MODULE 5

MEMORY LEARNING AND IMPROVING CONCENTRATION

BY: SIR ZULHAFIZUL OTHMAN

"Menuntut ilmu - niat harus betul, perlu berusaha, berdoa dan tawakkal dan guna ilmu ke arah kebaikan"

▪ Skills?

The ability to do something well.

(1) Learning Pyramid
➡️ Methods of training and retention rates

Different people, different methods of the way they study. As for me, my ways of studies are discussion in a group and do more practice as practice makes perfect. 

▪ Memory vs Brain
Memory ➡️ computer software
Brain.     ➡️ computer hardware

There are 4 categories of people:
(1) Easy to memorize, hard to forget
(2) Hard to memorize, easy to forget
(3) Easy to memorize, easy to forget
(4) Hard to memorize, hard to forget

🔹Brain
- Brain has 2 parts which is left and right
- You have to know which part is yours whether:
(1) incomplete dominant left side
(2) complete dominant left side
(3) incomplete dominant right side
(4) complete dominant right side

I'm an incomplete dominant left side brain person. How do I know? Sir Zul had done a few activities about this topic. The result is I got 22.22% and it is in the category incomplete dominant left side. You guys can google these activities if you want to know.
                       

▪ Relation Between Memory And Brain
- The analogy is such as a computer
- The example of components in computer that can relate with human :
(1) CPU ➡️ brain
(2) Mouse ➡️ hands
(3) Pendrive ➡️ Memory
(4) Keyboard ➡️ mouth
(5) Speaker ➡️ mouth
(6) Microphone ➡️ ears
🌼 Input - keyboard, camera
                - ears, mouth, nose, skin, eyes
🌼 Storage - hard disk, thumbdrive
                     - 3 types of memory (Sensory Memory, Short-term memory, Long-term Memory)
🌼 Output/Retrieval - computer screen, printer
                                    - writing, talking

▪ Memory
- 3 types of memory

(1) Sensory Memory (SM) 
- Using our 5 senses
- It doesn't last long
- If you focus, the information will be processed and changed from SM  to STM
- If you not focus, it will be disappeared

(2) Short-term Memory (STM)
- Information received will be stored in a short period (from 30 seconds until 24 hours)
- The storage is limited
- Keep repeating ➡️ will be changed to LTM
- Not repeating ➡️ it will be disappeared

(3) Long-term Memory (LTM)
- Information will remain for a long period
- It will remain till the end of your life ( If that person can recall all the information from memory)

▪Recall
- Can remember back all the information from memory

Sir Zul asked us to memorize all the numbers (in the slide) and wrote it again. So, I only remember five numbers 😂 lol!

"Healthy Body, Healthy Brain"

▪ Forget and Remember

🔹Forget - Distraction

                  - Lost focus

                  - Time

🔹Remember - Interest

                          - Keep repeating

                          - Exercising

▪From Islam Perspective

(1) Intention
(2) Effort
(3) Practice
(4) Avoid 'maksiat'

▪ Memories Strategies
- What strategy do you use to remember the colours of rainbow?
- If you do not have your smartphone or phone and paper, what strategy do you use to remember your friends phone number?

🔹How to improve your strategy?
(1) Massed practice vs spaced practice
(2) Space practice
(3) Break reading material down for some period of time, eg: 2 chapters per day, not all chapters a day before exam

🔹Rehearsel
- Practice multiple times

🔹Elaboration strategies
- Acronyms or catchwords
- eg: MAS - Malaysian Airline System

- Acrostics/catchphrases
- eg: Carnivores - animal eaters

🔹Mnemonics
- Memory tricks
- Remember the colour of rainbow

🔹Elaboration strategies
- Imagery
- Organizational strategies ➡️ mind map

▪ Causes Of Poor Concentration
(1) Lack of attention
(2) Lack of interest
(3) Lack of motivation
(4) Distraction from others
(5) Uncomfortable environment
(6) Physiological matters - illness, tiredness
(7) Psychological matters - personal problems, worries, anxieties

▪  Strategies For Improving Concentration
(1) Use motivational and organizational strategies 
(2) Create a positive learning environment
(3) Deal with internal distractions
(4) Use active learning strategies 
(5) Match your learning style to the task
(6) Monitor your concentration

▪ SQ3R : Survey-Question-Read-Recite-Review
- Survey = survey the chapters that you have read
- Question = create question when you read so your brain will find the answer
- Read = Find information
            = Find the answer to the question
- Recite = Make it short
              = make it short notes and try to remember
              = revision
              = past year question (can download it at Al-Bukhari's website)
- Review = Revision
                = Look back at your notes 
                = Remember the keywords

▪ Exercise Your Brain

I'm a right-handed person and it's hard for me to use my left hand to draw or write something. But, if I keep practice using my left hand I can do it sooner or later. Practice makes perfect!