{"id":89189,"date":"2023-01-21T14:46:00","date_gmt":"2023-01-21T18:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=89189"},"modified":"2023-01-23T11:46:17","modified_gmt":"2023-01-23T15:46:17","slug":"chunking-information-for-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/chunking-information-for-students\/","title":{"rendered":"Chunking Information for Students: Improve Your Memory"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What does “chunking information” mean? Why is it helpful for students?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chunking means grouping together connected ideas so you can remember them better. Jade Bowler explains this concept in her book The Only Study Guide You’ll Ever Need<\/em> so students can take advantage of this studying technique.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Find out why chunking information<\/a> for students can boost your studying practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Create Connections<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Bowler recommends chunking information for students through storytelling. She presents three different ways you can do so:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, you can sort pieces of information into groups and connect each group in a logical narrative format.<\/strong> Bowler recommends this method because it connects the information you\u2019re learning in a way that makes sense to you, making it easier to recall. (Bowler calls this method \u201cchunking, chaining, and telling a story.\u201d)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, if you\u2019re studying for your Spanish exam, you can sort the vocabulary words for food into one group, cooking utensils into another, and table utensils into another. Then, tell a story about making dinner and use each group as a part of the process: First, you gather the food; then, you gather the cooking utensils; and once the meal is done, you eat with the table utensils. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second, you can connect elements of a concept you\u2019re learning to elements of a routine you perform regularly\u2014<\/strong>this is especially helpful for processes you have to memorize or elements that have a particular order. (Bowler calls this method \u201cSherlock\u2019s mind palace.\u201d)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, you can connect each color of the rainbow to an action or object of your morning routine: First, you wake up underneath your red<\/em> duvet. Next, you put on your orange<\/em> slippers. Then, you go to the bathroom which has yellow<\/em> walls. In the bathroom, you pick up the green<\/em> toothpaste tube and use your blue <\/em>toothbrush. Finally, you put on your indigo <\/em>robe and say good morning to your mother, who is named Violet.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Third, you can connect elements of a concept to parts of a physical object\u2014when you look at the object, it will help you remember the elements of the concept. <\/strong>For example, connect the three main stages of the hydrologic cycle to your water bottle: First is evaporation\u2014you can connect this stage to the top part of your water bottle that\u2019s foggy because of evaporation. Next is condensation\u2014you can connect this to the water droplets inside your bottle and imagine that they\u2019re the product of condensation, like raindrops. Finally, connect precipitation to the water sitting at the bottom of your bottle\u2014imagine this is the rainwater that has fallen and collected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Chunking and Ordering Information Improves Our Memory<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In A Mind For Numbers<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>Barbara Oakley suggests that the underlying reason why turning information into a story aids memory is that it replicates the brain’s system of storing information and transferring it from the working memory to long-term memory<\/a>. All three of Bowler\u2019s recommendations\u2014creating an original story to connect pieces of a concept, connecting parts of a concept to a routine, and connecting parts of a concept to an object\u2014mimic this process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oakley explains that when our brain first absorbs information, it stores it as a \u201cchunk\u201d in our working memory<\/a><\/em>\u2014where information is stored while we process it. \u201cChunks\u201d are bits of information that are bound together by a common theme or meaning\u2014for example, the food-related vocabulary words for your upcoming Spanish exam might form one chunk, and vocabulary about the rooms of the home might be another chunk. The more we build connections between the bits of information in these chunks, the stronger the neural pathways within the chunks get; the deeper the chunk gets ingrained into our long-term memory; and the easier it is to recall the information within it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you actively<\/em> break a chunk of information down into pieces and reconnect those pieces using a strongly connected narrative, routine, or object, as Bowler recommends, you\u2019re providing your brain with a tool that will expedite the process of strengthening the chunk. Not only will this help you recall this information more easily and intuitively,<\/em> Oakley explains, but it will also free up space in your working memory. Your working memory can only contain a few chunks of information<\/a> at a time, so once you transfer chunks to your long-term memory, you\u2019ll have more space to memorize and learn new concepts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What does “chunking information” mean? Why is it helpful for students? Chunking means grouping together connected ideas so you can remember them better. Jade Bowler explains this concept in her book The Only Study Guide You’ll Ever Need so students can take advantage of this studying technique. 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