Teaching Mnemonics

Most teachers do not want their students to simply memorize facts. Teachers tend to put more emphasis on advanced skills such as reasoning, problem solving and synthesis. Memorization is seen as a lesser skill, and as a result most classrooms do not teach mnemonics. What is often overlooked is that memorization is a necessary first step. If the students cannot remember the facts, there is little hope that they will be able to use them to solve problems or synthesize new ideas. With effective mnemonic instruction, students could get past the memorization step much more quickly and spend more time on advanced educational goals.