Reviewing is Indeed Like Second Reading
By: Vj Mariaraj
Introductory comments by Royane Real
Author of : “How You Can Be Smarter - Use Your Brain to Learn Faster, Remember Better and Be More Creative”
When you’re trying to learn something, or studying for school exams, you probably already know that it’s helpful to take notes. Most likely you will later review the information you’ve studied as well as the original text. In fact, it’s helpful for most of us to review the information several times if we want to have any chance of passing the exam or remembering the information when we need it.
There’s a good reason why reviewing information several times is helpful.
The more often you signal your brain that certain information is important, the more likely it is that the brain will make that information easy to access. When you repeat an action or review the same information, you actually reinforce connections between the brain cells where that information is stored.
If information goes into your brain that doesn’t seem very important or interesting, chances are it will get filed in some dusty corner along with all the other information that your brain thinks is never going to be needed again.
So how can you make sure that what you are studying is going to remain accessible for your brain to pull up whenever you need it?
As I’ve mentioned before, one way is to review the information several times.
Another way is to try make that information unique, so it doesn’t get lost with all the millions of other items that are already stored in your brain. That is why so many memory experts suggest that when you are learning a new name, or trying to remember items on a list, you try to create a funny or bizarre image in your mind that goes along with these items. This helps the information look unique and important.
Your brain also remembers better when it is really involved in the learning process.
Depending on the way that you take notes, your note taking can improve your memory of what you are learning, or your note taking technique can make your memory retention worse.
The mind mapping technique which is discussed in this article by Vj Mariaraj is a memory technique and note taking technique that helps many people remember better when they are studying.
Mind mapping can also help you see the relationship between all the concepts you are studying and it can also help you to generate new creative insights. Why not try the mind mapping technique as a memory booster?
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( This introductory comment is written by Royane Real who is the author of the book “How You Can Be Smarter - Use Your Brain to Learn Faster, Remember Better and Be More Creative” Download it today and learn more ways to get the maximum use of your brainpower. It’s available at http://www.lulu.com/real )
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Feature article:
Reviewing is Indeed Like Second Reading but Do You Know Mind Mapping can Do the Same in a Jiffy?
By: Vj Mariaraj
We are constantly bombarded by information and concepts, which we are expected to remember. As a rule, we generally remember a great deal of information immediately after we have learned or heard it. But as time elapses, we seem to remember hardly anything.
This is because the information that we have learned is first transferred to short-term memory. With disuse, the information stored in our short-term memory fades over time and we register a blank when we try to recall the information. This is not something restricted only to students, but is faced by all of us, who either receive or collect information and try to recall it for use at a later date.
What is important to understand in this whole learning process is that all information moves first into short term memory and with constant application gets lodged into long term memory.
Just think of the nursery rhymes repeated ad infinitum so that even after 20 years we are able to recall them easily. Due to repetition, the information has shifted to long-term memory so you can recall it at will. This is also true of cycling, driving and a host of other repetitive skills, where we need no great application of the mind.
Reviewing is indeed an important process for transforming the process of learning into a productive exercise.
After you read or receive any particular information, review the whole thing in your mind. This will help you to assess how far you have understood the information gathered.
Ideally, you can note down all the points you have learnt on a paper or book. Next you can compare your review notes with the actual notes or original source from where the information was received. You will then be able to gauge the gaps in your learning and where you have missed the points.
By making another attempt to read and gather the whole information, you will be able to gain a fuller view of the entire subject and you could again make a review of the information re-learnt by jotting them down in a paper or book.
A further comparison with the actual notes will highlight the remaining missing areas of information that you need to fill in.
This way you will increase your understanding of the particular subject or information under study and help in assigning it to long-term memory.
It is important however, that the key to improving memory is a clear understanding of the information gathered. Unless the content has meaning and purpose, you will not be able to remember it effectively. This is the reason why rote learning has only immediate retention value and is often very quickly forgotten.
Rather than blind learning, understanding the concepts and associating them with an existing set of stored information, undoubtedly provides great depth to meaning and understanding, and paves the way for sudden insights and greater creativity.
When reviewing of information is done with association and meaningful connections, it passes into long-term memory. At a later time, when you come across similar concepts, you will be able to relate the concepts and could lead to greater imagination, creativity and insights.
Needless to say, for all of these, the Mind Map is an excellent tool for such a review process. It is the perfect device for noting down all the relevant points of information in the quickest possible time.
Since the Mind Map technique was born out of the need for enhancing memory, it utilizes all the memory techniques and is indeed the most ideal method for gathering information and reviewing. Because of the simplicity of the method, it makes reviewing such an easy task, apart from reinforcing information.
There is no other process for processing and reviewing information that is simpler and more highly effective than Mind Mapping.
It is the perfect foil for forgetting, and the best technique for information gathering, review and retention. Try learning Mind Mapping and you will realize the simplicity and effectiveness of the technique.
Article Author: Vj_Mariaraj
Map enthusiast and has been using Mind Maps for the past twelve years. He has created over 5650 Mind Maps. To learn more about mind mapping send an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it He is the founder of BusinessBookMindMap.com that creates Mind Map Summaries of Business Books. To learn more visit http://BusinessBookMindMap.com/mind-map.php?ea22
Article Source: http://www.many-articles.com
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