Request for comment (with an understanding I may be shot down in flames) - alternate system to Major and Dominic system for kids.
I have started teaching some of my students memory techniques. I have been interested in this kind of stuff for a long time but not made a concerted effort to get students using these ideas. I have been scouring around trying to find complimentary systems, that would stack and the kids could pick up quickly and get quick satisfaction from using it. They don’t need to be able to memorise pi to 1000 digits or speed memorise 3 decks of cards; just have a easy system that would work for the kind of stuff they need to retain for academic success. I originally planned to use the major system as a base but have decided some of the students might stumble at the first step of learning the initial set of number to letter conversions. I have hunted around for other systems and haven’t had much luck so have decided to try a to construct a Kompact system that might be fit for purpose (I have used a K just incase there is a system out there called compact (K for Kids?)).
I am basing it on a peg system I usually use to introduce students to memory techniques: rhyming words for the numbers for 1 to 10 (1 sun, 2 loo, 3 tree, 4 door, 5 hive etc), then teach them to use these pegs to remember objects etc using imagery (all fairly standard). I have rehashed this so that all the numbers 1 to 10 have a different 1st letter and did a bit of research to find the most common first letters in the english language to give the phonetic number links a greater number of possibilities. This is the list I have come up with:
1 sun
2 loo
3 Tree
4 Oar
5 dive
6 chicks
7 heaven
8 bate
9 Wine
10 men (m would be the letter for 0 )
this can then be used to step to a phonetic number system and a 3 digit PAO system to remember numbers. which can also be used to remember dates (excluding the first number eg 1914 to 914 a month could be added with one additional peg image).
and of course these would be in memory palaces etc.
There are a few add ons I am working on but thats the starting point, I am looking for feedback before I invest large amounts of time working on it. And if there is something out there that does the same let me know as there is no point reinventing the wheel.
I was going to suggest a peg rhyming system before I read this. They seem to work the easiest for absolute beginners, as you have done. You made it a bit more complicated by assigning them all a different first letter.
How old are they? If they are 8+ I think they would understand the major system and be able to use it themselves.
I would also recommend teaching them to memorize random words, as training for other things than just numbers. It will increase their creativity and confidence. Plus, I would say it’s a lot more useful.
Thanks for the feedback Bateman, will be doing the random word thing too I agree its a good idea. All the students are over 11, at the moment I am trying this with some 14 and 15 year olds. The reason I am thinking of avoiding things like the major system is so that the lowest ability and least able are less likely to be intimidated or give up without trying. All they have to do is learn 10 rhyming words and they have a peg system and a functional phonetic number system (in theory).
Can you see any particular pitfalls with the approach itself?
14-15 Years old would be the perfect age for first learning stuff like major system if they had a longer attention span.
I would not use a vowel for any of the numbers. It eliminates a lot of choices when you later expand to a 2 digit system. With a 1 digit system, it seems like a lot of work to memorize numbers. Their parents phone number would be 3-3-4 10 images, with some probably repeating. I like the idea of expanding it to PAO, maybe using superheros or cartoon characters for P’s. I would also start challenging them to think up of words for 2 digit numbers using the phonetic number system (providing you pick some that are not too difficult) that you gave them. ie: Who can think of a word for 72? Heel, hell, heal, hill, hole, etc.
Sorry I can’t be of more help, can’t think well at the moment.
Bateman
Edit: I would also teach them to link things to each other. I don’t know what they are learning, but maybe demonstrating with something such as spanish vocabulary, or some vague biological terms would help.
I put the o in because it is the second most common starting letter for a word, are you saying that it wouldn’t work so well later because of consonant vowel consonant problems or other reasons?
Hi,
As has been done with other memory courses from the early 1900s the list of peg words are usually words that follow the major system. That way, when you move from pegs to major you find you are actually already using the system. Even if a pupil can’t grasp the major system, they will still have their peg words for linking etc.
