A mind map helps to visualize structure and context. It also shows what are superior and subordinate aspects to a concept. If you make a good mind map, it will show you how balanced a text or presentation really is. Using a mind map is a useful learning strategy both during reading, as well as a “reminder” to be able to quickly see the overview and the whole, which typically comes in handy just before a test or when writing a report. The mind map in today’s sense was invented by Tony Busan, a British author, also known through the …
Cognitive categories
V6 Mathematical problem solving
V6 is a technique where you go through a math problem or math text in a decided, fixed order, to retrieve important information to solve the problem. Read the text and question. What kind of information do you need from the text? Read the text again and list the data. Find out the order in which you will do the task. Carry out the task. Check as you go whether the procedure still looks right, and check if the answer could be correct. Many students first read the math problem globally, and then immediately start working on the solution. However, …
The Sequencer
Finding sequences and order in the material you read, will help you retain the information because of the structure you discover. The more sequences you discover, the better you will remember and understand the reading material. When you discover a sequence in the text, give some thought to the reason why it is ordered that way, such as: importance chronology size from hot to cold from dark to light … Making a clear list helps you remember concepts better because you see them in relation to each other. If you find that some concepts do not fit, that in itself …
The Eraser
The learning strategy The Eraser consists of gradually covering more and more of the original material, while repeating and filling in what is covered, until you finally remember it all. Simple? Simple! Start by setting up the learning material, e.g. the events in a timeline, an entire form, table, list or whatever it may be. Put a piece of paper over some items to begin with, or you can blank out what you have written; try to fill in the correct information from memory. Keep covering more and more keywords and words until you are happy with the result. You …
Word web
Cramming a definition without actually understanding what it means, makes it difficult for you to remember it. Truly understanding a definition, and the words that make up that definition, is also about putting it in context and perspective. This learning strategy, Word Web, helps you do just that: putting words in a context that you already know. The Word Web is about creating links from what you already to what you must know. Alternative 1: Choose the word or definition you want to learn. Write it down in the middle of a sheet. Think about what other (difficult) words or …
The Six Thinking Hats
The learning strategy Six Thinking Hats was developed by Edward de Bono, and is about how you think. De Bono categorizes thoughts as follows: White: Information, facts – as many and as much as possible, without interpretation and meaning: Keep it objective Red: Intuition, emotion: Subjective Black: Caution and what-ifs: Find weaknesses Yellow: Hope, creativity, see the positive: Find opportunities Green: Ideas, Solutions: Find solutions Blue: Organization and meta-thinking (thinking about thinking): See the big picture The method takes into account how the brain works and works from the assumption that the brain is affected by chemical substances. These are …
Color coding
Books and digital aids are common in the learning process. When books are owned by the school, you’ll not be able to use color coding as a learning strategy. However, that is against the purpose of learning: you do not go to school to make sure the teaching material looks unused, but to take in the subject matter! So feel free to ask for copies of the texts so that you can use them in a way that helps you. When going through a text, it may be helpful to highlight certain words or parts of the text using colors. …
Transitional Words
Transitional words give structure to a text, and clarify the reasons the author gives. These words indicate the connections in a text and clear them up. If you are aware of these words, you’ll have an easier time identifying the structure of the text, which will help you understand the logic. There are different categories: Summary: and, also, including, further, hence Equal: as, at the same time, equally important Options: or, neither, on the one hand Repetition: again, back to, in other words, which is, this means, repeats Opposition / change: but, moreover, on the other hand, instead of, anyway, …
Chunking
Your short-term memory has a limited capacity. It can hold information for up to 30-40 seconds. Young people, up to approx. 14 years old, can remember and process 3-7 different subjects at the same time. From the age of 14 onward, this increases to 5-9 simultaneous subjects in short-term memory. So… what can you do to remember more and better? You can create and use chunks, meaning blocks, so a chunk means a block of information that you remember and work with, as if it were a single element. Chunking occurs naturally. For example: the word “pythagoras” probably makes you …