WORDS FAIL ME

I started with the local CFA — Victoria’s voluntary firefighter organisation — last year after we bought a small farm in the bush. Seemed a good idea to be on terms with the local fireys if push ever came to shove. Then the training started... and the multiple letter mnemonics started, meaning a word where each letter represented something. Not an acronym, which is just a collection of first letters. A mnemonic is meant to help you remember a list of things or actions.

Who came up with the word mnemonic? It’s both unmemorable and unpronounceable. The only less likely word I can think of is onomatopoeic. Which means sounds like it is. e.g. Meow. Or maybe Petrichor – which is the smell after rain. I digress, I know, but stay with me here because at some point I promise it will get relevant.

The CFA learning program has several very long mnemonics in it, like WARNING. The thing is, even if I could remember the mnemonics name, the chance of me remembering what each of the letters stands for is very slim. So, the mnemonic is just a hindrance. A part of that is because of the way I learn. I am an understanding learner – explain to me how it works and

I’ve got it. Other people learn visually or by repetition — everyone is different. So, mnemonics to me at least, are nearly useless.

In aviation, we have quite a few. The only one I remember and use is BOMFH – pronounced as “bomfa”. That’s the pre-landing checklist for my aircraft. Brakes checked, Oil temps and pressures checked, Mixture rich, Fuel on and sufficient, Hatches and Harnesses are secure. The reason I remember this one is simple. John Darby, my original instructor over 20 years ago, went through each of the items and explained in detail what they were and why we did them. I understood and remembered. More importantly, it’s something I use every time I fly a plane. Other than that, most mnemonics for me are counterproductive.

If it’s something I won’t use for months at a time, I’d rather have a checklist. Each of us learns differently.

“To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom,” said Socrates and he was a smart man. Not smart enough to avoid being poisoned for his views, but still. Understanding which way you learn best is the key to being able to retain and apply knowledge. So, think about it. How do you best learn?