Learning How to Learn


A man of great memory without learning hath a rock and a spindle and no staff to spin.

—George Herbert,
English poet

The teacher I talked about in Chapter 15, Adolph Capriolo, taught us various memory techniques, including one called mnemonics, using the following exercise, which, when practiced, can enhance your memory by as much as 50 percent.

First, memorize the following 10 words in order:

  1. Sun.

  2. Shoe.

  3. Tree.

  4. Door.

  5. Hive.

  6. Sticks.

  7. Heaven.

  8. Gate.

  9. Vine.

  10. Hen.

You'll notice that the words rhyme with the numbers. Now ask a friend to give a list of words off the top of his or her head. Suppose the first word is noodle. Think of number one: sun, then create a picture of the sun and noodle. See yourself at a sunny outdoor caf in a plaza in Italy, eating a plate piled three stories high with noodles. The sillier the picture, the easier it is to remember. Do the same for each of the 10 words and their corresponding rhyming words and numbers, and you can easily repeat back the list of words!

I practiced this technique for weeks in my class. Then I was able to remember more things than anyone else. For me, the important point was not that I could memorize a random list of words. It enhanced my confidence in my ability to learn, so my grades changed. I was able to say, "If I can beat everyone else in this class, I can do a lot more. I can get Cs and Ds without studying, so imagine what I can do if I apply myself!"

Memory is fired by association. When we perceive something...from that perception we are able to obtain a notion of some other thing like or unlike which is associated with it but has been forgotten.

—Plato




Diamond Power. Gems of Wisdom From America's Greatest Marketer
Diamond Power: Gems of Wisdom from Americas Greatest Marketer
ISBN: 1564146987
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 207
Authors: Barry Farber

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