Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Make Your TExES Study Come to Life With Visualization
Make It Interactive and You’ll Remember It on the TExES Test
Visualization is a powerful technique to acing the TExES test, but your visualization is weak if you’re just picturing two items together.
A mental image of Isaac Newton next to the word gravity is weak, and doesn’t have a lot of memory power. On the other hand, a mental image of Isaac Newton with an apple labeled “gravity” dropping from the tree onto his head is much more compelling.
So, when you prepare for the TExES test using visualization, make sure you get some action involved.
Vivid Visuals Make TExES Test Content Memorable
If you’re creating a visualization for your TExES test, it’ll be more memorable and functional if you make it as vivid as possible. Make the images crystal clear and full of bright, vivid colors.
Be specific. If a ship is a part of your mental image, what kind of ship is it? Is it a WWII battleship or a cruise ship? Are the seas stormy or calm? Get all the detail you can into your mental image and it’ll be much more memorable.
Bizarre Images Create Powerful Recall
Did you know TExES study could be bizarre? Well, it better be if you want to make it easy to recall all that information.
Studies show that visualizations are easier to remember if they’re a bit bizarre.
So, when you’re studying for the TExES test and need a good visual to lock in some information, make it a bit unusual. For example, a ship sailing the ocean is plausible. A ship sailing through chocolate pudding, on the other hand, is bizarre.
Want to remember who was instrumental in starting fire protection in Philadelphia? Picture Ben Franklin riding atop a fire truck and ringing the liberty bell which has been mounted to the front of the truck. Now that’s bizarre.
There are a lot of ways to incorporate visualization into your study for the TExES test. But one thing’s for certain. You’ll be more apt to remember all that stuff you have to remember if you use visualization as a part of your preparation.
You can find more about memory techniques and a ton of other stuff in our TExES study guide. It’s the most comprehensive TExES study guide you’ll find.
