Enhancing Student Learning and Social Behavior Through Mnemonic Strategies

Will, a seventh-grade student in Mrs. Smith's social studies class, was experiencing difficulty remembering important facts and concepts; and his continuing memory challenges were affecting his grades. Mrs. Smith, the teacher in this inclusive classroom, engaged Will's other teachers in a campaign to teach Will—and all the other students— memory strategies, or mnemonics, that would help in retention of infor- mation and in boosting academic performance. This article tells Will's story and, along the way, discusses several mnemonic strategies and shows how to use them.