Beta testers for mnemonic exercises (closed)

General Memory Chat
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I’ve been approached by several people looking for a tutorial on mnemonics and I can’t recommend any basic book because I haven’t read anything that meets the need of a student in my mind. So, I wrote it myself. I really created it as a way to distill down the analysis I’ve done, the explorations of all the systems discussed here, the books on the subject, and the practical experience I’ve gained in hours of memorization. I’m a teacher so I do that.

So now, I’m looking for 5 good people that could give me some feedback on some mnemonic exercises I’ve done progressing from beginner to advanced levels. This will not be a “how do I find my keys” kind of tutorial but one that I’d like to see implemented in a private school covering the full range of artifiicial memory techniques. There will be no charge and you can quit anytime.

I’d like to send out a Word document to you once a week and you return it back to me with what you were able to do and feedback on the ability for it to help you learn mnemonics as I understand them.

I have 35 progressive units with three to four exercises each so far. It will likely expand. That means that your commitment would be about nine months with a break or two in there when I need one. I’m almost retired, so I’m not sure when I’ll be going somewhere or busy with something.

Cons: I have not taught anyone about mnemonics other than a short evening session, I haven’t been a passionate memory advocate except for the last three years, I do not compete, I disagree with most definitions, and this is my first draft.

Pros: I have designed and taught my own courses in computer programming, business, and general education for the last 17 years in college and a trade school, I’ve written but not published a mnemonics manual of 250+ pages that the exercises are based on, I have a completely consistent systematic vocabulary and set of processes, and I practice everything I talk about to make sure it’s valid. I also have special modules for magicians and Bible students.

If this interests you, please private message me with your questions, so I can ask you a few questions, and we can set things up. Thanks for your help.

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Lesson plan
Is this a solid way to learn 1,000s of Bible verses?
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That seems like a lot…

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I agree with Bjoern in that it does sounds like a lot. Now I will message you with some additional questions, but something that might interest others is:

Do you have a sheet that perhaps shows all 35 units as themes, which everyone can view here? That way you can get some general comments on the build-up of your program, which is less intensive for the reviewers and able to grant you valuable insights.

When asking feedback, always wonder what you are asking and what people get in return. With this, you basically ask them to review a 9-month training program up to the greater levels of detail (the beta testing), and they get nothing in return. By asking for feedback on a week-to-week overview, the burden of review is lower.

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@bjoern.gumboldt If all you are trying to do is remember where your keys are, it is a lot. I took my analysis of systems and made it into a course. Have you looked over my published material?

@Mayarra it’s not much when seen from an outline but I would be looking for feedback on each section after it is completed each week. The outline looks like:
Module 1

  • Resources online
  • Substitute words 1
  • Sentence construction 1
  • Digit conversion 1
  • Pegs 1
  • Review

Module 2 and the other follow the same pattern with increasing difficulty adding in stories on Module 2 and verbatim text in Module 5.

Thanks for your input.

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I wasn’t thinking about “where are my keys”… I was thinking about mnemonics when I said that it seems a lot.

I have, just never commented on it. I didn’t really understand where you were going with the “object oriented” bit in your posts tbh. Maybe you’re on to something and I just don’t see it, but to me there’s nothing inherently OO about the whole thing.

If you asked me to use “computer terms” to give an analogy as to what’s going on, I’d probably use OLTP and OLAP databases. OLTP as your regular “transactional” processing of information during the day… not really the main focus… unless you are in fact looking for your keys.

Then maybe even use an MSSQL Server to separate into SSIS, SSMS, SSAS, and SSRS to get to the individual phases of the ETL process to get the data (you want to memorize) imported, cleaned, etc. Describe the dimensions/attributes of your star schema maybe in the context of a PAO system. And then SSRS for recall of said information.

You could even stick with MS and use PowerPivot/Excel to explain the different between memory palaces (the OLAP part of your SQL Server) and inferior systems like pegs. However, I don’t think that the average person knows the difference between OLTP and OLAP, just like I don’t think that using terms like objects and instances, getter/setter, or inheritance somehow makes thing easier to understand.

So long answer short… yes, I’ve looked over your published material. I still don’t see why there would be that many modules to teach in a course about mnemonics though.

