Listen to the radio interview about improving your memory and do the exercises to practise and improve your listening skills. 

Are the following True or False?

Question 1. We all use memory in the same way.

Question 2. We learn to use our memory as soon as we are born.

Question 3. There are two different forms of memorisation.

Question 4. Writing shopping lists can improve your memory.

Question 5. We are taught how to improve our memory in history lessons.

Question 6. Teaching helps us to memorise.

Question 7. We can train our brains to be more effective.

Question 8. We can only use one image at a time as an aid to memorisation.

Question 1. We all use memory in the same way. (Tất cả chúng ta đều sử dụng bộ nhớ theo cách giống nhau.)

Thông tin: It’s vital that we understand the process if we want to make adjustments to the way we function. We all use memory in the same way.

Tạm dịch: Điều quan trọng là chúng ta phải hiểu quy trình nếu chúng ta muốn điều chỉnh cách chúng ta hoạt động. Tất cả chúng ta đều sử dụng bộ nhớ theo cùng một cách.

=> True

Question 2. We learn to use our memory as soon as we are born. (Chúng ta học cách sử dụng trí nhớ của mình ngay khi mới sinh ra.)

Thông tin: We learn to use our memory when we are still at nursery school. Young children are naturally very good at working out how to remember things.

Tạm dịch: Chúng ta học cách sử dụng trí nhớ của mình khi còn ở trường mẫu giáo. Trẻ nhỏ bẩm sinh rất giỏi trong việc tìm ra cách ghi nhớ mọi thứ.

=> False

Question 3. There are two different forms of memorisation. (Có hai hình thức ghi nhớ khác nhau.)

Thông tin:

Charles: …The process of memorisation occurs in two distinct forms. Do you know what they are?

Mary:  Are they ‘long-term memory’ and ‘short-term memory’?

Charles: That’s right! But these aren’t completely separate concepts.

Tạm dịch:

Charles:… Quá trình ghi nhớ xảy ra ở hai dạng riêng biệt. Bạn có biết chúng là gì không?

Mary: Họ có phải là ‘trí nhớ dài hạn’ và trí nhớ ngắn hạn ’không?

Charles: Đúng vậy! Nhưng đây không phải là những khái niệm hoàn toàn riêng biệt.

=> True

Question 4. Writing shopping lists can improve your memory. (Viết danh sách mua sắm có thể cải thiện trí nhớ của bạn.)

Thông tin: You can use several images in a row to remember things like information in a text or a list of ingredients for a recipe.

Tạm dịch: Bạn có thể sử dụng nhiều hình ảnh liên tiếp để ghi nhớ những thứ như thông tin trong văn bản hoặc danh sách các thành phần cho một công thức.

=> False

Question 5. We are taught how to improve our memory in history lessons. (Chúng tôi được dạy cách cải thiện trí nhớ trong các giờ học lịch sử.)

Thông tin:

Charles: Singing can help with memorisation too.

Mary: Singing?

Charles: Yeah. So instead of reading a text aloud, you sing it. Singing is one of most effective and earliest memory tricks that are used for learning new concepts. I used to ‘sing’ lists of historical facts and dates. It works.

Mary: And did you have to sing aloud in your history exams?

Charles: Not aloud! But I did used to sing in my head. And I always got good marks for history.

 Tạm dịch:

Charles: Ca hát cũng có thể giúp ghi nhớ.

Mary: Ca hát?

Charles: Vâng. Vì vậy, thay vì đọc to một văn bản, bạn hát nó. Ca hát là một trong những thủ thuật ghi nhớ hiệu quả nhất và sớm nhất được sử dụng để học các khái niệm mới. Tôi đã từng ‘hát’ danh sách các sự kiện lịch sử và ngày tháng. Nó hoạt động.

Mary: Và bạn có phải hát thật to trong kỳ thi lịch sử của mình không?

Charles: Không quá to! Nhưng tôi đã từng hát trong đầu. Và tôi luôn đạt điểm cao cho môn lịch sử.

=> True

Question 6. Teaching helps us to memorise. (Dạy học giúp chúng ta ghi nhớ.)

Thông tin: Teach whatever it is that you want to remember... Better still, record yourself ‘teaching’ and then play back the video to revise the material further.

Tạm dịch: Hãy dạy bất cứ điều gì bạn muốn ghi nhớ ... Tốt hơn hết, hãy tự ghi lại lời "dạy" và sau đó phát lại video để ôn lại kiến thức.

=> True

Question 7. We can train our brains to be more effective. (Chúng ta có thể rèn luyện bộ não của mình để hoạt động hiệu quả hơn.)

Thông tin:

Charles: …And although these sound like ‘tricks’, they aren’t really.

Mary: No?

Charles: No. They are just simple ways that we can train our brains to be more effective.

