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DEVELOPING STUDENT’S VOCABULARY ACQUISITION THROUGH MNEMONIC LOCI METHOD 

Agustinus Marjun (agomickjohn@gmail.com)

    INTRODUCTION

Mnemonic defines as a devices for memorizing. Memory or retention has been playing a vitalrole in vocabulary acquisition. The way for remembering word in teaching learning vocabulary as the main focus that must be needed. At this point, learning words for the purpose in long time memory were need an appropriate technique. In teaching English vocabulary, it was necessary for teachers to choose appropriate teaching method. The teacher need to be creative in searching other strategy to enhance students’ vocabulary acquisition. Accordingly, mnemonic loci method has conducted to develop student’s vocabulary acquisition. Method of Loci by means using a place and the objects in it to associate with a list of items. As suggested by Sprenger (2005: 118) the strategy to implement method of loci are: choose a starting place, and as you go around the room, place the item with the object (e.g., bedroom: dresser is for first item, bed for second, lamp for third, picture for fourth, window for fifth, etc.). Using this method entails imagining a very familiar place like a room or a house and then associating each new word to a part of it to be remembered. the students take an imaginary walk along their familiar places, and retrieve the items they have put there (Ketabi and Amiryousefy, 2011).

Loci method emphasize that all the thing in around can be used as the aids in teaching and learning process. This means, using contextual approach that related to the student’s environment may help student to remember the list of word. This method allows the student to train theirs memorize effectively. It is very appropriate for children in the right ages, within the ability to remember are strongly functioning. Mnemonic loci method may possibly implement through picture as aids. Nevertheless, the teacher should be selective in choosing the appropriate media and material for teaching and learning process.

General Concept of Mnemonics Technique

 Different expert has differently classified mnemonic Technique. Mnemonic does not a new method, as defined by Stenger (2009:69) the term mnemonics can be defined as the art of improving the memory. This philosophy obviously described based on Greeks mythology. Greeks believes goddess Mnemosyne as the goddess of memory. At the time of Mnemosyne, memory is the greatest important before the alphabet and written word invented. The Greeks use personification “the goddess of memory” as a means more than improve recall; but also memory of rules and energies of the universe, the cycle of life, the memory how to live in the world. 

The ability to remember or recalled need to train habitually. It means how important memory training as a great tool for learning in every aspect of life setting. Sprenger (2005:117) defines that mnemonics as a memory aid; Mnemonics are based on relationship between “what needs to learn with what is already known, placing information in multiple process, adding attention and interest to what is being taught, and storing with cues to make it easier to find the information”. Using mnemonics for factual information that will need to be recalled is useful. 

Further more, Mark (2010:5) mnemonics increase their power by making use of the way of minds address information. In that process, there are three basic steps how memory worked. First is using observation: it was not only seeing but also more carefully in remarking something happen. Then after through association: it may define as the process to learn and remember the relationship between unrelated items. To  remember one piece of information, it was associated regularly to another committed already memory. The third is visualization: it is mean to form a picture of someone or something in mind, in order to imagine or remember them. Visualization is helpful to make things more memorable rather than hearing something, smelling or touching something.

It can be infer that mnemonics are a group of memory aids, or mental that facilitate the quick and easy assimilation of information of all kinds. Mnemonics use the imagination in conjunction with all of the individuals senses (Mark, 2005:p.3). Moreover, mnemonic has various technique to improve memory system. The familiar mnemonic techniques for enhancing memory include peg systems, acronyms, acrostics, the method of loci, chaining, and music and rhythm. For more, it will be explored in figure 2.1, below:

Mnemonic Devices for enhancing Memory adapted from Sprenger (2005:118)

Mnemonic is a formulate design to support memory and students can encode better data.  Mnemonic techniques  were worthwhile to help learners in remembering larger pieces of information, especially in the form of lists like characteristics, steps, stages, parts, and phases. Sprenger (2005: 118) classifies mnemonic to several techniques, namely: peg systems, acronyms, acrostics, the method of loci, chaining, and music and rhythm. The first is called as Rhyming Peg System by means remembering ordered or unordered items by first memorizing a list of keywords that rhyme with a sequence of digits:

• One is sun.       • Six is bricks.

• Two is shoe.    • Seven is heaven.

• Three is tree.    • Eight is gate.

• Four is door.    • Nine is line.

• Five is hive.     • Ten is hen.

