memory Strategies

1. Use Your Course Outline

  • Structure notes according to course outline topic headings
  • Review course outline before class
  • Study for exams using course outline

2. Focus on Structure

a) In readings

  • When reading a textbook, read in the following order:
  • Table of contents
  • Conclusion (of book and specific chapter)
  • Tables, figures, graphs, charts
  • Headings
  • Text
  • Turn headings into questions
  • Ex: if the heading is ‘Child Development’, turn it into ‘What is child development?’
  • Pay attention to:
  • Words in bold, italics or underlined
  • Questions in margins, diagrams, pictures or charts and glossary of key terms

b) In lectures

  • Take note of information emphasized by your professor in lectures -this is likely to be important to remember!

c) When studying/taking notes

  • Organize notes by headings and subheadings, and keep an organized, multi-level structure (I, II, III; A, B, C; 1, 2, 3)
  • Pay attention to headings when you study - the hierarchy will indicate what’s most important to remember

3. Monitor Your Comprehension

  • Ask yourself if you understand what you are read in your textbook/hear in lectures
  • Discuss course information with classmates after class or in study groups
  • Tutor a classmate

4. Come Up with Your Own Examples

  • Think ofa relevant example related to course information

5. Think in Pictures, Colours, and Shapes

  • Create mental images of what you learn in class
  • Highlight your notes, keeping colours consistent for different levels of headings and key words
  • Organize your notes and ideas using shapes:
  • Create a pyramid to represent hierarchical ideas
  • Make a flow chart to show a sequence
  • Use a concept map to represent relationships between concepts and ideas

6. Make Mnemonics (tricks that help you remember information)

  • Create an acronym:
  • Take the first letter of each word
  • Create a word with all of these first letters
  • Ex: Colors of the rainbow (ROYGBIV)
  • Create a rhyme
  • Ex: Spelling – “I before E, except after C”
  • Create a sentence from an acronym
  • Ex: Piaget’s Stages of Development – Sensorimotor, Pre-Operational, Concrete-Operational, Formal-Operational
  • Smart
  • People
  • Cook
  • Fish

7. Repeat, Repeat, Repeat

  • Go over your notes many times (even if it’s boring!)
  • When repeating, use different methods to memorize the information (mnemonics, note-taking, create new examples)
  • Recite what you read out loud

For more information, check out our website:

Prepared by: Amanda Saxe (Learning Resources Intern) & Patricia Diaz del Castillo(Learning Resources Advisor)

McGill Office for Students with Disabilities

Sources:

Diaz del Castillo, P. & Pantel, S. (2012). How do I learn best? [Powerpoint Presentation].

Wong, L. (2012). Essential study skills. (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

Make sure to check out:

Diaz del Castillo, P. (2012). Create your own toolbox to manage your academic anxiety. [Powerpoint Presentation].

Diaz del Castillo, P. & Pantel, S. (2012). Work hard play hard. [Powerpoint Presentation].

Diaz del Castillo, P. & Saxe, A. (2013). Testing made easy. [Powerpoint Presentation].