg Systems One Bun Six Sticks Two Shoe Seven Heaven
Three Tree Eight Gate
Four Door Nine Wine
Five Hive Ten Hen

51. Picture the Peg
Bun

52. Connect what you want to remember. Use a picture.
Bun
Milk

53. Exercise: Remember a Grocery List

54. Peg Systems One Bun Six Sticks Two Shoe Seven Heaven
Three Tree Eight Gate
Four Door Nine Wine
Five Hive Ten Hen

55. Loci Systems
Use places to remember
A House
A Hallway

56. Can you strengthen your mind?

57. Exercises to Strengthen the Mind
Puzzles
Music
Fix Something
Art
Dance
Aerobic Exercise
Interesting People

58. Keeping Your Mind Healthy
Exercise
Rest
Balanced, low-fat diet
Eat proteins and carbohydrates
Drink caffeine in moderation
Don’t abuse drugs or alcohol
Use safety gear

59. Part II: Read to Remember

60. Warm Up Your Brain Can You Remember the Grocery List?

61. Peg Systems One Bun Six Sticks Two Shoe Seven Heaven
Three Tree Eight Gate
Four Door Nine Wine
Five Hive Ten Hen

62. Sum: Apply these super learning techniques
Meaningful Organization
Visualization
Recitation
Develop an Interest
See the Big Picture First
Intend to Remember
Distribute the Practice
Create a Basic Background
Relax

63. Myths About Reading
If I read, I should remember what I read.

64. Generally people cannot remember 50% of of the material they have just read!

65. Myths About Reading If I read, I should remember what I read.
I do not need to read if I go to class.
Practice makes perfect.

66. SQ4R A shortcut to college reading

67. Read once Instead of Re-reading. Recite for memory improvement

68. Step 1 Survey Question
FAST

69. Why?
Beginning of speed reading
Improves comprehension

70. How?
Quickly look over the chapter
Turn the subtitles into questions

71. Survey See the big picture Ease into studying Warm up
Create a basic background
Get started

72. ?? Question Read to find answers Improves reading comprehension
Forces you to concentrate ??

73. Keeps you awake

74. Become an Active Reader

75. Exercise: Surveying and Questioning a Chapter

76. Step 2
Read
Recite
SLOW
FAST

77. This step is most important for Memory

78. How?
Read to identify
the topic sentence
or main idea

79. Underline or highlight the idea if it is important.

80. When reading is tough Read it again Look up new words Read it aloud
Ask the instructor
Stand up and read
Use tutoring
Pretend you understand
Take a break and come back later

81. Use 3X5 cards to learn new words
Read with a Dictionary
Use 3X5 cards to learn new words

82. FAST Recite Most powerful memory technique
Converts information from short term to long term memory
Keeps you alert
FAST

83. Step 3
Review
Reflect
FAST

84. Why?
Reinforces
memory

85. Within 20 Minutes! When? Most of the forgetting occurs
in the first 20 minutes.

86. How to Review After each main section, review the main points
At the end of the chapter, quickly review the main points one more time
Do your review quickly

87. Reflection is the creative step

88. Reflection How can I use this? What is important? How does it relate?
How can I use it
in my career?
Is it true?

89. A step beyond memorization is Wisdom
REFLECT

90. Sum:SQ4R

91. Online Reading Strategies
What is your purpose for reading? For college material: Scan first. Look for key points. Make note of the important points. Review.

92. What to do if the reading goes in one ear and out the other.

93. What to do if the reading goes in one ear and out the other?
Tell yourself you can do it!
Try visualization.
Look for personal meaning.
Scan for important points.
Talk to the text as you read it.

94. 4 Gears of Reading Skimming (2000-3000 WPM)
Rapid Reading ( WPM)
Slow Reading ( WPM)
Studying (200 WPM)

95. Guidelines for Marking a Text

96. A Mind Map for Marking a Text
“THE ESSENCE OF
GENIUS IS KNOWING
WHAT TO OVERLOOK”
BE SELECTIVE
20%

97. Marking WHY? MEMORY SAVE TIME “THE ESSENCE OF GENIUS IS KNOWING
WHAT TO OVERLOOK”
BE SELECTIVE
20 %

98. Marking WHY? MEMORY “THE ESSENCE OF SAVE TIME GENIUS IS KNOWING
WHAT TO OVERLOOK”
BE SELECTIVE
20 %
GUIDELINES
READ FIRST
ORGANIZE
NOTES IN MARGIN
BRIEF
FAST AND NEAT

99. Marking WHY? MEMORY SAVE TIME “THE ESSENCE OF GENIUS IS KNOWING
WHAT TO OVERLOOK”
BE SELECTIVE
SYMBOLS
20 %
GUIDELINES
READ FIRST *
* *
ORGANIZE
NOTES IN MARGIN
BRIEF
FAST AND NEAT

100. Marking WHY? MEMORY SAVE TIME “THE ESSENCE OF GENIUS IS KNOWING
WHAT TO OVERLOOK”
BE SELECTIVE
SYMBOLS
20 %
GUIDELINES
READ FIRST *
* *
ORGANIZE
NOTES IN MARGIN
BRIEF
FAST AND NEAT

101. Marking DOUBLE SYSTEM WHY? 1. UNDERLINE IN PENCIL
2. HIGHLIGHT AS PART OF
REVIEW
MEMORY
SAVE TIME
“THE ESSENCE OF
GENIUS IS KNOWING
WHAT TO OVERLOOK”
BE SELECTIVE
SYMBOLS
20 %
GUIDELINES
READ FIRST *
* *
ORGANIZE
NOTES IN MARGIN
BRIEF
FAST AND NEAT

102. More Ideas on Text Marking
Point out definitions by writing DEF in the margin. Circle the word being defined.
Point out examples by writing EX in the margin
Write SUM in the margin to point out useful summaries to reread.

103. Group Activity: Make a Mind Map Use How Does the Memory Work?

104. An Example of a Mind Map

105. Understanding the main ideas= Success on tests

106. The Listing Pattern Presents a List of Items
Your task as a reader is to identify all items listed
Watch for clues such as numbers or letters
First
Second
Third
1, 2, 3
A B C D

107. Sequence Pattern
Presents a list of items in a specific order. The order is important.
As a reader, identify and mark all items in the series and note their order.
Again clues are numbers or letters.
Notice words such as then, next, finally

108. Definition Pattern Presents an explanation of a term
As the reader, understand all parts of the definition
Watch for words such as: is, is defined, this term means, is known as, refers to

109. Comparison/Contrast Pattern
Presents similarities or differences
As a reader, recognize these similarities or differences
For comparisons, notice these words: similarly, likewise, also
For differences, notice these words: however, in contrast, on the other hand, nevertheless

110. Cause/Effect Pattern
Presents the reasons things happen (causes) and their results (effects)
As a reader understand the cause and effect
For cause notice these words: causes, produces, leads to, results in
For effect notice these words: results from, was caused by, due to, consequently, therefore

111. Keys to Success: Positive Thinking
You can improve your reading and your life with positive thinking!

112. If you think you are beaten, you are.
If you think you dare not, you don’t.
If you like to win but think you can’t,
It’s almost certain that you won’t.
Life’s battles don’t always go
To the stronger woman or man,
But sooner or later, those who win
Are those who think they can.

113. Exercises: Check Your Textbook Reading skills Scenarios