Dopamine + Noradrenaline + Activated frontal lobe = Better memory and learning

How can you accomplish this activation of the frontal lobe and release of dopamine and noradrenaline in the brain? Here are some ideas:

Use positive self talk. Don’t go into a subject or class thinking it’s too challenging and expecting to fail. No matter how valid or realistic negative thoughts may seem, they aren’t going to help you pass a class.

Avoid using the words “hard” or “difficult” when describing your class and assignments. If you classify something as being tough, you will believe your classification and won’t have an easy time learning.

Break information into small steps. This makes the information look easier and less overwhelming.

From Memorization and Test-Taking Strategies

For Verbal/Linguistic Learners

These learners learn by saying, hearing and seeing words. They can easily memorize names, dates, places and trivia. To help verbal/linguistic learners:

• Use descriptive language
• Have them study by reading, writing, telling stories, playing word games and working with jokes and riddles
• They are good at creating imaginary worlds
• Create crossword puzzles for practice at www.puzzlemaker.com

For Logical/Mathematical Learners

These learners are adept at categorizing, classifying and working with abstract patterns and relationships. They work well with reasoning, numbers, abstractions, logic, problem-solving and moving from the concrete to the abstract.

• Compare and contrast ideas
• Create a timeline
• Classify concepts/objects/materials
• Read or design maps
• Use a Venn diagram to explain…
• Teach using technology

For Bodily/Kinesthetic Learners

The brain’s motor cortex, which controls bodily motion, is the key to the intelligence of bodily/kinesthetic learners. These learners process knowledge through bodily sensations and need to touch, move and interact with space.

• Create hands-on projects
• Conduct hands-on experiments
• Create human sculptures to illustrate situations
• Reenact great moments from history
• Make task or puzzle cards for…

For Visual/Spatial Learners

Visual/spatial learners rely on their sense of sight and the ability to visualize an object. They create mental images and learn by drawing, building and designing. Encourage the use of color in their work.

• Make a visual organizer or memory model of the material being learned
• Graph the results of a survey or a course of study
• Create posters or flyers
• Create collages
• Draw maps
• Color-code the process of…

For Musical/Rhythmic Learners

Musical/rhythmic learners recognize tonal patterns. For optimal learning, suggest that they hum or sing the information they want to grasp or have them move their bodies while they study.

• Create “raps” (key dates, math and poems) or write new lyrics to a song so that it explains…
• Identify social issues through lyrics
• Analyze different historical periods through their music
• Make up sounds for different math operations or processes
• Use music to enhance the learning of…

For Interpersonal Learners

Person-to-person relationships and communication are necessary for interpersonal learners. They study and work best with others.

• Analyze the relationships in a story
• Review material/concepts/books orally
• Discuss/debate controversial issues
• Find relationships between objects, cultures and situations
• Role-play a conversation with an important historical figure
• Solve complex word problems in a group
• Peer Tutor the subject being learned

For Intrapersonal Learners

Almost the exact opposite of interpersonal learners, intrapersonal learners thrive when working alone. Self-paced instruction and individualized projects work best with these students. Suggest that intrapersonal learners keep a daily journal, as their thoughts are directed inward. They have a great degree of self-understanding and they rely deeply on their instincts.

• Keep a journal to demonstrate learning
• Analyze historical personalities
• Imagine being a character in history, a scientist discovering a cure or a mathematician working on a theory and describe or write about what you imagine to demonstrate learning

For Naturalist Learners

Naturalist learners observe and understand the organized patterns in the natural world. Provide them with visualization activities and hands-on activities that are based on nature. Bring the outdoors into their learning environment whenever possible. Study in ways that call on the naturalist learner’s abilities to measure, map and chart observations of plants and animals.

• Sort and classify content in relation to the natural world
• Interact with nature through field trips
• Encourage learning in natural surroundings
• Categorize facts about…

This time, one of my students, David Solfest, shared the mnemonic that he learned for the negative exponents and made up a new one for the positive exponents.

On the positive exponent side of the number line, reading from left to right, the mnemonic is “Ten (Tera) Grey (Giga) Mountain (Mega) kats (kilo).” Moving to the negative exponent side of the number line you have “my (milli) mom (micro) nits (nano) pelts (pico).”

For some, just memorizing the number line is enough to promote storage of this information in long term memory, but others need something like the mnemonic devices that David came up with. Either way, this is a great tool for learning the different values associated with metric notation!

While each student, and subject, is different and may require different methods for studying and learning, we have included some great ways to help you help your student learn vocabulary.

Vocabulary Study Strategy

1. Choose a vocabulary word
2. Print it on one side of a “flash” card (use index cards, heavy paper cut into strips, etc.)
3. Put a border around it.
4. Ask your child to tell you what he or she thinks it means, so that it draws from things your child already knows
5. Reinforce the correct definition
6. Print the definition on the other side of the “flash” card
7. Stand and act out a movement for the word while spelling it aloud three times!
8. Repeat the process with the next word on the spelling or vocabulary list.

If your child’s teacher requires that he or she write the words three times each in cursive, ask the teacher if your child can write the word two times in cursive and one time printed on a flash card.

Explain that you are better able to help your child using flash cards. Some children will not mind writing the words four times each. My children, however, objected to the extra work and even insisted, “But the teacher says I have to do it THIS way!” So, I made a deal with the teacher to have one set of words on flash cards and the teacher then told my child that it was okay.

Excerpted from Please Help Me With My Homework by Susan Gingras Fitzell.