In order to remember information, you first have to find it somewhere in your memory. To be successful in college you need to use active learning strategies that help you store information and retrieve it. Mnemonic devices can help you do that. Mnemonics are techniques for remembering information that is otherwise difficult to recall. The idea behind using mnemonics is to encode complex information in a way that is much easier to remember. Two common types of mnemonic devices are acronyms and acrostics.
Acronyms
Acronyms are words made up of the first letters of other words. As a mnemonic device, acronyms help you remember the first letters of items in a list, which in turn helps you remember the list itself.
Examples
The following are examples of popular mnemonic acronyms:
HOMES - Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior (Names of the Great Lakes)
FACE - The letters of the treble clef notes in the spaces from bottom to top spells “FACE”.
ROY G. BIV - Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet (Colors of the spectrum)
MRS GREN - Movement, Respiration, Sensitivity, Growth, Reproduction, Excretion, Nutrition (Common attributes of living things)
Create Your Own Acronym
Now think of a few words you need to remember. This could be related to your studies, your work, or just a subject of interest. Five steps to creating acronyms are:
1. List the information you need to learn in meaningful phrases.
2. Circle or underline a keyword in each phrase.
3. Write down the first letter of each keyword.
4. Rearrange the letters into a memorable acronym.
5. Practice the association from the acronym to the keyword and then from the keyword to the meaningful phrase.
Acrostics
Acrostics are phrases made up of words beginning with the first letter of other words. As mnemonic devices, acrostics support recall by helping you remember the list of keywords.
Examples
The following are examples of popular mnemonic acrostics:
My Very Educated Mother Just Sent Us Nine Pizzas - Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto )Planets in order from the sun)
Richard Of York Gave Battle in Vain - Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet (Colors of the spectrum)
My Dear Aunt Sally - Multiple, Divide, Add, Subtract (Mathematical order of operations)
We Just Like Rushmore - Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Roosevelt (American Presidents on Mount Rushmore)
Create Your Own Acrostic
Now think of a few words you need to remember. This could be related to your studies, your work, or just a subject of interest. Five steps to creating acrostics are:
1. List meaningful phrases each on a separate line.
2. Circle or underline the first letter of each phrase.
3. Write the first letter of each keyword on a new line.
4. Create a sentence (an acrostic) from the first letters of each keyword.
5. Practice the association from the acrostic to the keywords.