If Anyone Knows About The trouble with memory…it’s me. Since I was 12 years old I’ve taken drugs for a seizure disorder and, while the drug worked great at controlling my seizures, it wreaked havoc on my memory. I can (now) remember a time when my memory was so terrible that I could be the next person to be served in a convenience store line and my child call and ask me to pick up a paper, I’d actually look over at the journal, but when I got up to the clerk I’d forgotten all about it.
I was famous in my family for forgetting things… including kids.
That’s why for years I thought college was out of the question for me. I mean… ME? How could I retain the information needed to do well on tests? How could I then remember what I’d learned in one class long enough for it to be the foundation for a more advanced class?
Hopeless? Not So!
I just had to create techniques that enabled me to not only learn, but to retain what I’d learned. I’m sure everyone either has or will have a certain method that works best for them, but here I’ll share with you what I found out about ways to study and remember what you studied.
Through my seven years of college and graduate school, I utilized a few specific techniques and here they are in order of how useful they were to me.
Sentences/Acrostics
This was my number one mainstay technique. My most memorable one was this one I created in 2003 dealing with the internal threats to the validity of a study:
His-History
Majesty-Maturation
Ted-Testing
Is-Instrumentation
Still-Selection
Swinging-Selection by maturation interaction
Angrily-Resentful demoralization of the control group
Away-Statistical regression
Mother-Mortality
Practice, Practice, Practice
I used to get my study guide, and then I’d answer each question as thoroughly… and I do mean carefully… as possible. I’m talking about it may take three pages to answer a question completely. I finished this as quickly as possible after getting the guide.
I would then read the question along with the complete answer probably three times/day until a few days before the test when I would take it down to once per day. All told, I would probably read each question and corresponding answer about 15-20 times before each test. It worked, though. I couldn’t remember everything, but I’d remember more than I thought I could. I can also recommend to use a homework help services for effortless studying.
Too, just the act of writing would remind me of more and more of what I’d written.
Visualization
This worked to a smaller degree. I think that was just because the things I was learning didn’t lend themselves too easily to this method. However, it worked pretty well on algebra problems (e.g., the quadratic equation).
Plan Adequate Time for Studying
Since studying takes time then it would make sense that an effective time management plan would include adequate time for studying and, alternately, that effectively studying would positively impact your time management plan.
With that said, to have the necessary time for effective studying, learn all the time management tips and tricks, strategies, and techniques that you can, and you’ll greatly increase your chance of success.
This article was written by StudyFAQ Community.