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@bjoern.gumboldt, the two documents that have the most work poured into them are the glossary and the classification. They seem to have settled down and the parental analysis animals that maintain order and live in my brain are living with them comfortably now and not fighting as much as when the concepts were going through adolescence. Even my mnemonic concepts have rapscallions. Let me know what you think about those. You won’t find any polymorphism there.

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Lol, good to know :wink:

All I’m trying to say is that you don’t need to teach compiler design or assembly in a class on computer programming. So when you say…

I’m just wondering if some of that shouldn’t go into the Special Features or Director’s Commentary portion…

Or just what @Mayarra was saying before:

Any class that I’ve ever taken in college, the first class was dedicated to going over the syllabus… so that’d be a nice piece of information to have to give you some initial feedback.

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BTW, the reference to remembering where your keys are, is a nod to a very associative improvisational style story created by Key and Peele in “How Not To Remember Where You Parked Your Car” that inspired some of my exercises.

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Often it is more than you think. Like your first module, a valid point to look at is order.

In teaching there are two main routes to take. Build-up and build-down (english terms might vary, but I like these.)

Build-up is a way we all know. Lets say you will learn how to bake a cake, so you start with selecting ingredients, then you learn to operate the tools to make the batter, etc. You finish by decorating and learning how to sell the cake.

Build-down is the opposite, and incredibly effective. First class, cakes are done. You learn how to market and sell them. Second class, you get some boring cakes and you learn how to decorate them. Third class, batter is done but it needs to be shaped and baked.

Most syllabus designs follow one of these two routes, and planning your course in such a way is a great starting point. Putting thought in it is a way to increase effectiveness.

We can also tell you what we think is missing, or what we think doesn’t need to be there. Which is exactly what outlines are for :slight_smile:

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Just to add another resource along the same lines… from the author of " The Minto Pyramid Principle: Logic in Writing, Thinking, & Problem Solving"

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@Mayarra, I would be using the Build-down method, not a term I’ve come across but I like the concept. Adult students want results now. I’ve taught adults all my life. You can’t start mnemonics teaching the Major system because that would be the Build-up method. So my exercises produce results as soon as I can with a usable peg system introduced early. Then we’ll decorate that cake and change the ingredients.

@bjoern.gumboldt From what I’ve seen in (American) syllabus writing, the students couldn’t care less, the professor (me) thought it to be an administrative task, and the college required it. And it’s not a complete course yet.

What did have a bigger influence on my course design were the goals I wanted to achieve. They are:

  • produce results quickly
  • make it fun
  • make it easy
  • give advanced students new concepts
  • maintain internal consistency of a mnemonic system
  • teach as many usable tools as possible
  • don’t follow other training models

Those are the kinds of goals driving the module objectives that are the bane of professors who write their own material. Instead of writing those into each module, which students generally ignore, I review each section with those goals in mind. I do preface the exercises with an expected level of difficulty, type of skill being strengthened, and the dependent skills needed.

And your Minto article was a nice thesis and exposition for business writing example. I want my business students to know how to write better so I pressure them into writing several theses with arguments in my current MIS course. They are coming out of high school without those skills. Some can’t even write cogent sentences.

Are you in?

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…on a more serious note, I don’t know if I qualify as a beta tester for this kind of course.

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@bjoern.gumboldt I was looking for any kind of computer related concept to give you and there aren’t many, especially with long acronyms. But I know the idea in any kind of design and found one.

@Mayarra’s build-up and build-down are concepts similar to development and testing methods of top-down and bottom-up designs. Top-down designs build and test the system requirements first and then integrates working modules from existing stubs. Bottom-up designs build working modules and tests in ever increasing complexity until the system test finishes off the testing effort.

On a web site, it would mean that a top-down approach would create a well-designed but functionless home page with the rest empty pages. The bottom-up approach would start with an end result, maybe an email confirmation of a transaction, and work your way backwards until you chose “buy this thing.” Top-down requires a complete design first, bottom-up is Agile-minded and turns on a dime. I’m a bottom-up, build-down kind of guy.

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Hi. I tend to agree that it’s a bit much but I’m willing to be a beta tester for you. BR, Scott

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I’ve closed the beta test to any further new people. Thanks to those who responded.

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Hi. If you happen to reopen your course, could you please let me
know. Thanks

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