Improve Your Memory with Learning Styles

It may sound like an advert, but it’s true: you can give your memory a boost by using your Learning Style. The techniques are simple, yet tailored especially towards your own unique way of learning.

To understand how your Learning Style affects the way in which you absorb new information best, please have a look here. Today, however, we will concentrate on the process of consolidating the already-learnt information in order to cement it in your memory.

A bit of scientific jargon here: the most recent research studies support the hypothesis that “enhanced memory in humans is associated with elevated norepinephrine activity during memory consolidation”. In everyday language, it means that stimulating the “Fight or Flight” response in the body makes your brain remember the situation. Our emotions influence how well the brain encodes information about exciting or meaningful events (from http://www.apa.org/monitor/apr04/vagus.html).

So, the message is clear:

• feel very positive about the thing you’re trying to memorise, and you will;
• feel extremely negative about the thing you’re trying to memorise, and you will, too.

(Love your teacher, hate your teacher, fear your teacher - all those emotions will help you learn.)

The good news is that we don’t necessarily need to simulate a life-or-death situation or to become emotional in order to enhance our memory. Because norepinephrine is also released during physical activity, doing energising exercises immediately after a period of intensive memorising will help you retain the information. Similarly, going for a brisk walk when you’re trying to recall something might help unlock the obstinate memory pathway... unless mobility is not in the list of your Learning Style Preferences, of course.

What is your own Learning Style? Find out here.

Sleep and Learning Styles

Research studies show that we don’t get enough sleep. Teenagers and people in their twenties often sacrifice sleep time in favour of parties, computer games or TV. Adults forego sleep in order to cram more tasks into the day. Even young children, over-stimulated by their flashy toys and classes for tots, find themselves unable to settle down at night.

And yet our ability to learn is directly related to how well we can memorise new things, while our ability to memorise depends on our sleep patterns. We all know that we need enough sleep for our brains and memory to function properly, but what’s surprising is the fact that information becomes "cemented" in our brains as we sleep.

One study suggests that it is valuable to study right before going to sleep because sleep helps you store what you’ve learnt. In other words, if your Learning Style calls for evening-time studying, you may be better off than somebody who is a morning person.

What is your Learning Style? If you’re new to this site, click here to find out.

Learning Styles can help your brain stay fit

Have ever you noticed how your ability to do a certain type of puzzle improves if you do more puzzles of the same type? Be it crossword puzzles, IQ tests (yes, you can train your brain to improve at those), or even jigsaws - practice makes you better. Recent research suggests that puzzles that rely on problem-solving, memory and logical deduction can be highly beneficial for the brain by making people approach tasks in a more flexible way.

Although your brain is not a muscle, it stays fit in the same way as the rest of your body: through exercising it. People can acquire new brain cells throughout their lives, provided their brains are stimulated.

Says Dr Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, a cognitive neuroscientist and author of The Learning Brain: “When you’re stimulating your brain, it is more active and can even grow brain cell connections. If you teach people to play the piano, the part of the brain that controls finger movements increases and is more active. That’s the idea behind brain training.”Some suggested activities for keeping your brain agile include:
· Learning to play a musical instrument (check your Learning Style first on http://www.creativelearningcentre.com/products/learning-style-analysis/).
· Riddles, crosswords, Sudoku and Scrabble.
· Learning another language (check your Learning Style first on http://www.creativelearningcentre.com/products/learning-style-analysis/).
· Breaking at least two habitual actions a day, e.g., altering your route to the shops or using your “wrong” hand for your mouse.
· Checking your Learning Styles Analysis report (available from http://www.creativelearningcentre.com/products/learning-style-analysis/) and deciding which flexibility to change into a preference.