Recalling the main elements of a text
Recall consists of retelling in your own words the elements of a text you have read, by recreating the information you consider important. It is an exercise through which the reader or listener is led to recall either the characteristics of a word, an extract or a text, but in the absence of the latter (Legendre, 2005). Certain factors help your memory function, such as getting enough sleep to optimise your capacity to concentrate and eating the right diet to stay intellectually alert (Bragdon and Gamon, 2006). Conversely, other factors can impair your capacity to concentrate and remember, such as stress, so it is important to reduce your exposure to stress or at least learn to manage how you react to it, for example by using relaxation techniques or physical exercise. Thus, a healthy diet, physical exercise, sufficient sleep and the development of appropriate attitudes will improve your memory performance. Certain times of the day are also more appropriate for recording and recalling information. Managing your time according to your energy cycle is necessary to get the most out of your capacity to concentrate and remember (Herrmann, Raybeck et Grunberg, 2002).
Advantages
Recalling the essential elements of your readings makes it easier for you to record information more easily and retain it better. Recall leads to the development of lasting knowledge.
To get started
Questions to ask yourself :
- What was the subject of the text?
- What elements, components, arguments or aspects were discussed in relation to the subject?
- Briefly explain each of these aspects orally.
Exercise
Choose a short text related to your field of study.
Read the text individually and identify the important ideas (highlight, mark, circle, box, etc.).
Once you have completed this exercise, identify the important elements (write them down on a piece of paper or represent them in a way that will help you remember them) and then explain them in your own words.
You can do this exercise with a classmate to make it more interactive.
Using mnemonics
In our daily lives, we all have our own little tricks to help us remember different information (e.g. phone numbers, things to do, names of people, etc.). These means, such as the use of lists, small pieces of paper stuck in certain places, are often adapted to each of us according to our preferences. However, it is important to bear in mind that everyday life offers us different opportunities to use our memory, and there are times when we need to learn to dispense with the various written materials we use and instead use other types of techniques.
Writing down items and repeating them aloud helps us to retain the information better. In addition, mnemonics are often relevant means of "visualisation, association and analogies" (Bizouard, 2010, p. 147) based on imagination, to help our memory. One of these mnemonics are based on the principle that it is better to remember a picture or a sentence rather than a word, a word rather than a letter or a letter rather than a number. A mnemonic thus makes it possible to construct different plans for retrieving information stored in long-term memory, by organising recall cues, keys that you simply need to activate to bring back the information you need at the right moment (Delsarte, 2006).
One of the well-known examples is the word FANBOYS, a way to memorise certain elements of grammar (coordination conjunctions: For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So). Thus, mnemonics were used to construct a clue to facilitate the recall and memorization of these conjunctions. By organising them in a specific way, they will remain engraved in our memory.
Even if you know some of the classic mnemonics, you can create your own tricks. In the process of remembering, repetition becomes an important ally. Although mnemonics are effective, their usefulness is limited to the retention of formulas, technical terms or lists of names (Ruph, 2010).
Advantages
Mnemonics help to make memory more effective in specific contexts.
To get started
Feldman (2011) propose different mnemonics. We present those most relevant to university studies:
- Acronyms: They are words or phrases formed by the first letters of a series of terms. For example, the word laser, with which you are probably familiar, is actually an acronym for «Light amplification by stimulated emissions of radiation». (p.208)
- Acrostics: using the initials of words from a list to remember, the aim is to compose a word without necessarily having a meaning or a short sentence with a funny sound. By pronouncing the sentence and repeating it until it sounds musical, memorization is facilitated.
For example, the initial technique can be used to remember the order of operations. Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally (PEMDAS) stands for: Parenthesis, Exponent, Multiplication, Division, Addition, Subtraction.
- Rhymes and jingles: A familiar song helps you remember, simply think about the alphabet song as an example!
- Method of Loci: «The elements in a list are visualized as occupying the parts of a familiar place» (p.211). «Loci» is a Latin word for «places».
- Involve your senses: use your body, draw, visualize the information.
Interesting link
To learn more about memory and memory strategies, see the book: Actualizing my Intellectual Potential. Strategies for University Learning, a Reflection Guide (by François Ruph, 2010. Rouyn-Noranda, UQAT)
Available online: https://web2.uqat.ca/guidestrategies/en/memory/knowmore.php