Learning, teaching, study strategies, education trends and practical ways to build knowledge.
Does speed reading actually work? Speed reading can help you get through text faster when your goal is to find key ideas, but substantial speed gains usually come at a cost to comprehension. The idea that almost anyone can double or triple their reading rate while understanding every detail equally well is not supported by…
PAO table and flashcards: how to use the 00–99 chart This resource contains the author’s personal Person–Action–Object (PAO) table, assigning a memorable person, action and object to each two-digit number from 00 to 99. Use it as an example, not a universally standardized code. Find the row for each two-digit number and identify its person,…
Use these five simple strategies to improve concentration. Concentration is best defined as the ability to control one’s attention. It is how we direct attention to a specific subject. Sometimes it isn’t easy to give something our full attention because we think about other things while working. This is especially true while reading. Other times,…
I remember when multitasking was a term used for new computers that could do multiple things at once. The Commodore Amiga was the first commercially successful computer to bring this technology to market. Microsoft introduced it as a feature with Windows ’95, and finally, Apple adopted it in Mac OS X. The word “multitasking” soon…
If someone came up to you and said, “If you remember my name a week from now, I’ll give you a million dollars,” would you remember that name? You probably would, right? I know that I would. Many people believe that it’s difficult to remember names and faces. It’s a limiting belief that prevents many…
It’s easy to blame outside distractions, like our phones, for distracting us. Even a body of research suggests these devices are responsible for shortened attention spans. Truthfully, we just need to learn techniques for developing focus, attention, and concentration. Phones are only part of the story. If we weren’t easily distracted, the beeps and dings…
Can adults still learn new things? Three common myths Yes: adults can learn new skills and form new memories throughout life. Some mental abilities change with age, while experience, knowledge and vocabulary may remain strong or improve. There is no fixed age at which learning stops, and there is also no credible promise that practice…
How to remember historical dates with the month, day and year For a complete date, use three separate memory cues: one for the month, one for the day and one for the year. Then link those cues to the historical event in the same order every time. This article uses month images and the Major…
What is the body memory system? The body memory system is a variation of the method of loci: instead of using rooms in a building, you use body parts in a fixed order as memory locations. To remember a shopping list, imagine bananas bouncing on your forehead, a fish on your nose, and a tin…
How to memorize a deck of cards: quick start To remember the order of a shuffled 52-card deck, give each card a distinct image and place those images, one by one, at 52 familiar locations in a memory palace. Then mentally walk the route and translate each image back into its card. Beginners should practice…