Memorization Techniques For Applied Knowledge
The California Desert Trial Academy is a progressive law school where students focus on those skills necessary to become not just a lawyer, but an attorney-advocate. Learning the skills to be an advocate gives students an expedient path to a successful and rewarding legal career.
With certain memorization techniques in your toolbox, there are ways to use this knowledge to build connections between concepts and push your understanding of the material to a new level. Here are two memorization techniques for applied knowledge:
*Explain what you’re trying to learn to someone else
An excellent way to test your understanding of a concept in its entirety is to try to explain it to another person. As you explain the topic, the gaps in your knowledge will appear. Note these problem areas and re-study the concepts and then repeat the process with another willing volunteer. Try explaining it to someone who has no legal background or knowledge. You should be able to explain the concept in laymen’s terms if you truly understand it. Also, explaining the material may make connections and relate it to other materials, which will help you determine where to “search” your memory during the test.
*Create a mind map
This method may be extremely helpful for students who consider themselves visual learners since it shows in detail on paper how concepts connect. Mind maps are diagrams used to visually organize information and show relationships among pieces of a whole. They may assist in helping students organize complex ideas and show how they interrelate to other concepts. Start with the main concept in the middle of the page, and then write other concepts that relate to the main idea as branches of the main idea. Next, fill in the details for these concepts by inserting notes and definitions to connect the ideas. Continue to branch out ideas until as many concepts as possible have been connected.
The key to being able to recall information during an exam is encoding it clearly inside your brain. If it is but a fuzzy memory, the chances of success using mnemonic devices are much less. Using these tips, you can ensure your base knowledge of the information, and then use these techniques to further link this information to broader concepts of the underlying subject.
The California Desert Trial Academy has served the residents of the Inland Empire and Coachella Valley for nine years. It won’t be long before we joyously and proudly celebrate our tenth anniversary! At CDTA, The California Desert Trial Academy (CDTA) is a 21st Century law school tailored to meet the needs of working people. Any lawyer must study and know the law. We believe that practical experience in tandem with legal knowledge is the best road to a successful, rewarding, and prosperous legal career. At CDTA, we train, educate, and develop students to be exceptional attorneys and trial advocates. Call us today at (760) 342-0900 or find out more online here.