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Visual Mnemonics

Posted on January 25, 2008
Filed Under Activity, Books, Suppliers |

I mentioned in my Times Tables post that we had used visual mnemonics to learn some Italian words, and I thought I would expand on that in this post.

Mnemonic systems were developed by the Greeks (the name being derived from their worship of the Goddess of Memory, Mnemosyne). They discovered that memory worked best by linking things together, and that the more associations were made with those links (in terms of imagery, imagination, humour, colour and exaggeration), the better the memory would work.

A simple mnemonic consists of an easily remembered word, phrase, or rhyme whose first letters are associated with the list items. So for example, the colours of the rainbow are remembered by the phrase ‘Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain’ (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet). Visual mnemonics make more use of imagery. In remembering that a Bactrian camel’s back is shaped like a ‘B’ whilst a Dromedary’s is shaped like a ‘D’, you are making use of a visual mnemonic.

The best visual mnemonic I have come across is in Tony Buzan’s book Master your Memory . He gives a system for remembering the planets in order from the sun. I have put my simplified version of this with the links. I don’t necessarily recommend this book unless you are looking for lists of things to remember (artists, composers, kings and queens of England etc.), but I found Use Your Head by Tony Buzan very interesting - it covers mind maps, speed reading and study techniques.

If you can make the visual mnemonic colourful and bright in your imagination you will find that it becomes something you remember. I have remembered the planet story for about 10 years now and because of this, I often look for ways I can use visual mnemonics to help the children remember things they want to learn. Words in a foreign language can be memorised this way. An example from LinkWord French is ; The French for RABBIT is LAPIN (LAPAHn). Imagine a rabbit LAPPING at a bowl of water. The method may seem cumbersome at first, but once you have memorised the word you find that get to the stage where you can easily recall it without having to recall the picture.

If you think visual mnemonics would work for you and your children, I have collected some links of sites and books that use this system.

Visual Mnemonic for remembering Planets in order from the Sun
- Imagine the sun - it is very hot and you are looking at a giant thermometer to see how hot it is. But it is so hot that the thermometer explodes and tiny balls of MERCURY come shooting out. Rushing to see what has happened comes a small, very beautiful goddess (VENUS). She laughs at the balls bouncing around and picks one up - she throws it high in the air and it lands with a huge thump in your garden (EARTH). Your next-door neighbour is very angry at the noise and comes out shouting at you. He is in the mood for war, and is your fourth planet (MARS - god of war). As he is shouting at you a large giant appears to defend you. He is the king of the gods - JUPITER. As you look up at the giant you see he is wearing a t-shirt with the words SUN on it (SATURN, URANUS, NEPTUNE).
Quotations
- Build your memory. This link takes you to a page on using the method to learn quotations, but there are other examples on the site.
Times Tables
- Time-Tables have a downloadable 3D e-book using the system to teach times tables. There is a free trial version available.
- Trigger Memory System sell Times Tales ( a visual mnemonic system for learning parts of the times tables). I like the look of this system but there is no downloadable version.
Spelling
- Two wise owls is a software program that teaches spelling. A UK supplier is OneStopEducation and for the US try AutismCoach. (The US site gives examples).
Vocabulary
- Vocabulary Cartoons. by Sam Burchers. There is also a volume II of this book.
Languages
- Linkword Languages have a software and audio course for learning several languages. There is a free online demonstration. The software replaced the books of the same name but some are still available second hand:
  - French (Linkword System).
  - German (Linkword System).
  - Spanish by Association (this one has look-inside)
  - You can also sometimes find the books for Italian, Greek and Portugese.
Other books on improving memory

Comments

4 Responses to “Visual Mnemonics”

Life on the Road | The Carnival of Homeschooling - “Leaving a Legacy” on January 29th, 2008 3:41 pm

[…] presents an introduction to Visual Mnemonics at Home Education […]
Sasha on March 5th, 2008 4:28 pm

im looking for veterinary visual mnemonics books.
can you help please.
thanks.
admin on March 5th, 2008 8:43 pm

Sorry Sasha - there seem to be a fair few medical ones, but none I can find specifically for vets.
Julie.
Homeschool Burnout ! on March 25th, 2008 3:17 pm

[…] be a good time to play a language game, or look over some flashcards. We like to work out of our visual mnemonics book. See how many new words you can learn each day - Learn it Lists will provide you with 10 foreign […]