When you study, it helps to add to your existing knowledge by building links between new ideas and what you already know.
Ideas and knowledge do not occur in a vacuum. All ideas can be linked in some way or another to each other.
At college many years ago I endured a series of classes telling me how to create "mind-maps." It was the latest thing in the late 70's and for me it was totally useless. Why? Because I am not a visual learner. I was always an auditory learner. I could listen to instructions and follow them. Seeing a jumble of colored lines and speech bubbles on a page meant nothing to me, even when I created it.
What rocked my boat was actually making up lyrics to songs.
Think about songs for a moment. They began as a means to help story tellers and ancient poets memorize the story. Sing a favorite song to yourself, I'd bet you have a catalogue of several thousand songs in your brain right now. You have learned them through a lifetime of just living, maybe some you have learned for special occassions. But I'd also bet every song will give you a picture, even bring back memories of feelings, emotions and memories of a particular time.
This is the same thing as creating mental links. Read or watch something to do with your course and try to link it to a particular series of thoughts.
If you are like me, make up a song, compose your own tune or go for lyrics to a favorite song. It's up to you.
You can create a story, put in a favorite actor or actress, make yourself the leading role, make it memorable. But build in the ideas you most want to remember.
As your knowledge in a class expands you can add to your favorite song or story. By constant reviewing of your favorite method you can build stronger links. Then suddenly ome day you will sit in the exam room and you can replay your method in your mind. The story will be so familiar that you will recall most of your knowledge with ease and there it will be on your answer paper.
Ideas and knowledge do not occur in a vacuum. All ideas can be linked in some way or another to each other.
At college many years ago I endured a series of classes telling me how to create "mind-maps." It was the latest thing in the late 70's and for me it was totally useless. Why? Because I am not a visual learner. I was always an auditory learner. I could listen to instructions and follow them. Seeing a jumble of colored lines and speech bubbles on a page meant nothing to me, even when I created it.
What rocked my boat was actually making up lyrics to songs.
Think about songs for a moment. They began as a means to help story tellers and ancient poets memorize the story. Sing a favorite song to yourself, I'd bet you have a catalogue of several thousand songs in your brain right now. You have learned them through a lifetime of just living, maybe some you have learned for special occassions. But I'd also bet every song will give you a picture, even bring back memories of feelings, emotions and memories of a particular time.
This is the same thing as creating mental links. Read or watch something to do with your course and try to link it to a particular series of thoughts.
If you are like me, make up a song, compose your own tune or go for lyrics to a favorite song. It's up to you.
You can create a story, put in a favorite actor or actress, make yourself the leading role, make it memorable. But build in the ideas you most want to remember.
As your knowledge in a class expands you can add to your favorite song or story. By constant reviewing of your favorite method you can build stronger links. Then suddenly ome day you will sit in the exam room and you can replay your method in your mind. The story will be so familiar that you will recall most of your knowledge with ease and there it will be on your answer paper.
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