Page 126 - Power Up Your Mind Learn faster,work smarter

7

Remembering

HE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MEMORY AND LEARNING IS CLEARLY A VERY
important one. It is also an area where there has been a certain
T amount of misleading writing, especially in the popular press. So,
you can read about foods that are meant to improve your memory
dramatically and techniques that are claimed to transform your life
for ever. The danger is that the hype gets in the way of the kind of
basic understanding that undoubtedly will help you to improve
your memory.
An interesting question is the degree to which, as Dr. Pierce
Howard puts it, “learning is memory that sticks.” Is learning the
sum of all the things we remember? Or, do we remember some
things that are only really learning in the sense that all experience
is learning?
Much of our learning is retained at a subconscious level. It
exists at the level of tacit knowledge, which is extremely important
to have and which is often very difficult to explain or describe. It
may have stuck, but recalling it is instinctive rather than conscious.
Think back to the description in Chapter 4 of how we move from
unconscious incompetence to unconscious competence in many of
the key areas of our learning.
Unfortunately, many people associate memory negatively
with school or professional examinations. It was something you
needed so you were able to pass tests. It is powerfully linked in your
mind to stressful times.
For most of us, there are very real reasons for an effective
memory being important. Without one, we arrive at work lacking
the things we need. We leave meetings without catching the person