Meaningful Organization
We usually remember only five to seven items as a time. Of course, we seldom take tests with that limited information.
The key is to organize larger blocks of information in ways that are meaningful to you. If you can organize 25 items into five groups of five you will find it much easier to manage.
Sometimes categories are obvious.
Greek, Roman, Egyptian
nouns, verbs, adjectives
kingdom, phylum, class, order
Or in the case of a grocery list, meats, vegetables, beverages.
Here are some tips when the categories are not obvious.
Search the information for something that is personally meaningful to you.
Alphabetize the list.
Use a mnemonic device. Take the first letter of each item and spell a word or make a sentence. For example to remember the great lakes, remember HOMES: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior.
Set your list to music - melodies activate different parts of your brain and assist with recall.
If at all possible, do not have more than seven items in any one category.
The key is to organize larger blocks of information in ways that are meaningful to you. If you can organize 25 items into five groups of five you will find it much easier to manage.
Sometimes categories are obvious.
Greek, Roman, Egyptian
nouns, verbs, adjectives
kingdom, phylum, class, order
Or in the case of a grocery list, meats, vegetables, beverages.
Here are some tips when the categories are not obvious.
Search the information for something that is personally meaningful to you.
Alphabetize the list.
Use a mnemonic device. Take the first letter of each item and spell a word or make a sentence. For example to remember the great lakes, remember HOMES: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior.
Set your list to music - melodies activate different parts of your brain and assist with recall.
If at all possible, do not have more than seven items in any one category.