I would get the pupils to learn the peg words by rote first, then when they have the first 10 learned and are using them introduce the major system and develop their peg words further up to 100.
Linking is also a great little tool that can be taught in less than 5 minutes.
regards,
Sea
I like this idea - making it simple for kids. And your first attempt is pretty good (except that I know of zero kids, and few adults, that would know what “loo” means.)
There’s benefit to learning the major system, as it’s so foundational for expanding beyond the basics. Consider revising your system to add rhyming to other mnemonic techniques for making the learning of the major system much easier.
Example: Add rhyming to major to arrive at the following peg words:
1: Ton (barbell, giant weight).
2: New (perhaps a pair of socks that are new and perfect … socks - not shoes!).
3: Me (point at your chest three times when you picture yourself, or maybe me on a tricycle).
4. Roar (a lion family with wide-open-mouth loud roars - papa lion, mama, and 2 cubs).
5. Live (maybe a five mummies in caskets arranged like a star shape, all coming alive).
6. Chicks (open an egg carton, and one half has eggs as expected, the other half has six chicks).
7. Kevin (Maybe seven Kevin Costners (or some other famous Kevin) rolling a lucky 7 at a casino)
8. Fate (picture a girl asking the magic 8 ball about her lover, and dumping him, because it was “fate”)
9. Pine (I like tic-tac-toe which has 9 boxes, and every time you draw an X or an O, a pine tree grows in that spot)
0. Zero (maybe picturing getting zero sleep (Zzz’s) and being so tired)
Now you have ten pegs whose first letters match the major system.
Then teach matching sounds: if you vocalize the T-sound (“tuh” sounds like a whisper… say it out loud), you are almost forced to say the D-sound (“duh”). Same with “puh” and “buh”. And “fuh”, “vuh”. And ch, sh, j.
Then you can teach another set of pegs that are pure major: tie/noah/ma/rye/law/shoe/cow/ivy/bee
Then grow it to 2 and 3 digits.
…just an idea.
As mentioned above, I wouldn’t be so fearful of them not remembering the rules of the major system. They actually come with pretty decent mnemonics for half of them:
- 1; t, d = 1 downstroke
- 2; n = two downstrokes
- 3; m = three downstrokes
- 4; r = last letter of the number four is 'r'
- 5; l = Roman numeral (harder)
- 6; ch, j, sh = umm? (harder)
- 7; k, g = kilogram/k is two 7s joined together
- 8; f, v = fave/a curly f 'kind of' looks like an 8 (harder)
- 9; b, p = BP (British Petroleum or beep), b and p can be made to look like a 9
- 0; s, soft c = umm? (harder)
So that’s 4 where they might need to have a proper think to remember them. But as mentioned above, I’d combine this with other memory techniques, namely the method of loci.
Using this method, I would get them to build a 10 point journey around their home (I’ve successfully taught a 6 year old this method by making it a game). In every point of the journey, place the major system word of your choice. This way, they’ll be able to work backwards from the journey to work out the rules.
As with any form of learning, the more associations and ways of getting back to the information you want, the better.
They’ll then be armed with the building blocks for the major system. If you connect with some of the children, they might want to further their studies in their free time, or with their parents. There’s already a lot of lists and information out there on the Major System, which would allow the children (and parents) to get more involved.
[bob] (except that I know of zero kids, and few adults, that would know what "loo" means.)
The OP is from the UK, loo means lavatory and everyone here will know the word.
Rhymes are great for a peg system, but use one that is major system based. My daughter (who is now twelve) has been using the Major system to remember bank pins and gate codes for a couple of years.
- Ton
- New
- Me
- Roar
- Live
- chicks
- Kevin
- Fate
- Pine
Zero depends on how you say it:
- Zero: Sorrow
- Nought: Sought
- Nil: Sil
- Oh: Sow
- and zero simply remembered as the verb zip would work as well.
The explanation of the major system (one stroke on d and t for one, two strokes on n for two etc) can come later.