Rhyming peg system This strategy able to help teacher and learners mentally retrieve information. Peg word method has two stages. At first students are asked to remember 10 number-rhyme pairs like one is bun or john, two is shoe, three is tree, four is door, five is hive, six is cheeks, seven is heaven, eight is gate, nine is pine, ten is hen. These number will be used to associating information within creates a mental filling system for the information. In the second stage the students are asked to visualize the word and try to link it to rhyming words. The words are, therefore, learned in a composite picture of the given word and the peg. For example if the first word to be learned is "exploration", its peg can be “John” and after its meaning is defined to the students, they can form a metal picture in which “John is doing oil explorations”, if the second one is "feature", its peg according to the rhyme pairs can be “shoe” and the students can form a mental picture in which some people are talking about the features of a kind of shoe.

The second strategy is acronyms; it means a word or phrase made entirely of letters that are cues to words we must remember (e.g., HOMES for the Great Lakes: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior). Key word method according to Hulstijn in Ketabi and Amiryousefy (2011: 2) requires three stages. At first an L1 or L2 word that has acoustic similarity to the target word is given to the learner to act as the key word. In the second stage the learner is asked to make an association between the target word and the keyword. Finally the learners is asked to make a mental image of the combination of the keyword and the target word.

Thirdly, acrostics is a sentence in which the first letter of each word is a cue. For example,“A Rat In The House Might Eat The Ice Cream”; the first letters spell arithmetic. The acoustic link which means finding a keyword in English that sounds like the new word (Shaman, 2011:12). For example, the way to remember the order of the colors in a rainbow. It just remember the name Roy G. Biv. Each letter in his name stands for a color: R= red; O:orange; Y: yellow; G: green; B:blue; i: indigo; V: violet.

The fourth strategy is called as Method of Loci by means using a place and the objects in it to associate with a list of items. As suggested by Sprenger (2005: 118) the strategy to implement method of loci are: choose a starting place, and as you go around the room, place the item with the object (e.g., bedroom: dresser is for first item, bed for second, lamp for third, picture for fourth, window for fifth, etc.). Using this method entails imagining a very familiar place like a room or a house and then associating each new word to a part of it to be remembered. the students take an imaginary walk along their familiar places, and retrieve the items they have put there (Ketabi and Amiryousefy, 2011).

The fifth, Sprenger (2005: 118) describes that Chaining Constructing namely a story that contains each element of a list. For example: items to be remembered are countries in the south of England: Avon, Dorset, Somerset, Cornwall, Wiltshire, Devon, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, and Surrey. These are described as chaining of story.

 

An Avon lady came to my Dor and set down her wares. She said she had Some more to set, but the Corn was growing over the wall of her shop. She said that it was making her flowers Wilt and she was shire (sure) that the Devil was on her trail. She had Glossy teeth with bits of Ham stuck in them. Sure enough, I slammed the door! In this method the learner links the words together by a story. At first he should associate the target words with a topic or some topics, then he should connect them by making up a story containing the words. (Thompson in Ketabi and Amiryousefy, 2011)

 

The sixth strategy is defined as Music and Rhythm. Sprenger (2005:118)  suggest that create a song or rhyme for the information to be remembered is very interesting to improve recall. This technique needs a creativity in create music and rhythm that related to the list of word target in learning process. From the brief of description mnemonic type above, mnemonic is one of the way to boost memory system in storing and recalling the information. The  student uses a mnemonic technique to apply difficult or unfamiliar information into more manageable information. The simpler or more familiar information is learned efficiently. 

Mnemonic Loci Method

A mnemonic loci method was found since long time ago. Nelson (2005:180) elucidate that a mnemonic loci method created by the ancient Greeks since long time ago. Nowadays, a mnemonic loci method was really useful for organizing short or long any material that needs to be remember. The idea of this technique is “thinking of a highly familiar route” such as familiar location and favorite destination. The strategy is simple, it just need to imagine “traveling the route” that familiar with and “note the series of landmark”, related to the information that need to remember. In delivering speech, it needs to relate each core “talking point” to the sequence of landmarks on route made.

Furthermore, as suggested by Nelson (2005:181) the key point of this technique is like deliver speaking, with the power of mind to imagine it as traveling route. Each location will collect as a sign to prompt the recall of “associated information”. The concept is relate each idea or thought to a specific location. It mean that other familiar location such as the room in the house can be used but for physical locations was not really suggested. The physical locations contain detailed information; therefore, it is better also to use other signpost in daily life such as the months of the year, and family members ordered chronologically by age.

