Mnemonic Strategies

III -Mnemonic strategies To eradicate hardship in memorization, mnemonic strategies can be used by foreign language teachers as key techniques to make the task of teaching new vocabulary items easy and enjoyable to teachers as well as to learners. Rick and Brigham (2001) defined mnemonic strategies as planned techniques to aid people to recall information. Mnemonic instruction involves combining presentation of essential information via the use of explicit strategies for recall. This strategy is applicable in areas where individuals are required to recall large amounts of unfamiliar information or to make associations between two or more units of facts at recall. Indeed, Mnemonic devices can be used in any field that requires recall of information

Although foreign language teachers are acquainted with numerous mnemonics, they review three basic types of mnemonic strategies: the first letter strategy, the keyword mnemonic method and music as a mnemonic device. The first letter strategy is an effective mnemonic technique that is used to help learners to recall the target vocabulary items easily. The letter strategy includes acronyms and acrostics. According to Rick and Michelle Brigham (2001), acronyms involve the use of the first letter of each word or phrase to be remembered to make a meaningful word or phrase. Each single letter stands for one target vocabulary item. A commonly used example is “Homes” (for the names of the Great Lakes: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior) and Stab (the four common voices in a chorus: Soprano, Tenor, Alto and Bass (p.2). Indeed, Scruggs and Mastropieri (2000) emphasized the fact that association to the Great Lakes is of crucial importance; the Great Lakes are not learnt completely if the beginning letters have not adequate prompt to the target vocabulary items.

Music as a mnemonic strategy may give a helping hand to EFL learners to memorize and recall the target vocabularies efficiently. Definitely, songs can be a significant tool in the development of the four skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing (Jolly, 1975 , p.5). In other words, songs are considered one of the most useful, helpful and easily memorable ways to make EFL learners develop their abilities in the four skills as well as acquire the target vocabulary items with ease and enjoyment. Furthermore, listening to music leads to change in blood pressure, blood flow, posture, respiratory rat, pulse rate and general activity (Bancraft ,1985, p .7). Last but not least, Devereux (1969) stressed the fact that adequate selection of music reduces anxiety as well as boredom to work routine and increases enjoyment in the teaching and learning process (p. 6). Hence, music can be one of the most attractive, pleasing rich resources that can be utilized in any foreign language setting. Mnemonic strategies are systematic implements to help EFL teachers enable their learners recall the target vocabularies effectively. Easier vocabulary retrieval requires three basic types of mnemonic strategies; the first letter strategy, the keyword mnemonic method and music as a mnemonic device. Therefore, more must be learnt to guarantee that EFL learners use, maintain and