Mastering Memory with Loci and Pegword Techniques

1. Memorization Techniques

2. Loci Strategy • The word is plural of locus meaning place • Based on your familiarity with a place • Strategy helps you remember a list of items through organization, visualization and association • Works well if you are good at picturing things

3. Steps to Loci with an Example(Ex: Nature) • First, identify a place in which you are very familiar (ex: a kitchen) • Second, visualize that place and its features in your mind (ex: a coffee pot on a stove) • Third, associate each item to be remembered with a particular feature of that place (ex: a plant growing out of the coffee pot) • Note—the more unusual the association, the more likely you are to remember it

4. So, say you need to remember nature, pigeon, somersault, invasion, lemon and puddle • Using the kitchen and associations with features in the kitchen you can do this… • Pigeon-visualize a pigeon landing on the table • Somersault-visualize a clown doing a somersault over the table • Invasion-visualize ants invading and swarming over a piece of bread on the counter

5. Lemon-visualize lemons floating in a pitcher of lemonade in the refrigerator • Puddle-visualize the kitchen sink overflowing and forming a puddle of soapy water on the floor

6. Pegwords • Good when you have to remember a number of things • Pegwords are words that rhyme with number words • Each pegword is substituted for a number word and is then associated with the information to be remembered

7. Pegwords cont~ • You can use any word as a pegword as long as it rhymes with a number word • Nouns and verbs are best to use as pegwords because they are easy to associate with information to be remembered

8. Sample pegwords • One run • Two shoe • Three tree • Four door • Five dive • Six fix • Seven heaven • Eight gate • Nine sign • Ten hen

9. How to use pegwords • Think of the first piece of information to be remembered • Think of the pegword for number one which is run • Form an association in your mind between the pegword one and the first piece of information to be remembered. Create a picture of this in your mind

10. How to use pegwords cont~ • Repeat these steps for each additional piece of information (shoe for two and tree for three) • Example: Three important reasons for preserving forests…..

11. Forest provides food for animals. • Pegword for one is run • Create a picture in your mind of a rabbit running to a bowl of food (when you try to recall the 1st reason, the number 1 will trigger the picture of the rabbit running to get food= forest provide food for animals)

12. Forest provides shelter for animals • Two/shoe • Create a picture in your mind of a chipmunk living in a shoe

13. Forest provide lumber that is used to build homes for people • Three/tree • Create a picture of stacks of lumber lying on the ground next to a partially built house

14. Pegwords lets you use your imagination to remember information • The more creative and unusual the better • Practice–Three reasons to use study skills

15. Flashcards • Make flashcards as you study and learn • Use both sides of the cards • Use flashcards in different colors • Illustrate the cards • Don’t put too much information on any one card • Carry your cards with you • Change the order of the cards frequently • study them….quiz yourself!!!!