Thomas (2003:38) defines mnemonic as memory aid, which derived from the name of the Greek goddess of memory, Mnemosyne. Then after, the person who regarded as the pioneer of the art of memory training was Simonides. Simonides developed the loci technique of “placing pieces of information in locations in order to make it easier to remember them”. The Romans sustained the loci technique to change it into more advanced in similar way called as “the room technique”. Using location to remember means the brain does naturally to journey a series of familiar locations, such as room, office, and places into each location a mental image of one of the pieces of information.

Loraine and Lucas (1975:13) claim that the term of loci may possible to be illustrated as place. The technique also usually use for speaking. When someone did a speech presentation, the loci method may use as the strategy particularly to remember speech, and the main idea instead. Role of a mental tour for example through people own home as a simple recalled. In making the easy way to remember because, the use of “home” is very familiar. Accordingly, Loraine and Lucas (1975:13) suggest an easy way for managing a good memorize of each point in speaking, namely:  Thinking of the front door reminded as the first thought of the speech. The second "place," the foyer, reminded as of the next thought; and so on to the end of the speech. The strongest memorize on the first place is aim to create a long-term memory. Besides, original awareness is very important in training memory because anything did originally aware cannot be forgotten. According to Loraine and Lucas (1975:18) to achieve what is means as original awareness, that wish to remember must first be observed or associated. This means a basic memory rule to be able to remember any new piece of information if it is associated to something, which already know or remember.

Byrne (2008:912) claim that the loci mnemonic usually uses a well-known pathway as cues, loci mnemonics can also enhance memory for texts when a text is orally presented than when it is written, because of the competition of visual processes involved in imagining and reading. Yarmey cited in Byrne (2008:940) classifies that method of loci was the oldest of mnemonic component, which intended to assist sequential recall by organizing information inside the context of “a well-established visual mental image”. The interactive nature of the imagery is important because it enhances the link between the well-established memory of the familiar place and the less-well-established memory to be remembered information. Legge and Madan (2012:380) explain the concept Method of Loci (MOL) carried out by “imagining and navigating a familiar environment and placing the to-be-remembered items in specific locations content”. It seems mnemonic loci method is an easy way to established a better memory, but mnemonic should clearly be associated to the concept being remembered.

 The word loci (pronounced LO si) is the plural of locus, which means "place or location"; this means the loci system used places or locations (Higbee 1996:144) long time ago, Greek and Roman orators used the Loci system to remember long speeches without notes. Orators visualized objects that represented the topics to be covered in their speeches, and then mentally placed the objects in different locations usually parts of a building. They then moved through this building mentally while delivering the speech, retrieving the object images from the locations as they came to them. This use of places to remember speeches may be the origin of the expression, "in the first place," and of the reference to "topics" in speeches. Furthermore, Higbee (1996:163) explore more that the loci system consists of two steps. First, memorize (over learn) a series of mental images of familiar locations in some natural or logical order. Second, associate a visual image of each item that should be remember with a location in the series. Locations have the advantages of being concrete (thus easy to visualize) and of being learned in a natural serial order.

Role of Mnemonic Technique in Vocabulary Learning and  Acquisition

Vocabulary of language needs to learn as early as possible. This aspect may give a big influence to the success of  other skill. Therefore, it is very essential to know the process of vocabulary building and acquisition. It means how is the proceess the brain receive, select, and memorize a new word. The role of memory is fundamental in any kind of vocabulary learning and acquisition. When obtaining new words for each learners has different capability in memorizing. Takac (2008:10) differentiate that ability to remember new information depends in both long-term and short-term memory. The memory sometime able to remember new information in short time period and forgotten quickly, this categorized as short term memory. Thereafter, Thornbury in Takac (2008:10) recommends the principle that may facilitate the transfer new words into the long-term memory called as mnemonics.The introduction of mnemonic techniques to the students made them realize that it can strengthen their memory.

A strong memory means that students can store and transfer information from Short Term Memory (STM) into Long Term Memory (LTM). This also claims by Hiebert and kamil (2005:28) to promote vocabulary growth needs an effective instruction a long term proposition, specifically: teaching individual words; extensive exposure to rich language, both oral and written; and building generative word knowledge. Thus, it is indicate that an effective vocabulary instruction toward young learner in promoting vocabulary growth to achieve long term memory, it has to start early as possible.

Teaching Students to Remember 

In teaching and learning process, it is very important to teach student memorize effectively. It is especially in teaching English vocabulary to young age. The way to remember the information is highly suggested for the students in order to let them feel a good impact of teaching and learning process. It is means how the students enable to create their own understanding for learning process or evenmore enable the them to remember all information in long period. Furthermore, Sprenger (2005:9) suggest seven steps in memorizing to create students’ long-term memory, namely: reach, reflect, recode, reinforce, rehearse, review and, retrieve. 

