Your memory is composed of complicated neural connections in your brain which are believed to be capable of holding millions of data. The ability of your mind to retain past experiences in a highly organized manner gives you the potential to learn and create different ideas.

Your experiences are the stepping stones to greater accomplishments and at the same time your guides and protectors from danger. If your memory serves you well in this respect, you are saved the agony of repeating the mistakes of the past. By remembering crucial lessons and circumstances, you avoid the mistakes and failures made by other people.

Unless you have an illness or handicap, a poor memory is often attributed to lack of attention or concentration, insufficient listening skills, and other inherent bad habits; however, it can be honed and developed using the right methods.

Many people believe that their memory gets worse as they get older. This is true only for those who do not use their memory properly. Memory is like a muscle – the more it is used, the better it gets. The more it is neglected, the worse it gets. This is the reason why older people have more trouble remembering than younger ones.

However, people increasing in age can overcome this dilemma and can even further improve their memory by continuing their education, by refining their minds, by keeping themselves open to new experiences, and by keeping their imagination working. An important thing to realize is that different people have various ways of learning. The way in which people learn is often a factor determining the subjects they choose to study, instructors they relate to, and careers they select.

Memorization or retention of data operates by loading images, sounds; taste, smell, and sensation (touch) in a very organized and meaningful combination in our brain. In order for you to further develop your memory capacity in various tasks, it would be helpful if you consider points and ideas in improving your memory. This would make your retention practices more efficient and sharper.

Some people read fast and remember everything. Others read slowly and take a couple of times to get all the information. It doesn’t matter, really, so long as when YOU read, you get the information you’re seeking.

2. Know why you’re reading.

Are you reading for entertainment or to learn something? Decide *why* you’re reading before you start and you’ll greatly improve your comprehension and your enjoyment.

3. You don’t need to read everything.

Not every magazine, letter, and email you receive contains information you need. In fact, most of it is simply junk. Throw it away, hit the delete key! Just by doing this will double the amount of time you have available to read.

4. You don’t need to read all of what you do read.

Do you read every article of every magazine, every chapter of every book? If so, you’re probably reading stuff you don’t need. Be choosy; select the chapters and articles that are important. Ignore the rest.

5. Scan before you read.

Look at the table of contents, index, topic headers, photo captions, etc. These will help you determine if, a) you have a real interest in this reading, and b) what information you’re likely to get from it.

6. Prioritise your reading.

You can’t read everything all at once (and wouldn’t want to). If it’s important, read it now. If it isn’t, let it wait.

7. Optimise your reading environment.

You’ll read faster and comprehend more if you read in an environment that’s comfortable for you.

8. Once you start don’t stop.

Read each item straight through. If you finish and have questions, go back and re-read those sections. If you don’t have questions, then you got what you needed and can move on.

9. Focus.

Remember, you’re reading with a purpose, so focus on that purpose and the material. If you lose interest or keep losing your place, take a break or read something else. You can keep track of where you are by following along with your hand. This simple technique helps you focus and increase your concentration.

10. Practice!

Practice makes perfect!

Students learn in a variety of ways: by seeing and hearing, working alone and in groups, reasoning logically and intuitively, memorising and visualising and modelling.

Teaching methods also vary: some instructors lecture, others demonstrate or discuss; some focus on principles and others on applications; some emphasise memory and others understanding.

 How much students learn in a class depends among other things on the match between their learning style preferences and the instructor’s teaching style. This interactive presentation defines different learning styles, explores the consequences of mismatches between learning and teaching styles, and offers ideas for reaching students with a wider variety of learning styles than are reached with traditional teaching methods.

Students have different levels of motivation, different attitudes about teaching and learning, and different responses to specific classroom environments and instructional practices. The more thoroughly instructors understand the differences, the better chance they have of meeting the diverse learning needs of all of their students.

Three categories of diversity that have been shown to have important implications for teaching and learning are differences in students’ learning styles (characteristic ways of taking in and processing information), approaches to learning (surface, deep, and strategic), and intellectual development levels (attitudes about the nature of knowledge and how it should be acquired and evaluated)

 Learning styles are “characteristic cognitive, affective, and psychological behaviours that serve as relatively stable indicators of how learners perceive, interact with, and respond to the learning environment. The concept of learning styles has been applied to a wide variety of student attributes and differences.

Some students are comfortable with theories and abstractions; others feel much more at home with facts and observable phenomena; some prefer active learning and others lean toward introspection; some prefer a visual presentation of information and others prefer verbal explanations.

