The use of study maps and visual mnemotechnics as an aid to recall

Abstract

Many students lack the skills necessary for the efficient memorization of content information as well as an awareness of appropriate rehearsal strategies or meta‐cognitive skills. Rehearsal strategies range from simple repetition to more complex strategies which involve a higher level of processing, such as a transformation of the information into some alternate form. One such technique is study mapping, which is a conversion of text information into its diagrammatic counterpart. The construction of a study map is predicated on a thorough understanding of the information, so that concepts and hierarchical organization can be appropriately represented. Because study maps derive from the material, they are effective in helping etch the information in the brain more deeply and meaningfully. Lastly, the use of color and specific designs to symbolize levels of importance and relationships between ideas helps highlight the information in a distinctive and vivid manner.