In this second installment of Tricks to Retain Studied Information, Dr. Jennifer McCabe (Goucher College) discusses a powerful memory strategy called the Method of Loci, in which a “memory palace” is created to produce a vivid imaginary map to help students strengthen their memories of specific information.

 
Memory Palace Technique from Sherlock Holmes: Method of Loci  

The video above walks you through the Method of Loci in simple steps. Great example!

These two videos from Thomas Frank at College Info Geek introduce other powerful strategies to make the most of your studying. The first video offers tips on how to best optimize studying from a textbook, and the second video is a 6-minute summary of a well-known lecture by Dr. Marty Lobdell (formerly Pierce College) on how to be an effective student.
Memory Champion Teaches You How to Memorize Anything
Joshua Foer can remember anything, including the first 100 digits of Pi. The former U.S.A. Memory Champion explains how he—and you—can memorize anything using the major system technique, which converts numbers into words and images.

About the Author

Jennifer McCabe (Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) is Chair and Associate Professor of Psychology at Goucher College. Her research focuses on topics in human memory, including strategies for memory improvement; metacognition/metamemory (or what you know about your own memory); scholarship of teaching and learning, specifically instructional methods in Psychology; and human memory systems, primarily short-term and working memory.

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In 2015, Cameron Broumand, an entrepreneur and father of three living in Los Angeles, stumbled upon a media article on the science of learning. After reading the piece, he realized that the valuable research findings in cognitive psychology and the learning sciences were almost entirely unknown to the public and, more surprisingly, to teachers. How could this be?! Broumand decided to find out, so he called Dr. Robert Bjork, a distinguished research professor at UCLA and one of the world’s leading experts in human learning and memory. After an insightful conversation with Dr. Bjork about the disconnect between research and practice, Broumand recognized an opportunity to improve our educational system. Shortly thereafter, he—along with Clement Mok, an award-winning designer and digital pioneer—founded the company, Lasting Learning. The goal of the company? To provide information to the public about how the science of learning can help transform and improve the way people teach and learn. Broumand asked learning scientists, Dr. Nick Soderstrom and Saskia Giebl, M.Sc. (both of whom were in Bjork’s lab at the time), to join the team. They happily agreed and, with the help of Carri O’Neill, have been giving talks, workshops, and webinars around the country ever since. The UCLA-Lasting Learning team has had the privilege to talk with thousands of teachers, coaches, parents, students, and athletes about how they can leverage the science of learning to enhance their educational practices. We look forward to talking with many more!