Tạm dịch:

Charles:… Và mặc dù những điều này nghe có vẻ giống như “mánh khóe”, nhưng thực ra không phải vậy.

Mary: Không phải ư?

Charles: Đúng vậy. Chúng chỉ là những cách đơn giản để chúng ta có thể huấn luyện bộ não của mình hoạt động hiệu quả hơn.

=> True

Question 8. We can only use one image at a time as an aid to memorisation. (Chúng ta chỉ có thể sử dụng một hình ảnh tại một thời điểm để hỗ trợ cho việc ghi nhớ.)

Thông tin: By getting into the habit of using word association, visualisation, singing and teaching, our brains develop and work better for us. And of course that has a knock-on effect on our memory and our abilities to recall all kinds of data.

Tạm dịch: Bằng cách tập thói quen sử dụng liên tưởng từ, hình dung, ca hát và giảng dạy, bộ não của chúng ta sẽ phát triển và hoạt động tốt hơn cho chúng ta. Và tất nhiên điều đó có ảnh hưởng trực tiếp đến trí nhớ và khả năng nhớ lại mọi loại dữ liệu của chúng ta.

=> False

Mary: I’d like to welcome Charles Long to the studio today. Charles has just published an article in New Science journal about memorisation. It’s all about how to make our memory function better.

Charles, exam time is looming and there’ll be lots of teenagers tuning in today. Can you give us some advice about improving our ability to memorise?

Charles: Hello! Yes, of course. I’d like to start by talking about the process of memorisation. It’s vital that we understand the process if we want to make adjustments to the way we function. We all use memory in the same way. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a student revising for your finals or an adult standing in the aisle of a supermarket, trying to recall a particular item from a grocery list.

Mary: Ha ha! That’s me. I always forget to take my list.

Charles: You and thousands of other people too, Mary. We learn to use our memory when we are still at nursery school. Young children are naturally very good at working out how to remember things. The tips I’m going to share today are based on the things we used to do to help us remember when we were children. The process of memorisation occurs in two distinct forms. Do you know what they are?

Mary:  Are they ‘long-term memory’ and ‘short-term memory’?

Charles: That’s right! But these aren’t completely separate concepts. We use a combination of both types of memory when we want to formulate our thoughts and recall information, whether we’re trying to remember something from a decade ago or just an hour earlier.

Mary: So what tips have you got for improving the quality of our memory?

Charles: Right. Let’s start with ‘association’.

Mary: Association?

Charles: Yes. We can use word association to remember an idea or a concept. This means choosing a word or phrase you associate with what you are trying to remember. The word needs to be something familiar, that you come into contact with on a daily basis. So, for example, you can use the name of your pet dog to remember a scientific equation. Try it! Read the equation a few times and then say your dog’s name again and again. Later, in your science exam, just recall the name and the whole equation should come back to you.

Mary: It sounds too good to be true! What else, Charles?

Charles: Visualisation is another trick we can use. So you have to visualise an image that is connected to the thing you need to remember. For example, if you want to remember the date that the Berlin Wall came down, you might visualise a picture of a wall with the date written on it in graffiti. The image of the wall becomes an important part of what you will remember. You can use several images in a row to remember things like information in a text or a list of ingredients for a recipe.

Mary: Yes, that makes sense.

Charles: Singing can help with memorisation too.

Mary: Singing?

Charles: Yeah. So instead of reading a text aloud, you sing it. Singing is one of most effective and earliest memory tricks that are used for learning new concepts. I used to ‘sing’ lists of historical facts and dates. It works.

Mary: And did you have to sing aloud in your history exams?

Charles: Not aloud! But I did used to sing in my head. And I always got good marks for history.

Mary: Any more tips, Charles?

Charles: Yes! I’ve saved the best one till last. It’s particularly relevant for any students who have tuned in. ‘Teach it’.

Mary: Teach it? Teach ‘what’?

Charles: Teach whatever it is that you want to remember. So, if you’re studying for an English exam, teach the concepts to someone else. It can be a real person - a friend in a study group is ideal - or it can be a ‘pretend’ person. You can just imagine someone is listening to you as you teach. Better still, record yourself ‘teaching’ and then play back the video to revise the material further.

Mary: That sounds like a great tip … or ‘trick’.

Charles: Yes, it really works because in order to teach something you need to understand it. Teaching reinforces the understanding. And although these sound like ‘tricks’, they aren’t really.

Mary: No?

Charles: No. They are just simple ways that we can train our brains to be more effective. By getting into the habit of using word association, visualisation, singing and teaching, our brains develop and work better for us. And of course that has a knock-on effect on our memory and our abilities to recall all kinds of data.

Mary: Thank you, Charles. Now, I think we’ve got time for a couple of questions from our listeners.