Nmeumonics
A wide variety of nmeumonics can be used, but the best ones are often the ones you let the students come up with (if you can avoid the overly racy ones!).
William,
Yes, they do love stories. My students really perk up when after I present a concept I give them an example from the field or my past experience. These stories as you have experienced help to make the content have value and relevancy to the students. Keep up the story telling. I know you have great stories coming from the law field.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Just as the case method help law students learn principles by associating them with specific fact patterns, I like to go a step beyond when explaining cases to undergraduates. This involves the "story" behind the case, including the historical context, etc. Everyone likes stories, and they help people to remember the important legal principles.
Carolyn,
So do I. I use them a lot in my classes. My students love to come up with new ones. We generally have a lot of laughs when they bring a new one to class.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I love nmeumonics--they are a great way to keep students interested and motivated in coming up with more and better ways to retain material!
Chris,
I use mnemonics in my courses a lot because they are such great learning tools for students to use. I commend you for your approach in teaching Constitutional Law because you are helping it to come alive for the students. The use of motion as well in the memory process is great because any time we can use tactile/movement in the learning process the retention of content increases. Thanks for sharing these ideas with us.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
If I am teaching a class where the subject matter might be dry and confines (such as Constitutional Law), I use mnemonics to help my students remember names used in Supreme Court cases. I have found the ones they are able to recall are those that involve some sort of movement: a hand gesture, a twirl of the body, etc.
Anthony,
Thank you for these comments. It just goes to show that in many ways instructional strategies have not changed in many many years. Worked then works now.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
The Greek and the Roman system of mmnemonics was founded on the use of mental places and signs or pictures, known as "topical" mnemonics. The most usual method was to choose a large house, of which the apartments, walls, windows, statues, furniture, etc., were severally associated with certain names, phrases, events or ideas, by means of symbolic pictures; and to recall these it was only necessary to search over the apartments of the house till the particular place was discovered where they had been deposited by the imagination.
That's true because we all have unique memorable words. Focusing the students to have considerate mneumonics would help them relate to other people in their learning.
Michael,
My students love to create their own. We have some fun ones that are created. Do your students develop their own in your subject area?
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I agree the use of pneumonics can drastically improve recall of students.
Everett,
I do the same with my students and we have a lot of fun when they share them with us. By developing themselves they become more involved in them and thus they remember the points more.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Thats a great idea of letting the students come up with there own nmeumonics! i have and do use them all the time in my class and it seems to work out great!
Jeremy,
My student love to come up with them. I agree with you about the fun student have coming up with them. Your caution is a good one because they can get out of hand if not monitored.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
