The 3 memorization techniques used
There are many memory techniques. The purpose of this short paragraph is not to list them all but rather to share those on which I relied for this experience. There are only 3.
Memorization Technique #1: Flashcards
The first memorization technique I used was flashcards. The principle is simple: a question on one side of a cardboard sheet, the answer on the other. By spacing out the repetition exercises, the brain fights the forgetting curve theorized by Ebbinghaus.
Memorization technique n°2: story telling
Story telling consists of contextualizing the information to be retained. This memorization technique works well for abstract objects or concepts. It makes it possible to make links with existing knowledge already acquired and thus facilitate memorization.
Memorization technique n°3: incongruous stories
We find this technique of memorization in many books. I had started to apply it when he had to learn his multiplication tables. It consists of inventing a completely eccentric story to associate elements of the question with the answer. I give you concrete examples in the rest of this article.
3 memorization techniques were combined to complete the challenge.
Retaining 40 works of art: the principle of experience
Now let’s come to the challenge that I proposed to my son to take up. It was for him to retain information relating to 40 works of art (painting, sculpture, archaeological objects) from various periods, styles, countries and authors. The 40 works were distributed as follows:
- 39 different artists
- 10 different countries
- The -3000 of. JC à 1850
The challenge is particularly difficult for at least 2 reasons:
- On the one hand, Art is not necessarily what interests a 12-year-old child. The attention span, crucial for memorization, therefore seems to me to be negatively impacted.
The material is particularly abstract that how to find a ghostwriter. Apart from the work, fixed on the paper, the information to be retained does not mean anything in itself. These are names, dates, titles and countries. A 12-year-old child cannot rely on a knowledge of Art History to recognize such a style, such a technique, such an artist.
Before going on vacation, I therefore chose a series of works (most of them from the Louvre) that my son did not know. I made an A5 sheet for each work, with the black and white reproduction on one side and on the other:
- the author
- the title
- the country
- the date
You can download the whole in pdf format by clicking here. In the rush, I made a mistake. I had set myself the goal of making him retain 10 works of art and in my momentum I prepared 40. You will see that the experience will no longer be interesting.
Preparation for memorization
When preparing for memorization, I went through the various works with my son and told him the stories I knew about them.
Here are some examples:
Self-Portrait with Thistle (Albrecht Durer): “Durer painted this self-portrait to send to a woman he loved. At the time the photo did not exist so it was the only way to show what he looked like. It’s a bit like the ancestor of Tinder. »
- The Lady of Auberry: “She was found in the reserves of the Auberry museum. On her dress we see geometric patterns that will think of a labyrinth. It’s the ancient Greek style called +daedal+ (Do you remember who Daedalus was?) »
- Portrait of Louis XIV in coronation costume (Hyacinth Giraud): “Giraud painted this portrait of the king at his request. The Sun King, having a grandson in Spain, had the idea of sending him a painting in which he figured there. When Giraud had finished the painting, Louis XIV found it so beautiful that he decided to keep it for himself and placed it in his bedroom. »
- The Venus de Milo: “It was discovered in Greece, and more precisely (as its name suggests) in Milo, in a field. »
For the rest, I left him to manage knowing that he was familiar with flashcards.
1st memorization test
The first memorization session took place on the living room table. All the sheets have been placed side by side in order to clearly visualize all the work to be done.
We added a dose of gamification to track progress and identify pain points. Each category of information corresponded to a type of dough.
The results of the 1st memorization test are visible in the photo below.
As you can see, certain types of pasta are far more represented than others. This is proof that some information is more complicated to remember than others.
The first session achieved an overall score of 60%. The detailed results are as follows:
- Pays : 87%
- Titer : 59%
- Auteur : 48%
- Date : 25%
Without wishing to draw hasty conclusions, I have the impression that the more information is abstract (a date / a country), the more the difficulty of memorization increases.
The more abstract the information, the more the difficulty of memorization increases.
2nd memorization test
The second memory test was performed approximately 3 weeks apart.
The photo above served as a reference point for the review. The works that posed the most problems were isolated. Those that were mastered were quickly reviewed and classified into 2 piles:
- those that were 100% mastered
- others
For the files that posed the most problems, it was mainly memorization technique n°3 that was used (incongruous stories). Here are some examples:
For the painting “The Cheat with the Ace of Diamonds “, we imagined that a tower would spring from the card that the cheater was holding in his hand (the author’s name is Georges de la Tour)
- for the portrait of François 1er , we imagined that he had a nail in place of his nose (the author’s name is “Clouet”)
At the end of the memoir ghostwriting, the progress is impressive. The success rate reaches 75.6%. For the countries it reaches 100% and almost 90% for the titles of the works and their authors. Memorizing dates remains a challenge and it will therefore be necessary to find a suitable memorization technique.
Conclusion
This experiment shows that our brain can, with a little training, retain relatively diverse information.
Only 3 memorization techniques were used here. Note, however, that certain types of information are more complicated to remember than others (dates in this case) and that an appropriate memorization technique may be necessary. There is therefore no memorization technique superior to another. All are equal and it is from their combination that the solution will spring. So you will have to experiment to find what works best for you.
At the end of this experience, I am particularly proud of my 12-year-old son. It brilliantly demonstrates that it is possible to retain complicated information using the right approaches. It is also a good way to build the child’s confidence and show him his full potential.