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Learning Strategies

Mnemonics

Using Acronyms to Study

Mnemonics are used to help remember a list of items. Mnemonics lessen the demand on your long-term memory by condensing information and using cues to prompt you. Mnemonics can also be used on cue sheets, if this is included in your Letter of Accommodation. Mnemonics can include verbal, visual, auditory or tactile components, depending on what makes sense to you and content you are learning.  

Explore the examples of mnemonics below:  

Explore the examples of mnemonics below:

  • Keywords
  • Peg-word Rhyming
  • Acronyms
  • Acrostics
  • Personal Prompts

 

Keywords

To remember 2 parts of the brain: the cerebrum and cerebellum. The cerebrum is larger, so to remember that, you could imagine a tuba which is a large instrument. The cerebellum could be a small bell. Thus, you would remember which part is large and which one is small. This is useful when you have two concepts that you have difficulty differentiating.

 

Peg-word Rhyming

Peg-words are used to rhyme with a keyword in the concept. This cues you to remember associated information with the rhyming word.

Example 1:

To remember Newton’s three laws of motion:

  1. a body at rest tends to stay at rest
    1. One is a bun (it rhymes). The bun does not move unless someone touches it.
  2. a body in motion tends to stay in motion 
    1. Two is flew (it rhymes too). The airplane flew at the same speed until wind speed changed.
  3. every action has an equal and opposite reaction 
    1. Three is glee (rhymes). The child was full of glee; then the child began to cry.

Poems or rhyming sentences help to remember things. (e.g. “Thirty days hath September, April, June, and November..”).

 

Acronyms

Acronyms are words made up to help with memorizing a list. Each letter is the beginning of a word to help you remember.

Examples

HOMES – to remember the Great Lakes (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior)

ROY G BIV – to remember the colours of the rainbow in order (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet)

 

Acrostics

Acrostics are sentences that you use to help to remember words.

Examples

Every Good Boy Deserves Fun – to remember the lines of music on the treble clef

Good Boys Deserve Fun Always – to remember the lines of music on the bass clef

 

Personal Prompts

Mnemonics can also be cues only familiar to you as they may be something you personally associate with.  For example, a word may remind you of another word you know such as a family name or a song you love.