One learning style is neither preferable nor inferior to another, but is simply different, with different characteristic strengths and weaknesses. A goal of instruction should be to equip students with the skills associated with every learning style category, regardless of the students’ personal preferences, since they will need all of those skills to function effectively as professionals.

Preparing for an examination is the most common situation, which an adolescent finds difficult to cope with. It feels like a time-bomb ticking in your head. No matter what you’re doing, if you aren’t studying and you know you have an exam coming up, that’s what it’s like. It’s pressure building up in your body all the time. However, if the correct approach and coping strategies are used, it will help the adolescent to overcome anxiety and maximise their own performance in the examination.

Points to consider would be the following:

Nutrition & Healthy Eating

• Balancing food choices over time is what counts.
• Breakfast provides the energy needed through an active morning
• Children who skip breakfast may have trouble concentrating
• Fast food supply more fat, salt & calories that good nutrition
• Fast food is moderation won’t ruin a healthful diet, especially when consumed with green salads.
• Replace finger chips with an apple

Good Sleep – Good Exam.

• Insomnia (The inability to fall or stay asleep) can be caused by stress and exam anxiety.
• Disturbances of ‘sleep wake’ cycle during exams.
• If sleep struggles continue, talk them over with your doctor.

Exercise and Physical Activity

• Walk or cycle 15 minutes a day at least thrice a week.
• Avoid sitting cross – legged on the ground because this is bad for your knees.
• Avoid being a couch potato.
• Cut out junk food and control your weight.
• Swim or play a sport at least twice a week.

THE MUST DO’S FOR STUDENTS

1. Know your concentration span, Study with breaks.
2. Work out best time for concentration
3. Group study for difficult subjects.
4. Do not let previous results discourage you. Identify your weak areas from previous exams and work on them.
5. Time Management plan must be made for all subjects.
6. Choose a study place with minimum distractions and auto suggest to yourself about your resolution.
7. Try to coincide study time with the time, you would be giving an exam.
8. In case of average achievers, master what you know and are comfortable with.
9. For low achievers, master the essential information first.
10. Prioritise the workload. Give your best concentration time to the toughest subject.
11. Repeat your learnt work so the recall in exam is easy. Work not repeated or revised is easily forgotten.
12. Try to plan your revision time by drawing up a timetable. Build in time for the things you enjoy – like watching your favourite TV programme, going out with your friends, or going to play football in the park.
13. Give yourself a few treats – pamper yourself with a long hot bath, or listen to your favourite CD for an hour after you have finished your revision.
14. Relax with what you know before entering the exam hall.
15. Do not get anxious about the result – cross that bridge when you come to it!

Motivation is the fuel that propels people to take risks, to set large goals, to develop plans to reach their goals, to continue forward in the face of obstacles, and to persist down the long path that will eventually lead to the realization of their highest ideals. The starting point of success is motivation, because without motivation no large success would ever be accomplished. And another statement that is equally true is that when someone has developed a strong source of personal motivation, they will be immune to failure and in time will do amazing things and reach all of their goals.

This being the case, it is obvious that most people must not be very motivated. Why is that? Well to answer that question we need to look at another question which is what creates motivation? Motivation comes from desire and passion. When you want something, and you want it badly enough to where you’re willing to do anything to get it, you have motivation. And that is the exact reason why most people do not have a lot of motivation.

Unless you know clearly and definitely what you want to achieve, you will never have the motivation to achieve it. Sure many people might have goals or aspirations, but they are usually general and not specific. A general goal will not inspire motivation because there will not be a strong desire to achieve it. However, when your goals are crystal clear and you know exactly what you want to achieve and when you want to achieve it, you create inside yourself a burning obsession to attain the object of your desire, and therefore you ignite the fire of ambition that will propel you through any obstacle and land you on the high road of success. 

 The more clear you are about your vision, the more motivation and passion you will have!

An individual with better working memory will experience better ability to focus, resist distractions and control impulses. Memory cannot be compared to intelligence. It is actually the power of the mind that works towards processing and deducting and assisting it. Memory training can be beneficial for students and business professionals alike. With information coming to us at a faster speed than ever, there has never been a more important time to enjoy the benefits of memory training. The fact is, most people never receive memory training in high school or college, yet the benefits can be immense. Whether it’s a clients name or a new product presentation, or studying for an exam, we could all benefit from using our memory more effectively.

According to a recent research, it has been proved that it is possible to train people to become more intelligent and increase the brain power they actually possessed at the time of birth.

There are several benefits one can enjoy via the process of memory training.

First and foremost, memory training can enhance problem solving skills of brain. These skills are known as fluid intelligence.