I make a big deal about getting kids to think, not merely remember.
But yes—sometimes we really do need to memorize a bunch of information.
After all, we can’t think deeply about information we can’t even recall.
Memorizing is an essential tool for thinking.
The problem is… I used to do it wrong.
In fact, I was awful at helping students memorize. No one ever taught me how.
What I’ve Learned About Memorizing
Here are a few things I now understand about memory:
- We remember what we think about, so memorizing requires applying, analyzing, evaluating, and connecting ideas.
- We remember more when we chunk related information instead of studying isolated facts.
- We remember things that are unusual, so weird, unexpected connections stick.
- We remember things we revisit over time, so review matters.
Let’s start with chunking.
The Map of Africa
I grew up watching Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego. The show had a killer theme song.
In the final challenge, contestants had to fill in a continent’s map with the correct countries under a time limit.
And 9-year-old Ian noticed the pattern: If you got Africa, you were doomed. Almost no one knew this continent well enough to win (except this kid!).
Even now, my knowledge of African geography is embarrassingly weak. So let’s use Africa as an example of how memorizing can work better.
Chunk It
We can only hold about seven to ten pieces of information in working memory. That sounds limiting… but we can cheat by combining small pieces into bigger “chunks.”
That’s why phone numbers are easier as 867-5309 than 8675309. Same digits—fewer chunks.
Same thing with language. If you can recall the start of the Gettysburg Address, you didn’t memorize letters. You memorized words, and even groups of words.
So if we want students to memorize, we can’t hand them random, disconnected facts. We need to help them chunk information into groups.
Chunking Africa
There are a lot of countries here. I can’t just “memorize the map.” So I chunk it.
I’d start with the top row: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt.
For me, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia are one chunk. I could remember “MAT” as a clue. I think of a high school friend named Matt.
I already know Egypt is in the east. So now I just need to remember what’s between MAT and Egypt: Libya. “Libya” makes me think of “library.”
I also remember Tunisia because they filmed desert scenes from Star Wars there.
Want to Remember? Then Think
Even with just this one chunk, I’m already remembering more—because I’m thinking about it. I’m making connections instead of staring at isolated facts.
That’s the key idea: you remember what you think about.
These connections are called mnemonics. Our brains aren’t great at memorizing lonely facts, but they’re excellent at remembering stories, images, and connections.
We Remember Unusual Things
So here’s a memory story for the top row:
“Harrison Ford and my friend Matt landed in Morocco, walked through Algeria, and filmed Star Wars in Tunisia. They checked out a book at the library in Libya, then visited the pyramids in Egypt before flying home.”
That’s ridiculous… which is why it works.
Moving It Into Long-Term Memory
At this point you might be thinking: Wait… do I need a story for everything?
No. Over time, your brain files the information into long-term memory, and you won’t need the story anymore.
That’s what mnemonics do: they help you remember long enough for the information to “stick.”
But you still need to revisit it. If you want more on that, here’s my post on periodic review.
Next Row
Now I can move on to the next row:
Here are the countries, plus the first connections my brain makes:
- Western Sahara — disputed region, so it already stands out
- Mauritania — sounds like Mary (my wife) + Tanya (and I think of Tanya Harding).
- Mali — reminds me of Bali (a place I’ve been to)
- Niger — Nigel the tiger
- Chad — reminds me of a kid I knew
- Sudan — “sue Dan”
- Eritrea — reminds me of Atreyu from The Never Ending Story
This is important: mnemonics are personal.
Mine probably won’t help you. But I’ll share my story anyway:
“I arrived in Western Sahara and picked up Mary and Tanya Harding. We drank from a coconut in Bali with Nigel the Tiger. Then we saw Chad. Chad was sad because he had to sue Dan. And I said, Chad, you’re not as sad as Atreyu was when his horse died in The NeverEnding Story!”
Bonkers, right? But it works. And if I retell it tonight, then try again tomorrow, it’ll start sticking.
With just two stories, I’ve already memorized 11 countries.
Now let’s see how this connects to learning Japanese.
Reading Japanese
In my ongoing journey to understand Japanese, I have to learn kanji — a writing system built on thousands of characters. I need about 2,000 for high school-level literacy.
But by chunking, using mnemonics, and reviewing regularly, I’ve memorized over 800 characters in 18 months. (I use the pre-made program WaniKani to help.)
Now, the character 響 looks impossible to remember, right? It’s pure chaos. It takes 20 strokes to write.
But I can chunk it right away. Because of prior knowledge, I can see it’s built from four smaller symbols. Those chunks are already in my long-term memory from earlier mnemonics: poo, good, building, and sound.
Put them together to get 響, which means echo.
Now, can you think of a way to remember that “poo”, “good”, “building”, and “sound” combine to make “echo”?
It’s kinda hard not to think of a memorable story:
A poo that’s always been good suddenly smacks into a building and makes a sound that echoes!
Now I also have to remember the pronunciation. It’s “kyou” (rhymes with “no”). That’s easy: the poo hit the building in Kyoto (a city in Japan that I once visited).
So honestly, 響 is a super easy character for me to memorize because the mnemonic is so vivid. I’m not bothered by the 20 strokes. To me, it’s just four chunks and a memorable story.
Of course, I’m juggling lots of other characters and words, so I still need to review. But because this one has such a strong story, it won’t take many reviews before it’s stored for good.
Memorizing a Deck of Cards
You can make a mnemonic no matter how dull the information seems. Here’s US memory champ Ron White explaining how he can memorize a deck of 52 cards in 90 seconds.
There’s no magic. He just tells himself a weird story about all 52 cards. He makes a giant mnemonic.
To Remember: Chunk, Make Stories, and Repeat
If we want students to remember the material we teach, we have to set them up for success:
- Chunk related information together
- Turn it into a story
- Even better, let students create their own personal mnemonics
- Review quickly and often until it sticks
That’s how information moves into long-term memory.