Think It, Map It, Teach It: Easy memory tools and mnemotechnics you can use every day in class

Modules

How memory and metacognition work

You begin with how memory actually works: how information is encoded, stored and retrieved, and why we forget. The aim of day one is to break the belief “I just have a bad memory” and show that remembering is a skill, not a fixed trait.

Basic mnemonics: the method of loci, acronyms and associations

The method of loci (the memory palace), building acronyms, alliteration aids and vivid associations. Each participant tries the techniques on real material from their own subject and on practice examples alongside.

Storytelling and visualisation as memory tools

Turn a lesson into a story with a clear sequence, emotion and one image that carries the main message. You will work with narrative learning, storytelling and visualisation, and with the link between memory and emotion, so students remember more and for longer.

Mind maps and concept maps: principles of building them

The difference between a mind map and a concept map, and the principles behind both. How to organise complex material visually into one clear image, so the map supports understanding and critical thinking rather than plain description.

Digital tools for building mind maps

Free online tools that let you build maps quickly and efficiently. When it pays to map on paper and when to go digital, so the tool serves the learning and not the other way round.

Students as creators: activities that draw them in

Maps and mnemonics in the students’ own hands. When students build the visual aid themselves, they remember the material best. On this principle you build a range of games and activities that pull students into the learning and, in the spirit of Kolb’s cycle, connect their own experience with the material.

Transfer to practice and your personal toolkit

Each participant assembles their own set of techniques and a concrete plan for their next lessons. Micro-teaching with feedback and an exchange of ideas with colleagues from across Europe.

Learning outcomes

• Explain how memory works in the learning process and why we forget, and apply these principles when planning your lessons.

• Use core mnemonics, the method of loci, memory palaces, acronyms and alliteration, on real material from your own subject and on practice examples.

• Compose a lesson as a story and use visualisation so that students remember more and for longer.

• Create mind maps and concept maps that organise complex material into one clear image and support critical thinking.

• Select free digital tools for building maps and judge when to map on paper and when to go digital.

• Design games and activities in which students create the maps and mnemonics themselves, grounded in Kolb’s learning cycle.

• Assemble your own toolkit of memory techniques and a concrete plan for your next lessons, and compare approaches with teachers from across Europe.