Hello. This is 6 Minute English
from BBC Learning English.
I'm Georgina.
And I'm Rob.
Do you have a good memory, Rob?
Can you remember people's names,
or where you left your car keys?
Well, I can remember people's
faces, but I have a terrible
memory for names. And sometimes
I'll be eagerly reading a book
but then a week later I can't
remember a single thing about it!
Well, you're not alone.
Many people find it hard to
remember things they've read
or learned while other,
sometimes useless, information
sticks with them.
In this programme, we'll
be finding out why we forget
the things we've learned,
whether that's someone's name,
a word in English or where
you put your wallet.
But first let me ask you
my quiz question, Rob - before
I forget. You and I might
struggle to remember someone's
phone number but Chinese student,
Chao Lu, has a record-breaking
memory. In 2005, she recited the
numbers of pi, the mathematical
equation describing the
proportions of a circle - but
how many digits did she manage
to remember? Was it:
a) 48,000 b) 68,000 or
c) 88,000?
Wow! It sounds like Chao Lu has
an incredible memory! I'll
say she remembered
b) 68,000 digits of pi.
OK, Rob, let's remember to
find out the answer at the
end of the programme.
OK, will do. Someone like
Chao Lu might have a
photographic memory - the
ability to remember things
in exact detail, like
looking at a photograph.
But for the rest of us,
things are more complicated.
Dr Jared Horvath is an
educational neuroscientist at
the University of Melbourne.
According to him there are two
rules which explain how we
remember information.
Listen to Dr Horvath talking
to BBC World Service programme,
The Why Factor, and see if you
can hear the two rules he mentions:
Rule number one is repetition is key.
The odds of remembering something
after a one-off are incredibly slim,
unless you can immediately link it
to something you already understand.
So, my middle name is Cuney, if I
ever meet someone named Cuney,
I'll never forget
that 'cos I have an immediate
link, but if I meet someone named
Joe... so a one-off, we all pretty
much suck at it - unless we focus.
So then rule two then becomes,
we remember what we focus on.
The first rule for remembering is
repetition. The odds - meaning the
probability, of remembering
something are low if you learn
it as a one-off - something
that only happens once.
Dr Horvath's second rule is
about focus: we remember what
we focus on. This involves
making links between new
information and something
you already understand.
These are the most effective
methods of remembering, and
most of us suck at - or are
bad at - other ways of
remembering things.
Now, of course, one group
of people who need good
memory is students. Do you
remember cramming for
school exams, Georgina?
Ah yes, staying up late
trying to revise everything
the night before an exam.
I remember doing that,
but it didn't work!
Yes. Dr Horvath's research
found that students who cram
for tests forget around 90%
of what they studied
within 72 hours.
He thinks education shouldn't
be about trying to cram
students' heads with facts
and figures. It should
involve something more
meaningful, as he explains
to BBC World Service's,
The Why Factor:
The thing that I like about
education is its really moving
from a model of 'just memorise
as much as you can' into what
we now call deep learning
which is, instead of giving
you a hundred things and I
just need to know that you
can remember them, I'm going
to give you ten things and
instead of just being able to
remember them, I want you to
be able to describe it deeply
and come up with new ways
of looking at it.
Traditionally, education involves
memorising - learning information
exactly as it is so that
you can repeat it later.
But being able to repeat
something like a parrot
doesn't always mean you
understand it. Dr Horvath advocates
a technique called deep
learning - a complete way
of learning something that
means you fully understand
and will not forget it.
So, remember: repetition,
focus and deep learning are the
memory muscles we need. Maybe
that s how Chinese student,
Chau Lu, developed her record-breaking
memory. You do remember your quiz
question, don't you, Georgina?
Yes, thank you, Rob - my memory
isn't that bad! I asked you how
many digits of the mathematical
equation, pi, she could remember.
And I said b) 68,000 digits.
Which was the correct
answer! Actually,
the number was so long it took her
over 24 hours without a
break to recite it all!
Oh Wow! Her brain must have
be aching after all that. OK,
let's recap the vocabulary from
this programme starting with a
photographic memory which is
the ability to remember things
in exact detail, like
looking at a photograph.
The odds of something happening
mean the chances that
it will happen.
A one-off is something that
only happens once.
To suck at something is an
informal way to say 'be bad at
doing something'. It's more
common in American English.
If you memorise something, you
learn it exactly so that
you can repeat it later.
And finally, deep learning
describes a complete way of
learning something so that you
fully understand it and
will not forget it.
OK, well, that's all from us,
but don't forget to join us
again soon for more trending
topics and top tips to help
you remember useful and everyday
English vocabulary. Bye for now!
Bye!