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July 2003
Memorization Tips: Using Scriptorian to learn and remember
Generally we use this section to discuss general memorization tips and
principles of memory. This article will deal with applying
memorization and learning techniques directly to your use of
Scriptorian. The tips shared here will help you maximize Scriptorian
for helping you learn and remember.
1. Learn it first
This may seem like an obvious starting point, but often the desire to
quickly learn many things will cause some to effectively skip over
this first step. To remember something, you need to make the effort to
learn it in the first place. How many times have you forgotten
someone's name whom you just met simply because you didn't take a
moment to learn it? It is the same principle.
If your intent is to memorize a verse of scripture, then take some
time with Quote It's Learn Mode to gradually memorize the entire
verse. Unless it is something you are already familiar with, it is a
good idea to spread the memorization of a new item over a period of a
few days- especially if it is a lengthy item. Also, you may want to
consider splitting up larger items into smaller ones to aid in the
learning cycle.
When learning something new, involving as many senses as possible will
aid in retention. If possible, try talking through the item you are
learning. Speaking and hearing, along with typing and seeing, will
provide additional sources for reinforcing your memory.
If you are trying to learn where a verse is located, you may need to
apply some memory techniques for remembering chapter and verse.
Several techniques have been mentioned in previous newsletter articles.
Becoming familiar with the
context in which the verse is presented is also helpful in remembering
its location; know who said it, what the situation was, and associate
it with any other familiar verses "in the vicinity".
2. Make a review list
Just because you have learned something doesn't mean that you will
remember it for more than a day or two- especially as you continue to
learn new things. So if you want to retain what you have learned,
create a study list for those items you have learned. This will be
your review list which, if used regularly, will help you retain what
you have learned. The learning process (mentioned above) places the
information in your short term memory, the review process will move it
to your long term memory.
3. Quote It and Chase
Your learning goal will determine whether you use Quote It or Chase
(or both) on your review list. If you are memorizing verses and other
items, then you will obviously want to use Quote It. If your goal is,
for example, to remember where verses are located, then you will want
to use Chase. If you want to memorize and remember verse location,
then you will need to use both Quote It and Chase for your review.
It may be helpful to create two different review lists- one to use
with Quote It and the other to use with Chase. For example, there may
be only 50 scriptures that you want to memorize, but you want to
remember where 150 scriptures are located. Create a review list for
your 50 Quote It scriptures and then a review list for your 150 Chase
scriptures.
Using Pop Up mode is an ideal way to get regular daily review in and
to cover two lists- one for Quote It and one for Chase- at the same
time. Just remember to close your Pop Up session at the end of the day
(to update your study list's statistics) and start it up again the
next day.
4. Spaced repetition
Repetition is the key to retaining what you have learned, and regular-
preferably daily- review is very important for retention. However,
this doesn't mean that you need to review every single item you have
previously learned every single day. If this were the case, you would
soon be spending all your time reviewing and not be able to learn
anything new anymore! Instead, because of how your mind works,
decreasing the repetition frequency for a specific item over time is
actually better for memory retention.
This is where your review list and Scriptorian's weighting scheme
comes in. Scriptorian uses a special algorithm which we refer to as
"weighting" to make sure that the study items you need the most help
with will be the ones that you review most frequently. It also uses
longer time intervals for those items that you are proficient with. So
Scriptorian takes care of the spaced repetitions for you. The key is
to use Scriptorian regularly. When you do so, you will be surprised
how well you can retain hundreds scriptures or other items of
information. And all it takes is about 10 minutes of review a day to
accomplish this.
5. Don't worry
Don't be afraid if you can't remember something when you review it. If
your mind goes blank, let it. That happens sometimes. Let Scriptorian
help you with the "correct answer", make a note of it, and then move
on. In fact, you will find that sometimes when you need help with a
review item you may remember it better than if you required no
assistance. So don't be too concerned if you miss a few things here
and there when you review your list. Scriptorian will adjust your
review interval for the item you "forgot" and you will have a chance
to try it again in an upcoming review session.
Do you have some favorite tips and techniques for memorizing? Please
feel free to share them with us.
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