17 replies to this topic

[Lunar]

I've always heard about this and to me it's true. Studying isn't my thing and I can't remember all the contents of a study guide. Sometimes whenever I study I still end up getting a bad grade on my tests. But singing songs is far different than studying.

Don't you find it more easier to memorize the words of a song rather than the contents of a book? To me this is way too true. I mean I start listening to music and within about 30 minutes I already have the song memorized. But with a book it's more difficult. I don't how this is.

Maybe it's because songs are more catchier and have a beat to it. And that books are dull and boring unless your completely interested into it.

I'd like to hear what everybody else has to say about this certain topic.

[ink]

The words in most songs are rather less complex than the words in a study book, aren't they? They are about different subjects too. But perhaps it's an idea to start singing out loud whatever you read in your books

[delivi]

Actually no one will memorize the lines of the song, they'll get it memorized as they get more interested to it and listen repeatedly.

I've been studying my subjects not by memorizing but by understanding what I am actually studying. Memorizing will not help you long, but when you understand what you are studying then you can remember each and everything and can easily write ur exams.

This is not good for last minute studies, to really understand what your studing, you've to be really attentive in the class, and refer more books. This will also help you in your future.

[Plenoptic]

This is why some people put things from a book into a song. Sort of like for math learning the Order of Operations or whatever. Instead of saying --- Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, Subtraction people make it Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally or Purple Elephants May Destroy a School. You can do stuff like that. It isn't really a song but you get the picture.

[pixieloo]

I agree. There are some songs that have facts in it, just so you can memorize it, and using the music to memorize facts is easier than to stare at a piece of paper. Like that song with the 50 states in it - having rhythm, notes, a melody.. it's just easier to memorize.

[Tanuki]

I agree. I know a damn lot of songs lyrics by heart, French or English songs and I can't memorize -or I forget in one hour- German verbs or History Lessons.
I guess it's because you're are far less interested in learning lessons than learning lyrics of songs you like.
I tried to memorize a lesson like I learn lyrics -by repeting it in my head, I even sang it in my head -how pathetic I was It kinda work.

[Lunar]

I don't really hate studying but nor do I love it. I'm just attentive in class and take little notes. And I get A's or B's, my friend told me that if she studies she fails but if she doesn't study she passes. That's strange. And yes it's true. You're not any more interested into lessons than songs. People have made up silly phrases like the Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally for the mathimatical terms. And it's also true that if your into a song you can memorize more of it.

I didn't exactly mean memorizing exact text from a book but I mean like just plain old studying going over terms, going over the texts. But so anyways, our mind is a strange thing that we can't just judge so easily.

[Cerebral Stasis]

Pneumatic devices have been proven to assist one with their ability to accumulate and knowledge, but creating said devices can be difficult.

[dreus]

It pretty much comes down to the individual themselves and what technique they find most useful when it comes to learning something new.

I used to learn by putting the material into different groups e.g. all the provinces and states that start with a particular lettre. Gradually, I tried a peg-word method and learned/memorized by creating a story with my peg-words. E.g. hypothalamus --> ball, brain --> hand. So a "ball in my hand" would be just like saying "hypothalamus in my brain".

Acronyms and other mnemonic devices are usually really good for memorizing hard facts (such as when you're studying for courses like biology... or preparing to write an MCAT). Some of the mnemonics are just plain fun e.g. "Kinky People Can Often Find Good Sex" (a taxomist's nightmare when grouping living organisms into Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus and Species) or how about Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge (E, G, B, D, F are the names of the lined notes in the treble clef of a music staff)

Putting new knowledge into the form of a song does work as well. However, I have yet to create a song to remember stuff that I deem worth singing. Perhaps you'll have better luck.

But yeah, relating back to the original question about learning lyrics vs studying, I believe that lyrics are easier learned because it's something we're interested in - and as such, we care about. Will we have so much enthusiasm when we have to learn quantum physics (sorry if I offended anyone, but that stuff really isn't my cup of tea)? If that were the case, however; I'm sure it would be as easily learned as the lyrics to one of Fiddy's songs.

Oh and one more thing, text books usually have a lot of fluff material in them. Practice in getting to the material that is important and worth learning. It'll be sure to save you some time and make the learning process a lot more fun and not to mention, rewarding.

[AnGeL KiSS]

Yeah I can just memorize a song if i repeat it and listen to it a few times, and I have it memorized. If I study for the same time, I couldn't remember everything.. strange.