Introduction to My Journey to Memorization Techniques

I have been teaching undergraduate electronic subjects for the past 11 years ranging from VLSI, Analog Integrated Circuits, Analog I, Analog II, Electromagnetics, Electronic Devices and Electronic Circuits. 

When I did my PhD, I was trained by my supervisor, Prof Dan Rode from Washington University to derive the formula then you will be able to understand it. In fact, this was what I implemented in the first 10 years (2002-2011) as a lecturer at Universiti Sains Malaysia in Engineering Campus, Nibong Tebal. Often time, as I prepared for the class the details were very vivid and clear but in 1 week time if nobody ask in the class or after class the information will dissappear and I had to recall it once again when I had to teach the same class in the upcoming semester.

Good students often time appreciate this technique as it really satisfy our quest for "where the knowledge comes from", but most of the students often find this technique rather uninteresting. Most of my exam questions in  the first 5 years as a lecturer are this type of question. 

My teaching life changed dramatically when I no longer became active in research circa 2011 and started teaching ("rigorously") a heavy subject like Electromagnetic in SII 2011/12. It was Bang Ming's batch. I spent countless of hours to not only trying to understand the materials in depth but also I was introduced to the lectures of one very prominent MIT Prof, Walter Levin, a physic professor.

At that time, I still used the traditional way of writing my notes which often time is simply a direct copy from the textbook into a piece of empty paper and deliver the exact things by writing it on my tablet. 

This is the semester in which 1/2 of the class got F for their final exam despite surviving by getting mostly Cs and Ds and the coursework really pulled up their overall grade.

After the semester, I received a brutal comment from students such as "reading from the textbook", "boring", "hard to imagine as the subject is very abstract", despite working really hard to ensure that students are able to understand the materials as best as they can. I still remember one student said to me " Dr, if you have to spend 3 days for a 2-hr lectures how can we study and understand the subject .... at the same time we do have to study the other 5 subjects! ... on top of the lab ....". I took all the comments as best as I can by rebutting some of them in my blogspot. http://dsprmicusm.blogspot.com/2012/09/comments-from-previous-semester-note.html

Before SI 2012/13 commenced, during Hari Raya (August 2012), I rummaged through my auntie's cabinet and found a book entitled How to Study by Ron Fry.

I started reading about how we should plan for our studies and methods in memorizing for the facts that we learned in class. It really opened up my eyes as this is the very reason why all this while I did not use my long term memory to retain the knowledge despite being able to understand  the materials. (Philosophically, you do not really understand it in principle unless you take a piece of paper and start spitting out the knowledge as this is the true understanding!)

Coupled with Prof Walter Levin diligency in preparing for the class, I spent SI 2012/13 by teaching EM Theory using the following methods:

1. For a 2-hr lectures, I spent 1 day to go through the materials and memorize the materials by hard. On the way to school, I would talk alone in the car rephrasing what I had gone through in my long term memory. I went through the examples by writing the formula on my thigh, I would attempt to say it out loud, etc. Then, the next 1 day would be spent on practising to the extent of timing my lectures on my tablet on the whiteboard. This is to ensure that I would fulfil  my syllabus accordingly. The third day would be spent on writing my own notes without refering to the text and uploaded it to the bolgspot. For 1-hr lecture, I only spent 2 days. This methodology will enable me to deliver my lecture without refering to the textbook or my notes. I could happily say that 90 % of my 14-week lectures were without refering to the textbook. 
2. I adopted methods such as mnemonics, association to memorize the formula and concept, and showed them in class.