The Seven Steps of the Learning/Memory Cycle adopted from Sprenger (2005:9)

These seventh steps are highly recommended for the successful of student’s in long-term memory. The above steps indicated that for each students will be convinced that their memories are good and will put forth the effort to continue learning. In simple word it can be imply that memory plays a role in all activities of learning. It helps us remember all kinds of information. This is not to say that all learning should be based on memorization. Any good teacher understands that a variety of teaching methods will get the best from our students and that specific students might require specialist interventions (Smith, 2012).

Nevertheless, there exists a consider able as evidence to suggest that a memory with facts learns better than one without. As suggested by Sprenger (2005:171) it is better for teacher ask students to describe how they have learned something that they enjoy and in which they exceed. Show them how their learning follows a pattern. As students climb then steps toward long-term memory, the events build upon one another. Show success with each step by using a reinforcement plan that includes informational feed back in a visual representation. The idea is let the students see and feel their successes.Thus, the teacher also feel successful as the students achieve.

A success cycle will form as they become more eager to learn and students become more comfortable with the learning and memory process. It will become easier to pin point problem areas for each student and overcome them. In that case, the researcher is interested to use the appropriate technique called as mnemonic as the way to help student in vocabulary learning. Optimistically, this technique allows student to remember words effectively.

Strategy to Implement Mnemonic Technique in Teaching English Vocabulary

    To do systematic memory training, it should include the two important areas of words and numbers. If learner want to improve theirs’ language skills as well as theirs’ memory, include the following exercises in training program. Thus, in this study the researcher modified the strategy to implement mnemonic technique as as suggested by Sprenger (2005: 118) as follow:  First: prepare list of target words and place the item of target words with the object. Second, let the student draw in a piece of paper to create their own visual image of target word. Third, train students’ retention toward the target words. This activity lets students’ imagination is exploring to remember information.

The Strengths of Mnemonic Technique

    By far, mnemonic as form of memory aids. It is more than tool that can help in memorize information. According to Stenger (2009:1) there are several reason why train memory using mnemonic technique are important, namely: 

A good memory is necessary for knowledge and education. For teacher and learner is enable in obtaining intellectual, emotional, and social input. Transforming it into knowledge and applying it to existing. 

It may train imagination that would be an indispensable part of memory training. When storing information through memorization, the ability to imagine mental images plays an important role. The greater of student’s imagination and the more unusual and creative they get at associating images with memory, the more permanent the information will be imprinted in their mind.

Develop teacher and learner’s creativity. Ideas, impressions, and feelings can be combined with one another again and again in different ways and associated with all sorts of new information. It will become more aware of the own creativity through the images or stories which create for memory training. 

Train memory able strengthens the perceptions, social skills, and expressiveness. By training memory, it will reactivate and hone all of the senses, and the subsequent impressions will help to generate links and create helpful associations. 

Thinking faster and improving intellectual capacity. Certainly, memory training is no different than any other sport. For instance, if someone went out jogging without having trained, they would definitely be slower than if they had already been building up theirs strength for six months. That means the physical reaction times will improve as well. No matter what technique used, the primary objective of memory training is to enhance the memory. The more information may absorb and convert into knowledge, the greater potential for intellectual and emotional achievement will develop other related skills.

The Weakness of Mnemonic Technique

    While mnemonic technique are clearly good for encoding large amounts of information, it also has the limitation for some factors. As presented by Hills (2015) suggest some factors that can have a negative influence on the ability to use mnemonics, namely:

Time: the most limiting factor in using mnemonic is time consuming; both time spent learning the mnemonic system as well as the time to apply them. It is also the information may be presented too fast to encode. It takes time to encode information especially abstract information that requires the creative generation of concrete images. But if the learners have the opportunity to use mnemonic system, the time taken to encode information can be solved by reducing reducing the time taken in reviewing and further study of the information.

Abstract material: the problem in teaching abstract material using mnemonic may take longer to form an image for an abstract word or idea. It can be very difficult to form images for some abstract words. In these case the more effective way suggested is using verbal technique.

Verbatim memory: Mnemonic technique do not lend themselves the memorizing information verbatim such as a poem or literacy passage. However, mnemonic technique can be  used to memorize a framework of the main ideas and which order they come in.

