Effective Methods of Information Assimilation

The name of the method is an acronym and consists of the first letters of the names of the main stages of text memorization.

1. Revision. At this stage, the text is repeated from memory without reference to its medium, beginning with key points and ending with details. After that, the person reads the text again and draws attention to those provisions that he had missed during the retelling. Here it is necessary to understand why they have not remained in memory. And if this information is essential, it is necessary to comprehend it.
2. Review. Again we read the text – quickly, without going deeper into it. The review is done from the end. The person reflects on the main points based on already existing knowledge of the material. Then he makes an approximate plan of the text, where he lists the main points in the correct order.
3. Careful reading. Then the text is read again in a more meaningful way with attention to detail. This should be done slowly, linking the major points with secondary ones. After reading the material, you need to mentally repeat the main ideas and details that relate to them.
4. Main point. First, key points are highlighted in the text, and connections are made between them. Secondary information at this stage is not considered. The main ideas can be written out on a piece of paper.

Reading aloud and mental repetition

This method is similar to the first but has some features. Let’s consider it in more detail.

• Orientation. Here again, there is a sorting out of the basic idea from the text, it is written down on a sheet of paper if necessary and desirable.
• Reading. A person reads the text more carefully, delving into the details and finding the logical relationships between the main points and secondary points. The main points and the details attached to them are repeated in the mind several times.
• Review. The text is reviewed fluently, after which the reader determines whether he or she has correctly identified the main points and built their relationship to the secondary and clarifying ones. In addition, one may try to ask questions about these key parts of the text.
• Main points. The person tries to retell the material – mentally or aloud. At the same time, it is important to remember the main points and to answer the available questions.

This method is characterized by a decrease in the number of readings, with an increase in the number of times the material is recited – verbally or mentally. In this case, the goal is to memorize data more effectively.

Cicero’s method

To improve the absorption of learning information presented in large volumes, you can use this method. Otherwise, it is called the “room system or method of places.

In his framework, a person mentally arranges the information he receives in a certain order in a room that is familiar to him. When the information needs to be recalled and applied, it is sufficient to visualize that room and the arrangement of the data in it. The technique is famous because of the emperor Cicero, who used it before important speeches. He mentally placed images of the main points of his speech in different parts of the rooms of his house so that he could then take them from there.

To arrange the information correctly and conveniently for retrieval, you must arrange it wisely.

• You should start in your room, specifically at the door. It is necessary to move slowly along the left side of the room in a clockwise direction.
• It is important to pay attention to stationary objects that are familiar and have long occupied their places in the room (a dresser, a painting, curtains, a table lamp, shelves, a bed, etc.).
• In addition to moving on the left side, you can also use the vertical plane, observing objects at the top and bottom of the room (chandelier, chair, rug).
• If there is a lot of information and it has several levels, it is acceptable to represent not only rooms of one’s home but also apartments of relatives or friends who are well acquainted, as well as thoroughly studied routes, classrooms, etc.
• Having mastered this method to perfection, it is possible to engage not only some large static objects but also smaller ones. There will be an ability to discover new places to place information that needs to be comprehended and remembered. However, at the first stage, it is better to use only the most basic pieces of furniture and interior design.

Pictogram method

This method is often used in psychology to study, diagnose and strengthen memory in people who perceive information through the visual channel, that is, the visual person.

Under this method, work with texts is carried out as follows.

• At first keywords or short phrases are highlighted, and they must be written out or underlined in the text.
• Then a pictograph is drawn to the selected phrases and words, that is, a picture, which will then be associated with a piece of text. The point is that triggers a visual association. You should draw quickly, no more than 20 seconds, avoiding schematic and unnecessary details. The image should not contain numbers and letters. For example, to depict a demonstration, you can draw balloons and posters, and to illustrate the financial crisis, you can draw a dollar sign and lightning.

The pictograph can be any, the main thing is that it mentally and figuratively connects a person with the text that is read. Everyone has his associations, which means that there are virtually no rules in the choice of pictures.

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Not everyone has a well-developed imaginative mind, someone may have difficulty choosing a picture for something intangible: events, phenomena, emotions. In this case, you can imagine some object that is associated with what is described in the text. For example, if we are talking about human sadness, you can draw a tear or a sad smiley, and if the rapid development – an arrow or train, etc.