Mnemonics are a group of techniques that can be used to improve memory, facilitate learning. This categorization of mnemonic techniques is based on the three principles used for designing mnemonics – imagination, association, and location. VAK learning style model is applied here to classify mnemonics techniques into three broad groups: verbal/auditory mnemonics; visual/spatial mnemonics and kinesthetic mnemonics. Mnemonics are memory techniques that facilitate one in remembering specific information. Mnemonics are comprised of “cues” – verbal/auditory cues, visual/spatial cues – that are created to make information retrievable. This is done by associating a similar or dissimilar piece of information (cues) with the information needed to be-remembered. Many times mnemonic cues are from one’s existing knowledge base.

Verbal/Auditory Mnemonics

Within this group include some common verbal mnemonic techniques such as acronyms, acrostics, rhymes while others are less commonly seen.

• acronyms is a word or an acronym with each letter represent one element or one member of the information to be remembered. The Word “Pen” can be used to remember the three components of the atom -proton, electron, neutron.
• Acrostic is a sentence or phrase in which the first letter is used as a cue to recall names of information in order. The sentence “My Very Easy Method Just Set Up Nine Planets ” can be created to remember the sequence of nine planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto)
• rhymes is to put the information to be remembered into a poemHere is a mnemonic for remembering  the rule of thumb for spelling (is also a spelling mnemonics): If one is unsure whether a word is spelled with the sequence ei or ie, the rhyme suggests that the correct order is ie unless the preceding letter is c, in which case it is ei.”I before E except after C,and when sounding like “ay” as in Neighbor or Weigh”
• keyword mnemonics or mnemonic keywords method is a technique originally developed to help students remember new vocabulary in (foreign) languages, the technique has been extended to other areas as well including names of state capital, reading comprehension, biographical information, science facts and concepts. A keyword is a known word chosen that pronounces similar to the unfamiliar vocabulary to be remembered. And then an image that vividly described the meaning of the new vocabulary is associated with the keyword. The more similar in pronunciation between keyword and the new vocabulary, the more effective the keyword mnemonics will be.
• pegword mnemonics: to remember a sequence of information linking each item to a number in the same order as the items comprise the information to be remembered.
• phonetic mnemonics (also known as the major system or the phonetic number system or number-sound mnemonics ) is for recall strings of numbers, such as telephone numbers, addresses, password combinations or historical dates. To use them, one has to first learn and remember the number-sound association:
  0=s;
  1=t;
  2=n;
  3=m;
  4=r;
  5=l;
  6=sh, ch, or soft g,
  7=k, hard c, or hard g;
  8=f or v; and
  9=pto remember a string of numbers, first translate into the corresponding sounds and then fill in the vowels and create some meaningful words
• music mnemonics: use song to remember information.

Visual/Spatial Mnemonics

• method of loci involves associating information with known places, – most effectively – in the order of a person would move through the location. Some applications of method loci are also known as “memory places”. A Method loci mnemonic has been designed for remembering Shakespeare’s masterpieces by associating each piece to a location within a theater
• image mnemonics: associate or imagine the word, concepts etc. into a picture
• model mnemonics: picture the relationship between knowledge or a theory into an organized model. for example to remember “memory process”, organize them into a pictured model:

 Organization Mnemonics

• grouping or chunking: this is the method to group similar information or subjects into one chunk of information to ease the remembering.
• organize (lecture) notes: this is a very common practice for students, presenters to organize information to facilitate memory retreival
  • notecards, flashcards
  • outline
  • Cornell system: main ideas or questions are written in the left margin or left column and the details or answers are organized in the right column

Kinesthetic Mnemonics

• this principle can be applied to the learning of new materials by using marking the text materials (highlighting, underlining, writing notes beside the text) or writing down important points while reading books  or listening to lectures.

Mnemonic techniques are not replacement for studying or learning. Mnemonic techniques have been used by instructors in the classroom setting to enhance school success. Students with learning disability have been extensively taught using mnemonics. The effectiveness of mnemonic strategies has been evaluated in numerous studies in an experimental setting. Although consistency in effectiveness has been observed for many mnemonic methods, it is however being argued that these results are obtained under very artificial experimentally designed setting, the real results in the classroom setting are actually very mixed. Other arguments include the fact that mnemonics itself could be forgotten. No logical reasoning can be found in the mnemonics. They do not help in understanding the information. The learning process of the mnemonic itself could be time consuming (see post “I do not believe in mnemonics”). There are many examples of mnemonics applied in different areas of study; and it is noticeable that there are databases collecting mnemonics in a specific area of studies such as in the field of medicine or biology. Here is a site collecting medical mnemonics: Medical Mnemonics .com: World’s Database of Medical Mnemonics.