Diapositive 1

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The Awesome Magic of Learning and Memory
"Pleasure is the flower that passes remembrance,
the lasting perfume. " Jean de Boufflers
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What is Memory?

• Memory is at the heart of learning. It is truly
  the "sine qua non".
• Humans have memory by nature, but it shouldn't be
  taken for granted.
• It can be improved by

• A) understanding it
• B) training it
• C) using techniques that maximize its potential
  for each individual

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The Concept of Short-term Long-term Memory

• Short-term memory isn't much use in the
  long-term.
• Most people forget up to 80 of what they hear
  unless it is transferred to long-term memory.
• ERGO, transfer to LTM is vital.
• So, what is needed to assure long-term memory
  retention? (LTMR)

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Long-term Memory depends greatly on

• the emotional intensity of first exposure to
  stimulus
• the level of interest in commitment to the
  situation or topic

if you're not interested or emotionally-stimulated
by an event, you won't remember it .

• Ergo GET INTERESTED - GET COMMITTED
• This shouldn't be hard - it's what we're here for
  .
• AND THERE'S A BONUS ..
• InterestED people are interestING people

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BEFORE A CLASS - THE PRACTICAL STEPS

• PREVIEW the material read up on it in advance.
• Prepare QUESTIONS in advance.
• Think about possible answers to these questions -
  IN ADVANCE.
• Prepare physically, be interested, ask questions.
• Ensure you get and UNDERSTAND answers during the
  class it's difficult to remember what you don't
  understand!
• Recite and/or reformulate teacher's points IN
  YOUR OWN WORDS NOTES.
• Reformulation AIDS LTMR relying solely on
  teacher handouts DOES NOT.
• Get things clear FIRST TIME -gt first impressions
  are vital -gt what is learned wrongly is
  difficult to correct.

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OVERLEARNING

• Don't stop practice at the point when you can
  perform a task DO IT AGAIN AND AGAIN.
• This considerably STRENGTHENS the learning.

RECITATION

• SAYING THINGS in your own words STRENGTHENS LTMR.
• Ergo, REFORMULATE ideas in your own words.
• Do QA practice with a partner.
• TALK TO YOURSELF repeat foreign language
  material in your head
• When reading, consider "VOCALIZING" evidence
  suggests this aids LTMR.

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ORGANISING MATERIAL

• The FUNNEL approach - get clear understanding of
  OVERALL concepts before trying to master
  details.
• Go from GENERAL to SPECIFIC.
• Using ASSOCIATION enhances LTMR you want to
  learn the word "steel", so learn it along with
  the word "iron".
• Group similar ideas concepts together.
• Use GRAPHIC as well as VERBAL input

• e.g. Associate a noun with a PICTURE.
• Use MINDMAPS don't necessarily be LINEAR.

stapler
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ACTIVE LEARNING

• DOING, RECITING, QUESTIONING PARTICIPATING aid
  LTMR
• SITTING, LISTENING, READING NOT PARTICIPATING
  DO NOT aid LTMR

REPETITION LEARNING "HOOKS"
Practise using material you want to learn

• on different occasions
• in different ways
• with different people

Each different and separate exposure to - and
practice of - material strengthens LTMR.
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TEACHING IT MAKES YOU LEARN IT BEST

• Learn revise with a partner, or in a study
  group.
• Take turns to "teach" your partner(s) specific
  topics.
• This involves you analyzing, reformulating,
  reciting and answering questions about the
  material.
• Many people say it's not till they have had to
  teach something that they have fully understood
  it and that it all "hangs together".

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CONCLUSION

• Some learning is automatic much learning isn't.
• You can improve learning with specific
  techniques.
• A single exposure to input leaves little in
  long-term memory.
• People who have "naturally" good memories are
  often those who pay attention to the above
  points.
• Whatever your natural learning ability, it can be
  improved by focussed learning activities.

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What you have to do
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PRONUNCIATION

• ask teacher to repeat it
• repeat it yourself, loudly or silently
• exaggerate the stress
• use it in a phrase
• write it down with the stress pattern

What you have to do .
Recording the stress pattern, e.g for the word
"container"
Container o O o - conTAIner - container -
container - container - container
Or indeed conTAIner (o O o)
o O o o
Do the same with "photographer"
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COPYING TO COMPUTER
What you have to do .

• GET A GOOD DICTIONARY!!
• set up an organised system
• use Excel or a database
• don't write just the word itself add synonyms,
  words in the same group
• use your system regularly

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an example of recording vocabulary
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Understanding the origin of words
Most words have a history. Knowing a word's
history helps make it easier to remember. Here
are some examples
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Graphical aids to learning
to abduct a child an abduction
to produce production
to abduct to conduct to induct to educate to
deduce to introduce to produce to reduce to
seduce
to deduce make a deduction
to seduce a seduction seductive
to conduct electricity an electrical conductor to
conduct onself good conduct
to educate education educative
duct lat ducere to lead
to induct teach (to introduce or lead someone
to)
to introduce an introduction an introductory offer
now do the same for the latin word "tractare"
to reduce to make a reduction
an air duct as in a ventilation system
a viaduct, e.g. a road over a valley
an aqueduct (which leads water somewhere)
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platinumaluminiumbronzesapphirelimestonelead
gold
Ordering, Sequencing, Hierarching Here's another
example ..
emeraldraresilvermarblemasonrypreciousruby
common iron metals stones alloys brassdiamondsla
te
Youre told to learn these words. How do you go
about it?
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Sort your words first!!!! - Ordering,
Sequencing, Hierarching .
MINERALS
Metals
Stones
Precious
Alloys
Rare
Masonry
Common
gold platinum silver
aluminium copper iron lead
brass bronze steel
diamond emerald ruby sapphire
granite limestone marble slate
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The Origin of words - learn the ROOTS!!
Copy and enhance this table then make a table
of SUFFIXES.
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Practising and Learning your words . Make up
some practice cards to test yourself or to work
with a partner, for example
Side A symbiosis o o O o
Side B the intimate living together of two
species for mutual benefit
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Practising and Learning your words . Use the
two column method, for example to practise words
in the "tractare" family
to take back or withdraw a statement
to retract a statement
to contract
to grow smaller
a detractor
a person critical of someone else
to remove or take out something
to extract
to take one number away from another
to subtract
person or company engaged to do a job
contractor
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General practice reinforces vocabulary learning!

• You MUST read English regularly

• magazines "Time", "Business Week", "The
  Economist", "Asia Review" etc
• biographies
• novels, including crime stories

• BBC
• International Herald Tribune
• CNN
• SKY NEWS
• TIME Magazine

• You MUST check news websites every day

• You MUST try to listen to BBC Radio 4 regularly
  on LW 198.

• You MUST watch TV regularly news and other
  programmes, but also videos that can be borrowed