blog
Method of Loci,
Roman City,
and mental walk.
Learn New Stuff Fast with the Roman Room Method
To truly learn something, you must make it your own. If you’re not connected – dare I say, emotionally – you won’t remember much of anything. The Roman Room (aka Method of Loci, Roman City, or mental walk) technique can help make strange things familiar by giving you creative power to associate them with things you already know.
The basics are simple: pick a place you’re intimately familiar with, a place in the real world. Creatively associate the objects of this place to the things you wish to learn. (Wikipedia has a more thorough explanation)
I’ve got to learn as much Hungarian as I can before the end of October so I’m using the Roman Room technique to connect new words with things I know at a local farmer’s market. I make my study more tactile by mapping out my fantasy world on paper then later redraw the map from memory to test myself. Making notes and goofy little sketches help refine my associations.
My latest personal quiz is in the graphic above.
The Roman Room method worked well for learning Japanese a few years back and I’m also looking to apply it to new design and coding skills. More on that later.
Here are a few more links that should help with learning about the Roman Room method.
- Mind Tools
- WikiHow
- Innovative Language
- Academic Tips
- Ask Women Net
- How Stuff Works
- Mind Expanding Techniques
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