By: Raviraj Jegathesan
Memorization is vital to passing subjects while in school. Most teachers require students to memorize hundreds of terms and familiarize themselves as to what those terms are and where they are used. All students go through this; studying for hours, reading books whose pages never seem to end, memorizing every key term and line just so they achieve the marks that they want. However, most students still fail to familiarize themselves with the key terms and some even end up failing, not because they did not study enough, but they just did not know how to study.
Memorization is tricky as our brain is complex. It’s not always about knowing what to study and studying that for hours. Rather, to study and improve memory, there are certain ways to go about it, techniques if you like, that can improve or boost memory.
To memorize is to familiarize
We all have the capacity to memorize the same things. The fact is that an average human being has the same mental capacity as other people. The only difference is that most people do not know that to memorize something is to repeat it over and over again and familiarize themselves with it.
Now, this does not only come in the form of studying for hours. In fact, this can come in relating a certain term in class to something that you use every day, and, by forming a mental image of that object, your brain associates it with the term you need to remember.
Once your brain has become familiar with the terms and associated them with things, your brain will do better in quizzes and exams. Relating key terms to situations in real life will prove vital in courses where application of theory is important.
Take time and do not cram
Cramming is not healthy. It will not do you any good. In fact, cramming will cause more harm than good. If you cram before exams and have not studied before, the chances are that you won’t perform well because you havent learnt the concepts well. If you forget somethng, you won’t be able to relate that to the question at hand.
If your brain is suffering from lack of oxygen resulting from lack of sleep, a poorer performance is a likely result.
Studying the reading materials on a regular basis gives you a better chance of gaining higher marks in class than studying them the day before the exams. Moreover, studying often, even for just an hour every day, makes you better prepared to handle your classes tomorrow, make you more participative and you will not be caught unprepared.
Now, while it is true that some people do actually cram and get something positive out of it, they do so methodically and they know what to do to ensure their body gets enough nourishment to get them through the day. They also do not do this often and only do it if necessary. Additionally, they also know the importance of sleep and rest, which takes us to the best way to boost memory.
Give yourself rest!
To rest is a body’s basic need. Lack of sleep interferes with your brain function, and you can’t think straight. It effectively makes your learning less effective. Thus, cramming can make your brain less retentive.
Lack of sleep can and will lead to various problems, among the many is an increase in the likelihood of you getting heart-related complications as your body has to work extra hard just to cope with lack of sleep and lack of oxygen.
Now go and memorize
If you go over things repeatedly, you are bound to memorize them. However, if you apply the above techniques, you not only cut down on the time needed to study your lessons, but you also give yourself more time to do other things.
As students, not only must rest come from sleep, rest must also come in the form of recreational activities, as these allow the brain to produce “happy hormones” which makes you feel better and are good for the body.
Thus, the next time you study for your exams and have a list of terms that you need to memorize, make sure to keep these techniques in mind and you’ll have a greater chance of passing your subjects with flying colors.