The above limitations may occur if mnemonic often do not become habit. Hence, teacher should be aware how to deal with these issue. The important thing that can be done by teacher are: increase training and practice with strategies.

Previous Research

Based on the study done by Azmi (2016) examines the effectiveness of using mnemonic techniques in learning English vocabularies. According to the result collected from the questionnaire on the section “impact of the mnemonic technique in learning English vocabulary”, most of the respondents agree that they love the mnemonic techniques more compared to the normal teaching technique. It means that the learner may enjoy the learning process by using the mnemonic technique.

In other side, there is also study aims to investigate the effect of mnemonic strategies instruction on the immediate and delayed information retrieval of vocabulary learning in EFL elementary learners (Amoli and Karbalaei 2012). The result of the study indicated that learners could enhance students’ retention and retrieval of new words in a long time if they employ various mnemonic strategies, such as visual methods contain pictures, visualization or imagery.

Furthermore, another examined the effect of using mnemonic devices on English Language Learning (ELL) spelling skills (Shaman 2011). Findings of the study suggested that mnemonic devices should be used beside the traditional method to help ELL spellers to improve their spelling. Implications of the study suggest a broader application of the mnemonic approaches for teaching spelling to students of all ages.

Fontana, Scruggs and Mastropieri (2016) examined mnemonic strategy instruction in inclusive secondary social studies classes. An obtained interaction effect revealed that students for whom English was a second language scored significantly higher in the mnemonic condition, whereas no differences were observed for first-language English, general education students, or students with learning disabilities. Data revealed that students employed appropriate strategies, and observational data confirmed that student time on task was higher in the mnemonic condition. Survey data revealed general overall satisfaction with mnemonic strategies on the part of teachers and students.

Mocko, Lesser, Wagler & Francis (2017) implemented a study in order to evaluate the effectiveness of mnemonics for tertiary students in a hybrid introductory statistics course. The results of a study conducted during two consecutive fall semesters at a large U.S. university. In 2014, a large sample of college students were asked about the usefulness of a set of 19 published statistics mnemonics presented in class, and in 2015, the students were presented 12 mnemonics related to inference and then asked whether or not they used mnemonics on that exam. This article discusses how students assess the usefulness of mnemonics and evaluates the relationship between using mnemonics and reducing anxiety. There is some evidence that using mnemonics might help them with anxiety during the exam and help them do well on the exam. There are some note when considering which mnemonics to present to the class, it may be important to remember that students preferred mnemonics that were brief and directly related to the content. Additionally, these mnemonics should be repeated in class in order to help students “practice” their use. The students demonstrated their preference for these qualities when they remarked about mnemonics they found the most helpful as well as when asked to identify desirable qualities for mnemonics.

Putnam (2015) suggest that there are some important consideration related to the used of mnemonic, namely: when deciding to use any learning technique, educators and students should know why they are using the technique and why it is appropriate to use it in that particular context. Mnemonics have often been advertised as a revolutionary learning device, and by watching the memory competitors, it is easy to see why. However, memory competitors train for thousands of hours and perform in an environment very different from a classroom. Mnemonics will not revolutionize education, but given the variety of techniques, their compatibility with other learning strategies, and effectiveness with certain materials, it seems that students would benefit from being familiar with them and knowing when and how to use them. Mnemonics may have some positive non-memory side effects, such as increasing motivation to study.

The mnemonic instruction includes some types namely, versatility in use and effectiveness with struggling learners (Lubin, 2016). It should be place on research on mnemonic strategies in the content areas of science and social studies. The paper concludes with a discussion of how mnemonic strategies can be effectively with students with learning problems to enhance performance. Mnemonic instruction can create a bridge between academic content and information processing. Teachers who use mnemonic instruction will need to ensure that they model the use of the technique and explicitly teach application strategies. 

CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION

    The impact of the strategy used of this research was not only enabled students to train memory but also to develop the vocabulary acquisition. The development of students’ vocabulary as means as how to use the word become more multipart function. For case, how student able to use the word in building good sentences and use it in appropriate English practice such as listening, speaking, reading or another skill include how to write. Besides, the use of mnemonic loci method that combined with picture gave good impact toward students’ behavior, which proves that students were enthusiast in vocabulary learning process. This technique made students care that the power of memorizing word is one of important thing which unable be denied. Since the use of mnemonic loci method involves movements in it, teachers should consider about the time. If it done too long, the learners may get tired and it will certainly influence the process of transferring knowledge that the target of the study may not maximally achieved. Thus, whatever kind of mnemonic technique used, it can easily to improve recall particularly in vocabulary learning process.

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