A bit of superstition might be involved in this age-old strategy for remembering, which I first encountered on an episode of the popular children’s television show Sesame Street in the 1980’s.
In a skit with the characters Bert and Ernie, Ernie had tied so many strings around each of his fingers—the total number for Muppets is four on each hand—that he could not remember about what any of the strings were meant to remind him. In theory, one of the strings could have been meant to remind Ernie to water the houseplants that afternoon, while another could have served to remind him to buy milk at the grocery store. Ernie might have tied another string around his finger to remind him that he wants to go to the library next week, or that next year is Bert’s 30th birthday. At this point, all of the strings look the same, and there are so many of them that it is easy to lose the specific information about each reminder, especially once long-term and short-term, all looking like the same piece of string, are combined. Which one is which?
There are no labels, no indicators to differentiate one reminder from another. They all look the same. A single string tied to a single finger to indicate a single, specific reminder, however, might stand out enough to serve its purpose well. And in effect, this is what happens to Ernie in the skit. He ends up making so many reminders for himself that he runs out of string. And by the time Bert asks why he has tied so many pieces of string around his fingers, to humorous effect, Ernie cannot, at first, remember. Then it comes to him in a flash: “So that I remember to buy more string!” says Ernie.
In a true depiction of the archetypal scatterbrain, Ernie has made the mistake of using too many pieces of string to remind him about too many pieces of information. His system is not the most effective for the amount of items he wishes to imbed in his memory. He would have been better off with a “to do” list or an appointment book. But all of those pieces of string do work together to remind him, partially through association—the item he needs to purchase is wrapped around each of his eight digits—of a singular, important piece of information: that he needs to buy more string. Unknowingly, Ernie, in this instance, has encoded a memory in his brain by using an elaborate process.
In her book, Diane F. Halpern (1997) likens the madness of Ernie's method to mnemonic devices as educational tools that teachers can use to help students encode memories that they can later recall more effectively. “The wide range of activities from tying a string around one's finger to the more elaborate procedures...are called mnemonic devices. They are techniques for organizing and elaborating information so that it can be easily remembered” (p.35). Halpern (1997) goes on to explain that some of the mnemonic devices we use [such as the string-around-the-finger-technique] are so common that we don't think about them consciously as mnemonic devices (p. 35).
Medina (2008) also notes the effectiveness of using elaborate processes, such as mnemonic devices, to encode information for effective memory recall, stating that “It's a bit weird if you think about it. Making something more elaborate usually means making it more complicated, which should be more taxing to a memory system. But it's a fact: More complexity means greater learning” (p. 111).
One specific type of mnemonic device that I plan to incorporate into my classroom methods, is the use of acronyms to help students reflect upon and follow guiding processes. The acronym CAPS, for example, represents a systematic process for comprehending and analyzing literature. The letters of this acronym represent the following steps of this reading strategy:
C Who are the characters?
A What is the aim of the story?
P What problem happens?
S How is the problem solved?
References:
Halpern, D.F. (1997). Critical thinking across the curriculum : A brief edition of thought and knowledge. New York : Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Medina, J. (2008). Brain rules : 12 principles for surviving and thriving at work, home, and school. Seattle, Washington : Pear Press.
In a skit with the characters Bert and Ernie, Ernie had tied so many strings around each of his fingers—the total number for Muppets is four on each hand—that he could not remember about what any of the strings were meant to remind him. In theory, one of the strings could have been meant to remind Ernie to water the houseplants that afternoon, while another could have served to remind him to buy milk at the grocery store. Ernie might have tied another string around his finger to remind him that he wants to go to the library next week, or that next year is Bert’s 30th birthday. At this point, all of the strings look the same, and there are so many of them that it is easy to lose the specific information about each reminder, especially once long-term and short-term, all looking like the same piece of string, are combined. Which one is which?
There are no labels, no indicators to differentiate one reminder from another. They all look the same. A single string tied to a single finger to indicate a single, specific reminder, however, might stand out enough to serve its purpose well. And in effect, this is what happens to Ernie in the skit. He ends up making so many reminders for himself that he runs out of string. And by the time Bert asks why he has tied so many pieces of string around his fingers, to humorous effect, Ernie cannot, at first, remember. Then it comes to him in a flash: “So that I remember to buy more string!” says Ernie.
In a true depiction of the archetypal scatterbrain, Ernie has made the mistake of using too many pieces of string to remind him about too many pieces of information. His system is not the most effective for the amount of items he wishes to imbed in his memory. He would have been better off with a “to do” list or an appointment book. But all of those pieces of string do work together to remind him, partially through association—the item he needs to purchase is wrapped around each of his eight digits—of a singular, important piece of information: that he needs to buy more string. Unknowingly, Ernie, in this instance, has encoded a memory in his brain by using an elaborate process.
In her book, Diane F. Halpern (1997) likens the madness of Ernie's method to mnemonic devices as educational tools that teachers can use to help students encode memories that they can later recall more effectively. “The wide range of activities from tying a string around one's finger to the more elaborate procedures...are called mnemonic devices. They are techniques for organizing and elaborating information so that it can be easily remembered” (p.35). Halpern (1997) goes on to explain that some of the mnemonic devices we use [such as the string-around-the-finger-technique] are so common that we don't think about them consciously as mnemonic devices (p. 35).
Medina (2008) also notes the effectiveness of using elaborate processes, such as mnemonic devices, to encode information for effective memory recall, stating that “It's a bit weird if you think about it. Making something more elaborate usually means making it more complicated, which should be more taxing to a memory system. But it's a fact: More complexity means greater learning” (p. 111).
One specific type of mnemonic device that I plan to incorporate into my classroom methods, is the use of acronyms to help students reflect upon and follow guiding processes. The acronym CAPS, for example, represents a systematic process for comprehending and analyzing literature. The letters of this acronym represent the following steps of this reading strategy:
C Who are the characters?
A What is the aim of the story?
P What problem happens?
S How is the problem solved?
References:
Halpern, D.F. (1997). Critical thinking across the curriculum : A brief edition of thought and knowledge. New York : Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Medina, J. (2008). Brain rules : 12 principles for surviving and thriving at work, home, and school. Seattle, Washington : Pear Press.
Tie A String Around Your Finger
Mnemosyne, the Greek goddess of memory.