Mnemonics
This has helped me teach students a standard process for setting up audio mixing consoles without having to constantly repeat myself in class.
SSC- Sweet Sour Chicken - which really stands for
Stereo mater fader
Solo level
Control room volumen
Patrick,
When we get to where we need mnemonics for our content my students have a lot of fun, just like you mention your do coming up with amusing mnemonics that apply to what we are currently studying. The content is intense so this provides a learning guide to them that is fun and engaging.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Dr. Meers,
I have to agree with you. Using a mnemonic just 'cracks the door' on the stored information, and then the information will pour through. I recall the mnemonic that my grad advisor gave me regarding the cranial nerves (OOOTTAFAGVAH), the alternate version that was given to me by another grad student, and finally the one I revised for nursing students. My students came up with an equally amusing mnemonic to learn the carpal bones.
ROBERT,
You are going to have fun with this activity. I have my students make them up and they are always fun to hear and see.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
ROBERT,
Yes, mnemonics have applications in many of the field where certain terms or procedures need to be followed. They help learners to remember how to walk through the same steps over and over again. Your electrical example is a good illustration of this. I can still remember my electrical class many years ago and the mnemonics we learned. I still use them today when I am wiring a house or barn.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
My next class i will have to remember to have a contest on Mnemonics sounds like a great idea. And also a great way to get some new study aids for other classes.
I agree with you that mnemonics don’t really help you remember the concepts but they are useful in some situations where you have to study for a test that covers components and parts.
In the electrical class I teach, the students are tested on the three parts of a transistor the mnemonic we use is with the flat part of the transistor facing you the legs are emitter, base, collector or an easy way to remember this is EBC or Eat Big Cookies.
So because of this mnemonic they never get that question wrong on the test and later when we build electronic circuits they never have to ask witch part of the transistor is the base. So they have their usees. I think the medical field uses them alot to remember the parts of the body.
Jackie,
Thank you for sharing this mnemonic with us. The fun part of facilitating a course like this is that I get to learn new things all the time and this is one of them. I still use mnemonics I learned years ago to help me when I am working in my career field. Yes, they do work and are fun to learn.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
For remember the deep lateral rotator muscles of the hip, we used this mnemonic in massage school:
Piece goods often go on quilts
Piriformis, gemellus superior, obturator externus, obturator internus,quadraturs femoris
I still use it to remember things some 17 years later. Mnemonics may seem silly but, they work.
Geary,
Thank you for sharing this mnemonic with us. This is a new one to me. As you say by having it burned into one's memory all of the components will be covered when trying to retain the information in stress situations. I use them a lot and continually add more to my memory because I this way I don't have to rely on just rote memory.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Reinforcement is the key during the two years at my college. Is stress certain Mnemonics that are used in the profession and assist student’s complete assignments. One mnemonic in law enforcement is "cymmbal" when describing a vehicle for police reports, radio transmissions, ...
C-color, Y - year, M - make, M - model, B- body style, A- any oddity, L - license.
Mnemonics continues to provide a means in retaining information and makes students aware of learning techniques that work.
Bridget,
My experience has been the opposite of your in terms of the value of using mnemonics. I am still using many of them in relation to formulas and procedural steps years after completing my formal training. I am thankful I have them to fall back on especially when I haven't used a procedure for a while. By using the mnemonic I can quickly pull the information from memory and go to work.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I feel that mnemonics help you remember materials for a test but not what they are or what they signify or mean. It will get you throug hthe immediate, but not help you grasp the learning concept. It is a way for students to remember and then "dump" on to a test!
Kelly,
I use them a lot in my classes as well and we have fun with them. Your comment on having the students come up with their own is a good one because we have a contest for the most unusual or humorous mnemonic for that class session. The students get real creative in coming up with them.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I like using Mnemonics in class...such as the order of draw in phlebotomy. I like to have the students create their own for this order so it will be easier for them to remember. I find that if the students make up their own, they are less likely to forget it.
I need to find a way to incorporate them into externship as well.
Mitchell,
Good point about the value of memorizing. Yes we do it all the time because we see value to what we need to memorize. The key is to convince our students that the same value needs to be associated to the content we are teaching them. Mnemonics are fun ways of doing this.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I talk to my students about the dreaded word "memorize". They don't think much about it, but they memorize things all the time: addresses, phone numbers, their Social Security number. The neat thing about mnemonics, is that it is a memorization tool, a gateway or prompt to get to the information that I know I have in my head somewhere. Thanks for helping me to see how to combine both strategies, memorizing and mnemonics.
Andres,
Like the mnemonic you came up with. One of the outcomes of teaching a course like this is that I get to learn so many different things and ways to remember them.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
