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A joke by John Cooper Clarke and a song by Manu Chao were just some of the memory aids that emerged at a support meeting for teachers.
Also outlined were techniques including the memory palace, memory walk and the effective use of flashcards.
More than 50 teachers attended the Memory Retention TeachMeet, which aimed to give them effective tools they can pass onto their students before their exams next summer.
Holly Manning, deputy headteacher at The Forest School in Winnersh, which hosted the event on 16 November, said: “Bringing together over 50 teachers from Bracknell Forest, Surrey and Berkshire always proves to be a collaborative and exciting affair.
“The nine presenters spoke extremely well, giving excellent strategies for supporting learners’ memory recall and aiding long term memory.
“It is a challenge to prepare and speak in front of other teachers, and the feedback from teachers was overwhelmingly positive. Highlights included memory palace, jokes, effective flashcards, storytelling, student-led learning and, ‘not forgetting’ metacognition and cognitive science.”
Ben Evans, deputy head (academic) at Wellington College, who gave a presentation on science and storytelling, said: “I always enjoy the experience of TeachMeets, for the opportunity to share my experiences with other educators, but more for the snippets of wisdom one picks up from talented professionals.”
TeachMeets are arranged by Wellington College Teaching Alliance throughout the year as part of its inter-school support programme, which helps schools work collaboratively for mutual benefit and to provide equal opportunities for all pupils.
Lindsay Gowland, WCTA Co-ordinator, said: “A huge thank you to The Forest for hosting this event and to all the presenters for delivering these sessions, we are delighted it proved so popular.”
