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Memorisation Tips – A Useful Sharing By Private Tutors in Singapore
Every Singaporean student, from Primary to Junior College has to go through national examinations (PSLE, N-Levels, O-Levels, A-Levels) every year. Their exam results will determine their academic achievement and the different future pathways ahead of them. Singapore’s exam syllabus is getting harder and content-heavy. From this article, written by TodayOnline, it was mentioned that parents described PSLE based in 2019 as ‘exceptionally difficult’. How are Top Singapore Students still able to cope with the stress? What exactly are their secrets? As the #1 Provider of Home Tuition in Singapore, we have gathered the Top 5 Memorisation Tips from Private Tutors in Singapore on how students can memorise content effectively do score well in exams.
For any academic level or subject in the Singapore Education System, there is some form of memorisation required in order to excel in the major exams. Some examples include: 1. Memorising Properties of the Chemistry Periodic Table 2. Memorising Chinese Composition Phrases 3. Memorising Maths Formulas for Trigonometry & Calculus, etc.
Whilst enquiring for tuition, many parents have provided us with feedback that their children were spending their time staring a textbook, trying to blindly memorise the facts and figures but not managing to absorb the contents well. Some have also reported that even though their children were able to remember the fact and figures, they did not fully understand the content that they were studying. All these are the product of a process we call ineffective memorisation. This process not only leads to uninspiring academic results, but will also lead students to lose their focus and motivation towards a subject. Hence, it is important that we share some of the best memorisation tips gathered from our private tutors in Singapore on how students can improve in this aspect of their studies.
Tip #1 – Create & Write Your Own Notes
Private Tutors have shared that writing and creating notes can help students develop a deeper understanding of the topic/subject.
Creating & Writing Your Own Notes – This is the first point which many private tutors in Singapore have shared with us when it comes to achieving effective memorisation. Firstly, the process of physically writing notes helps students to consciously recap content and concepts covered during a lesson. Secondly, by putting the notes into writing, students will subconsciously internalise better what they have learnt. Thirdly, it allows students to organise the notes in a personal way that best helps them to remember.
Here are some useful tips for note-writing and material creation:
- While writing your notes, summarise them to your understanding. You can write them in a bulleted or numbered order, or collate them into a mind map. This way, your notes will look more organised and refreshing.
- Refrain from using lengthy sentences, use short phrases or keywords instead. Keywords can make your studying process more productive and time-effective, etch these keywords in your memory.
- Feel free to use different colours of stick notes, or highlighters to identify different sections or components of your notes. Colour association has been researched to be a great memory technique to help students remember. According to a study at the University of British Columbia stated in this article, it was also observed that certain colours can help humans to improve their ability to focus as well as their attention span.
- While creating your notes, also be sure to reference the page and topic from your textbook. In the event when you would like to find the source for a certain concept, you may refer back to your textbook easily.
Tip #2 – Use Acronyms or Mnemonics
The second tip which private tutors in Singapore have shared with us would be the use of Acronyms or Mnemonics to aid memory. A better understanding of what an Acronym or Mnemonic means can be found on the respective hyperlinks of each word. The usage of Acronyms and Mnemonics help students to recall information efficiently and accurately as it is easy to recall due to the usually little number of letters involved. They are usually used in conjunction with phrases or terms that one may be familiar with.
Here are some examples:
- The Acronym ‘ROY G BIV’ helps Primary Students to remember the order of the colours of the rainbow –Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet.
- The Acronym ‘FANBOYS’ helps Primary Students to remember the seven conjunctions in English Situational/Composition Writing- For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So.
- The Mnemonic ‘Happy Hector Likes Beer But Could Not Obtain Food’ helps Secondary Students to remember the order of the 1st 9 elements in the Chemistry Periodic Table, from Hydrogen to Flourine.
An additional examination tip to make the usage of Mnemonics even more effective would be to write it down somewhere in the exam paper the moment the examination starts. This will act as a safety barrier in case you are unable to recall the Mnemonic later on due to exam pressure.
Tip #3 – Constantly Refresh Your Memory
It has been well-researched that constant repetition improves memory recall. Here is an article on how “Why Does Repetition Improve Memory” to help you understand better the science and reasoning behind this. Private tutors in Singapore encourage their students to pick up the habit of not only memorising content, but constantly repeating it. This will enable the brains of students to be used to recalling the information and concepts instantly, and more accurately.
After the initial stage of memorisation has been done, and techniques such as Acronyms and Mnemonics have been used, the next step would be to constantly test yourself at random times of the day, on multiple occasions. This self-testing can be done at any point of the day, at any given scenario. It could be when students are on the bus to school, or perhaps even during recess time. Just a short 1-2 minutes of self-testing to attempt a recollection of the memorised material can go a long way in solidifying memory recall. It is also important that students have an adequate amount of rest and sleep as it has been scientifically proven to affect learning and memory. It is also advised for students to keep their study space organised and have a positive studying environment. This will ensure that students have a refreshed mind which will aid effective and efficient memorisation.
Tip #4 – Teach Someone Else
Once students are close to mastery on the knowledge of a particular concept, they can employ this more advanced tip by private tutors – “Teach Someone Else”. It is not known to many parents and students that teaching someone else actually helps memory recall. There are 2 important significant factors on why this is a great memorisation tip. Firstly. the student who has now become a “teacher”, has an expectation to be 100% sure of the content that he/she is teaching to others. This naturally stimulates the brain to recall the information more accurately and efficiently. Secondly, he/she also has to remodel the content for the audience, to ensure that they understand what is being taught. This also aids memory recall as the user attain a greater proficiency level with the content. “Teaching Someone Else” may also lead to discovery on a different approach to understanding a certain topic or concept you have memorised.
Teaching someone else allows students to recap on what they have revised, hence, keeping their mind refreshed once again.
Tip #5 – If Needed, Seek Help From Private Tutors in Singapore
In order to memorise effectively, the most important things you would need to do is set your mind fully to it and fully concentrate in your revision. If you find yourself having trouble implementing this memorisation techniques taught, fret not, as you can seek help from our private tutors at MindFlex. Our private tutors will be able to assist you with some aspects of these memory strategies, such as teaching you how to create good notes, passing on useful acronyms and mnemonics as well as constantly helping you refresh your memory through regular quizzes.
It is also important to keep a positive and well-driven mindset while you revise your work. Do not feel demoralized when you are stuck at something. Our private tutors will be with you on every step of the way to pick you up and keep you motivated, they will be there to ensure you reach your educational goals.
Seeking help is important as it helps you thrive in your learning process, making sure you succeed.
Conclusion – Employ These Memorisation Tips by Private Tutors in Singapore
Memorising a whole chunk of content can be very daunting at first, but once you have mastered the skills and learnt the tricks of going about it, it would make your studying life a whole lot easier. Here at MindFlex Home Tuition , our private tutors will be able to impart you the best memorisation strategies, ready-made materials, as well as their personally proven study hacks to help you.
Most importantly, never fail to be consistent in your studies – Practice, practice, practice! Being well-organised and planning properly will also help you to study and memorise efficiently.
Developing effective study skills require lots of time and patience, but do not worry, it is okay if you do not achieve an A at the end of the day. Set a goal for yourself and try your best anyway. Everybody has different learning methods and ways that work best for themselves. Interpreting which approach and method suits you can help you decide how to go on about learning and memorising.
If you are interested in engaging a private tutor, once again do feel free to contact us and our friendly team will be more than willing to provide you with our list of tutors, based on your requirements with no obligations involved.
