Forums IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ PhotoReading, Memory Optimizer Long term recall to reach greater hights!

I have a two fold purpose. 1) to learn for the exam 2) to have recall at a later date.

I am good at studying for exams, I can learn sequences of events quite well, eg the maturation for red blood cells is as follows, from committed stem cell – erythroblast – basophil erythroblast – polychromatiphil erythroblast – orthochromatic erythroblast – reticulochytes – erythrocytes (mature red blood cells)
This is in my memory, it has been for a few weeks now and the test is on Thursday. I am confident that I will know the material. My problem lies in the near future lets say 6months, when we talk about blood cell development again and the information is not there.

I definitely constructed it well, as I have learnt it, and held it in conscious recall for two weeks.

The stages of development don’t mena much to me, other than another stage in the process of development (that’s all we are required (all I desire ) to know).

So many subjects at school I have learnt, complex little steps in a cycle to a few years later have a trouble in recalling/reconstructing.

I assume the answer is use it or loose it. If I have to read over / re study my notes all the time there would be no time to do anything else. This is still true if I only learn what is important to me.

So what do I do, whats the best way to reactivate, how often, so many questions. Please I would love to hear your insight.

P.S i used the creative methods taught in the program for the subject heading. Hights for ladder.

1. you could make little colorful mind maps w/ some blood cells in strange shapes.

2. could make up a creative sentence using the letters... my waffel creature just popped...has enabled me to keep in memory certain words forever.

3. if you do make mind maps put them up on the wall or mirror where you can see them from time to time

4. eventually you'll be in a hospital training and it'll all come back to you w/o any effort b/c it'll be all hands on experience---so don't worry about it. It may seem like it's gone, but it really isn't.

I have used mind maps for many years now. Long enough to know that I don't like them. (thanks anyway)

To me it is like the Memory web is a mind jungle. When we construct information we make pathways threw the jungle.

It feels like my pathways are hard to find when the information is not being in constant use. ( i will often walk past blood (intersection) yet choose not to go down the pathway of maturation)

I am in search of a way to stop the jungle from growing over my track or a way to make the track an information highway.

So the question is how can i make this a reality.

Thank you

[This message has been edited by dovio (edited October 14, 2002).]

Since you already have a good recall of the topic you only need to periodically revisit it to keep the jungle from growing back. You play with it say once a week to see what you remember. If that remains then check in once a month for a while. Then once every 6 months to once a year is problably all that is required.

However you learnt to remember it in the first place is how you start playing with it. For the sake of a game you might make an abc list of it. Play with it daily or weekly for a while just for the fun of it. Treading regularly down the path stops the jungle from growing over.

Alex

Thanks Alex.

You said "However you learnt to remember it in the first place is how you start playing with it."

I am not quite sure what you meant by this.

Often i just read my notes a few times and then try to reconstruct. I find areas that are weak and then repeat the process.

So this being my way of learning,how do i then start playing with it?

What you are already doing... just read my notes a few times and then try to reconstruct. I find areas that are weak and then repeat the process. Basically that is all you need to do. Once a week then once a month then every 6 months.

You could reconstruct onto an abc list for the sake of putting it into your memory by way of play. Either use the anchorman list to make associations or just make an abc list of your own (usefull anyway for problem solving ) Then recall your list whenever you think of it. You do recreate your notes in another way. That gives you 2 tracks through the jungle. Once you created the list you can try recalling it whenever you find yourself with a couple of minutes to spare, to decide to check how your memory on the topic is holding out.

Also you can use analograffiti to make associations. Just use the topic word and link the important points to each letter. Sort of using the anchorman list in reverse. Have the topic word down the left hand side instead of abc.

Eg the topic brainwave. I would have those nine letters down the left side and using the appropriate anchorman list associations.. bugs bunny etc. Link that to what I want to remember about the subject in the order I want to remeber it. Later when you think up the topic word, while waiting in one of those super fast bank queues for example. You can think of the topic and the anchorman association to each letter and the important point you associated with that anchor. It's analograffiti combined with abc in a structed linear form for recall. When you play with it a few times it becomes like remembering a song you only need to remember a bit for the rest to come back to you.

Naturally it will help if your topic word has enough letters and you have to be creative for the repeated letters or be able to skip them (so you only use each letter once). Just some ideas you might like to play with.

Alex

Dovio:

I see you study medicine, and so do I.

My strategy for long-term recall is the continuous integration of earlier learned knowledge into the stuff I study right now. For example, when I learn pathology, with all its organs and inflammatory cells etc. I also have the old anatomy and immunology books/mind maps beside me as a reference, and to refresh my memory. It really does not take a very long time for me.
I noticed two main benefits with this strategy:
1. Almost everything I learned during my college years is integrated into a one big memory web, and it's easy to make associations from one thing to another.
2. My teachers love me for this...haha
3. My knowledge is superior to other students that learn each subject as separate units and now have trouble with recalling old material.

Recently, on a test, our teacher asked questions that required knowledge of old material, applied to the new stuff. Almost every student who didn't repeat old material in some way failed on these questions!

I don't study medicine but Chiropractic.

I have just finished a Pharmacology degree, which was not me. (slight contrast hey)

In my first year now, have three years to go. (Because I have a degree I was able to skip the first year)

Anyway thanks heaps for the input. Far too often when I study I get a feeling that i should dip into old material (yet never acted on this feeling). Thanks to your anecdote from now on I will.

So a big thankyou.

I like it when things begin to shine. A moment of clarity can be a beautiful thing.