Probably, it is true that many people dislike History as a subject because they are made to memorise facts, dates and the names of people and what they did etc etc etc.....
Yes....it actually sucks when you have to remember things. Especially dates!
I know it. I was once a student like you. But, unlike many people, I had almost NO trouble with facts, names and dates. You might wonder....why?
Well, there are 2 main reasons. First, I love history. I still do. Second, I found my style of memorising things since I was really really young...like in primary school. It is this style of memorising that I applied to my study of history that made me the TOP student in History.
Now....I am imparting these techniques to you.
You better open your eyes and suck in all the information posted here. YOU WILL BENEFIT FOR YOUR TESTS, EXAMS AND FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.
There are 6 main types of styles for memorising anything.
1. Audio style (memorises by sound)
2. Visual style (memorises by seeing)
3. Kinetic style (memorises by movement/actions)
4. Audio & Visual style (memorises by seeing and hearing things)
5. Audio and Kinetic style (memorises by hearing and remembering movements/actions)
6. Kinetic and Visual style (memorises by remembering movement/actions and also by seeing)
Students,
Take time to find out which style you belong to. Experiment. Once you have found out which is YOUR STYLE, try to follow my suggestions. Good luck!!!
1. Audio style
- People in this group will remember facts better by others telling them using their voice.
- People in this group have a habit of playing back in their head what they heard from the TEACHER or their FRIENDS.
Suggested way to study History for people with this style:
--- Read to yourself the fact, date or the name of the person in the history textbook.
--- Read at least 5 times to yourself when studying. During the test, your own voice will playback like a sound recorder to you in your head.
2. Visual style
- People in this group will remember facts better by seeing things, pictures or seeing certain words. Everything seems like a MOVIE to them.
- Students with this style will remember better when the teacher writes clearly or uses pictures to tell the facts.
Suggested way to study History for people with this style:
--- draw pictures associated with the facts. eg: Kautilya is the PM during the time when Chandragupta ruled. Draw his face and write his name.
--- keep writing a fact in a bigger size 5 times over and over again on a piece of paper. Eg: SINGAPORE BECAME INDEPENDENT ON 9TH AUGUST 1965. (WRITE THIS IN A BIG FONT ON A PIECE OF PAPER)
3. Kinetic style (movement and action)
- People who belong in this group tend to remember actions better than anything else.
- Students in this group will remember the dramatic actions of Mr. Mak when he is trying to tell students about something REAL that happened in the past (a fact).
Eg: The First Emperor of China was a cruel and harsh man. (Mr. Mak starts to look evil, takes an imaginary sword as if he is cutting off an enemy's head)
Due to the action I did, the student might remember this fact (that the First Emperor is cruel and harsh).
Suggested way to study History for those with this style:
--- While reading the textbook, perform actions when you see a fact. Eg: Pg 156, Sec 1 History Textbook, Mount Merapi erupted in 1006 CE.
--- after seeing this FACT, do an action that RELATES to it. Pretend you are the volcano that erupted in 1006 CE. Do this at least 3 times.
4. Audio & Visual style (memorises by seeing and hearing things)
- People in this group remember facts by seeing and hearing.
- Both the seeing and the hearing must be present for them to remember well.
- Whatever they saw and heard will playback in their heads like a movie during an exam or test.
Suggestions on how to study for those with such a style:
--- Read to yourself the fact, date or the name of the person in the history textbook. AT THE SAME TIME, WRITE OR DRAW in a bigger font the fact you read.
--- Do the two actions at the SAME TIME. REPEAT at least 5 times.
--- You will find it easier to remember.
5. Audio and Kinetic style (memorises by hearing and remembering movements/actions)
- The people in this group behave like Jackie Chan.
- They hear the facts from the teacher or their friends and perform the action at the SAME TIME to remember IT better.
Suggestions on how to study for those with such a style:
--- You perform the ACTION related to the FACT and SOUND must be added to it everytime you perform to yourself.
--- Eg: Pg 156, Sec 1 History Textbook. Mount Merapi erupted in 1006 CE. You pretend to be a volcano that erupts and tell yourself in your own words that Mount Merapi erupted in 1006 CE. Do this at least 5 times. The image and the sound will stay in your head.
Kinetic and Visual style (memorises by remembering movement/actions and also by seeing)
- Those who are in this group will find it easier to remember facts by seeing and then performing an action related to the fact.
- Eg: Mr. Mak says that Mount Merapi erupted in 1006 CE. He then pretends to be a volcano that erupts. He makes a movement that shows GUSHING LAVA from the volcano.
- The student will then see this. He/She may imitate what I DID and remember the FACT from there.
Suggestions on how to study for those with such a style:
--- For example: Pg 157 of Secondary 1 textbook says: Sultan Mahmud did not allow the Portuguese to trade in Melaka when they arrived in 1509 CE.
--- Pretend to be the Sultan. Do the action of refusing the Portuguese their right to trade. Say to yourself that in the year 1509...."I, Mahmud Shah, Sultan of Melaka, hereby in the year 1509 say to you the Portuguese that you are not allowed to trade here!!!!" Do the hand gestures (actions) and the angry face!!!!
--- This act should be repeated 3 times. The image and action will replay in your head during the test or exam.
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