Monday 28 November 2011

Technique of the Week - Mnemonics

Mnemonics are something teachers would love you to use to memorize information that has to be in a certain order, unfortunately, they can not teach you how to use them best, because they would get the sack! Seriously!

Never Eat Shredded Wheat (North, East, South, West)
Yes it gets the point across but it's boring, you need to make Mnemonics memorable. The best Mnemonics are really dirty, rude and shocking. 

Monday 7 November 2011

Top 10 - Educational Apps

Nowadays a lot of people have a iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. Lots of teachers get angry with students using these but actually, if used correctly, can really help you get better grades.


1. DropBox
Put your PDF revision sheets and DOC revision guides (or anything else) into your DropBox account on your PC/laptop/iPad/iPhone/iPod and they will show up everywhere else as well. With 2gb of free space you'll probably never pay a penny. I save my revision guides on my macbook then move them to DropBox so I can also see them on my iphone, if I've got a bit of a free time, I can just have a quick browse of it using...
Use this link to download DropBox on your laptop/computer http://db.tt/692T5UHB It gives you a bit more space, and me too.


2. iBooks
Best way to read pdf/doc/ebooks that you move into your Dropbox. Once you choose the option to view them in iBooks you've saved them to your device and can then view them offline. 

4. SimpleMind


SimpleMind is a very easy-to-use mind mapping tool. The free version lets you create and export Mind Maps in the SimpleMind format. Check my earlier post if you want tips on how you MindMap
5. Cram

Got a big test coming up? You’ll want to check out Cram. Cram is a study tool on which users can create flash cards and multiple choice tests (with automatically randomized questions). These study aids can be shared with friends and synced to the offline Mac OS version.
6. Anki Mobile
This is the only one I'm listing where you have to pay. However, it's so good I think it's probably worth it. Basically it's a super sophisticated but yet simple flash card app. Try it out free on your PC/Mac to see if you like it before you try the mobile version which you have to pay for.


7. Free Podcasts
This is not an app, but rather a way in which you can use your iPod/iPhone/iPad to enhance your learning. Have a check of the iTunes store for ones related to what you are studying. I would particularly recommend Deutsche Welle ones for those studying German. 


8. Evernote

If you plan at all on using your iPhone/iPod/iPad/Macbook for taking notes in class, you’ll want to utilize Evernote. The free application supports text, photo, and voice notes, and syncs to an online account, as well as Mac and PC versions of the app so you can have access to your notes anywhere. Evernote has some really nifty features, such as Twitter integration, geo-location, and the ability to search text within photos.
9. iTranslate
Quickly and easily translate foreign words to your native language, it will even read it out to you if you want.


9. myHomework

The free myHomework app is a visually stunning way to help students stay organized by creating a calendar of assignments and when they’re due. Assignments are color coded, so you’ll know when due dates are coming and when they’re late. The app doesn’t do much more than that, but it is helpful for keeping overloaded students on top of their work.
10. BBC News
Keeping up-to-date with the news is often overlooked as part of the educational experience. However, getting relevant information into your exams can set you apart from the crowd. Particularly for those doing General Studies and Critical Thinking, this can be a very useful app to check often.

Outstanding Teacher Biography: Alphonse Chérel

Alphonse Chérel, born 1882, was a frenchman who discovered an extremely simple method of learning that enabled him to learn English, German, Russian. The core principles of his method were very simple:
  • Make and don't break a commitment to learn Daily
  • Make progress, but don't overload yourself
  • Re-cap what you have previously learnt often
  • Make the lessons fun and it will be a pleasure to learn
These principles have since been built on, both by Alphonse and his decendents who created the Assimil publishing company, who sell self-study courses for learning a foreign language. Whilst this company is relatively unknown in the UK and US, it is extremely successful in Europe.



Though you may want to try out an Assimil course if you are wishing to learn a language (if you commit to between 30-60 minutes every day for 150 days, you will probably learn between 2000-3000 words in your new language, quite a start!), if you are learning other subjects these same principals can still be applied. 

Wednesday 2 November 2011

Technique of the Week - Learning Poster

This is the complete opposite of the flash cards (reducing information down on to tiny cards). For students who just don't 'get' flash cards, the learning poster always seems to hit the spot!

Get a BIG sheet of paper, A3 at least. Now do a poster which explains the topic, or targets a particular question likely to come up on the exam (which you may be able to spot from looking at lots of previous papers).

Particularly for those with visual memories, make sure your poster is full of colour, diagrams and drawings.

Put them around your bedroom, look at them often, absorb the information.

If these were learning posters, the student would do so well!

Tuesday 1 November 2011

Outstanding Teacher Biography: Paul Pimsleur

Paul Pimsleur was a language professor and teacher who, through research came up with a highly efficient method of learning, based on how we forget information. The problem with a lot of revision is that it is great at getting things into your short term memory, but it just doesn't seem to 'stick' around long enough for the exam. This is especially bad for languages, since it's not just about exams, but about learning to be able to speak it.

Pimsleur found the key to remembering stuff was being reminded of it. Simple eh? But how many times do you need to be reminded, how regularly? In 1967 Pimsleur came up with a memory schedule, which would test you at certain intervals, and therefore get it into your long term memory.

Pimsleur's memory schedule: 5 seconds, 25 seconds, 2 minutes, 10 minutes, 1 hour, 5 hours, 1 day, 5 days, 25 days, 4 months, 2 years. This is called Graduated Interval Recall, after each

He later later used this information to design CD/MP3 language courses. The basic design of the course war that:

  • The student listens to a recording on which native speakers speak phrases in both the foreign language and the language used for teaching (usually English).
  • At varying intervals, the student is prompted to repeat a phrase after the speaker finishes it
  • The student is then introduced to a new phrase and the meaning is explained.
  • After repeating several times, the student is asked to repeat a previous phrase, along with integrating vocabulary from the new one.
  • More new phrases are introduced, while old phrases are prompted at ever-increasing intervals

You could either use Pimsleur's system with his own CD's (available from Amazon), but as they are very expensive I recommend you borrow them from a local library, since most library's seem to stock them. After you have finished the Pimsleur course, you could continue the method Pimsleur discovered with this Open-Source programme, designed by a Computer Scientist at Cambridge University.

Ebbinhaus's Forgetting Curve shows how the % of Data remembered increases after each time you revise it! Simple!