Help yourself to remember facts!
How to remember the order of the Planets: My Very Enormous Monster Just Sucked Up Neptune...
Is it important to be able to memorise facts and figures? I think so. Today it's suggested that the "Google generation" don't need to learn by rote, because computers are always there to help. But that's not strictly true. For one thing, computers aren't always there, on or actually working when you need them. For another, learning helps to stimulate the brain, improves your ability to learn (no need to stop and keep checking dates for one thing, nor keep turning to a calculator) and basically helps you throughout life. True, some things are more important than others, but we're given a brain. I don't see the point of not using it.
But remembering isn't always easy. I've recently come across a website that promises to help memorise information. It's good fun, and actually quite a useful aid to learning. It's also appealingly interactive.
The site is called Thinkalink, and run by a very enthusiastic man called Andy Salmon, who initially set it up as a hobby. He thinks that learning by rote can indeed be dull, but that mnemonics (or links) are the way forward.
"I love playing with words," says Andy, who also posts accompanying cartoons to many of his links. "This site is very much an educational site as it's making learning fun, and mnemonics has been out there for centuries. It's been underused, and I'm just bringing it the fore."
Andy has a huge number of categories on his site, and also welcomes suggestions from visitors (as well as his seven-year-old triplets!). These range from how to remember the minister for the Olympics (clue: One should never thrown in the jowell when competing in the Olympics) to how you remember the offspring of a deer, (Four bucks for a deer isn't much doe!). Some are clearly more useful than others, and all can be rated. Give it a go and let us know what you think.....
(Cartoon by: Bill Stott)
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