The Michigan Daily-Friday, September 29, 1978-Page 9 Pro recalls defective memories ByJERRY LEHRMAN Students whose memories are already crying under this term's on- slaught of phone numbers, faces, and w formulas can take heart. Despite the barrage of information associated with pthe beginning of the academic year, a University psychologist assures students they can improve their memories to handle their mind- boggling work load. "The memory is infinite in its capacity and usefulness, but like a piano, you must learn to play it," says Prof. Henry Wellman. LEARNING, according to Wellman, should ;not be looked upon simply as .verbatim memorization but rather as a problem-solving task. Students should learn to understand their own memories and learn to recognize what things they remember better and what information they already know, he ad- ded. Students can learn new information more easily and remember new facts longer if the data is integrated with previous knowledge, Wellman said. By fitting the new'information with the old, Mao's By PETER PETESCH The Revolutionary Communist Youth Brigade gave a presentation in the :Union Wednesday night to bring atten- tion to what the group considers a -recent "turnaround of revolutionary gains" in the People's Republic of China (PRC). Approximately 30 peOple gathered in the Kuenzel Room to watch a film en- titled "Mao Tse tung, Greatest Revolutionary of Our Time," and listened to Raymond Lotta, a member of the Revolutionary Communist Party, talk about the supposed shift to the right in Chinese politics since the death of Mao. DURING THE speech, part of the Brigade's "Mao's Last Great Battle" Problem solving is key to 'etaining students give it a frame of reference and make the new data part of their personal knowledge structure. Prof. William McKeachie of the University Center for Research in Learning and Teching recommends students ask themselves two important questions en route to more accurate memorization: "What is the writer trying to accomplish, and how do the details relate to the author's theme?" MCKEACHIE NOTES that rote memorization techniques, carried over from high school, can handicap many students in their studies. "THE BELIEF that knowledge will somehow soak in if you just plow through the material is wishful thinking," McKeachie said. "Learning depends on active reading and thinking." Organization of material is also an in formation important element in memorization, Wellman explained, since most studen- ts forget information after exam day. One reason why students have more difficulty in studying a new subject is because no previous mental structure exists to hang the new knowledge on. IN ADDITION to mental filing, Wellman recommends several techniques to aid students in memorization, including "verbal relearsal" (repeating the information over and over until it is memorized) and "packing" (using one item as a cue for recalling other items, such as "supermarket" being the cue for an en- tire grocery list). "Elaboration," another recall technique, involves associating persons' names with their occupations, hometowns, or appearan- ces. The great Greek orators, whose speeches often went on for hours without the benefit of outlines or notes, used the "method of loci." "Envisioning a familiar scene," Wellman relates, orators would organize the points of their speech to correspond to a tree, stream, house, and other objects. As they spoke, they visually walked past these landmarks until they had covered all of their sub- ject matter." Despite the mass of information thrown on students daily, they still are at an advantage because of access to external devices such as calendars, calculators, and tape recorders. "The practical approach is to cover all bases," Wellman concludes. "Train your memory by mentally rehearsing, organizing, and elaborating the material you want later to retrieve. But also store it on notes, calendars, and photocopies." WANT AN ENGINEERING CAREER THAT'S DIFFERENT? More than fifty recent U.S. engineer grads are in the oil fields of the Middle East, West Africa, For East, and Europe as Schlumberger engineers. Interested? Schumberger Overseas s INTERVIEWING EE, ME, Physics BS and MS October 13, 1978 gains seen losing meeting, Lotta made the claim that post-Mao leadership in the PRC has en- ded the progress of the Cultural Revolution by encouraging economic growth in place of the "political mobilization" of the working class. "What we are witnessing is the reversal of all the changes of the cultural revolution," Lotta said, "benevolent leaders are trying to determine what is right for everyone (instead of allowing the working class to rule). The working class is in shackles once again." He went on to explain that the PRC is now in a state of socialism, which is, in his words, "a transition between capitalism and communism." He asserted that the new leadership is at- ground tempting to turn the present system back to a capitalistic state. LOTTA STATED the new Chinese leaders "defeated (the communist movement) organizationally, not politically. The defeat of the working class is only temporary." Diane Clark, spokeswoman for the Revolutionary Communist Youth Brigade, "a sort of youth group in con- junction with the Revolutionary Com- munist Party," said she though the "only solution is a revolutionary struggle - working people running a socialist society - ultimately Com- munist of classless."' She added the evening's focus on "Mao's Last Great Battle" was to show how we can deal with capitalism and oppression. a M7 4 48 students from various U.S. and Canadian colleges returned from Seville oD June.1st. They have earned two full years of credit in the Spanish language in one semester, and have had the most interesting and educational experience of their lives. They have learned much more about Spain and the Spanish language than could be learned in a conventional classroom. You can do the same! Call them and have a private conversa- tion with any of them. We will supply names, addresses, and phone numbers. Your cost will be about the same as it will cost you to attend'your college here in the U.S.-total costs including jet round trip from Toronto, Canada, board, room, tuition, and even text books is $1,949. LIVE ITT There is no winter, as we know it, in Seville. Palm and orange trees grow there. You are invited to come with us- you will in no way retard your schedule for graduation. LIVE IT! Eat, drink, sleep, read, write, speak, and hear Spanish for four full months. Make Spanish friends, have a real-life personality forming experience. Your professor will be Mr. Barton Siebring, formerly professor of Spanish at Calvin College for ten years. It will be a rigorous academic under- taking (not for tourists!) Designed for beginners. Fulfills foreign language requirement for graduation. The program is fully accred- ited by Trinity Christian College of Palos Heights, IL. Name "Jarrett's Solo Concerts: The word incredible is an understatement here..." - DOWNBEAT "Jarrett transcends jazz or any other pigeonhole; he has redefined the role of the piano in contemporary music..." - LEONARD FEATHER, LA TIMES Orchestra $950 - 850" Balcony 950- 8 0-750 Tickets available at: FORD AUDITORIUM BOX OFFICE and all J. L. HUDSON Ticket Centers. Mail orders, send certified check or money order to: Civic Center Ticket Service 20 E. Jefferson, Detroit, Mich 48226 (include self-addressed, stamped envelope) Students-Come with us to Seville, Spain. Earn two years credit in the Spanish language in one semester-studying Spanish only. Cost about the same as attending your college in U.S. FEB. 1-MAY 31, 1979. For beginners. A cooperative program between Trinity Christian 1290 AM Street -- - - - - - - tate, City 74OL0 Call us collect, and discuss it with us personally. (616) 942- 2541 or write to Semester In Spain, 2442 E. Collier S. E., Grand Rapids, Michigan 49506 College & Semester in Spain. ,N L f1 NEW AT CHE CMAT EI G TOPS FOR GALS! * SHIRTS * SWEATERS * BLOUSES * VELOURS * BIG TOPS GREAT LOOKS for CAMPUS and CAREER ; i ::. ii