The Memory Man

Before reading

Place 10 playing cards in random order. Let your partner look at them for 10 seconds. How many do you remember – in the right order?

Could you remember all the cards in a deck of cards if they were in random order? Dave Farrow, a Guinness World Record holder for the greatest memory, remembers all 3068 cards from 59 decks of cards in random order. How does he do it? This is what he says about his unique skill.

Reporter: When did you first discover that you have this gift of memorizing cards? Dave: Well, I don’t have a gift. Memorization is a skill, and it can be taught. So we can all actually train our brains to memorize better. Reporter: What kind of student were you in school? Dave: At first I didn’t do very well in school. I was diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia. But I wanted to do better, so I went on a two-year quest to discover everything I could about memory. I went from being a very poor student to being at the top of many of my classes. This happened so quickly that some of my teachers thought I was cheating and lowered my scores. But when I demonstrated my memory techniques, they believed me. Reporter: Do you have any advice you would give a student who is struggling in school and with tests? Dave: There are many tips, and here are a few: Break up large tasks into smaller parts. Take each part and do it fast, then take a break. And repeat. You can also visualize what you read. But the most important thing that I learnt is: Don’t believe what other people say about you. Don’t let people put you in a box because then you will be in that box for the rest of your life. You have to decide what you want to be and what will make you happy.

random order tilfeldig rekkefølge

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Based on an interview at ConstantContact.com.

After reading

a Which record does Dave hold? b What kind of problems did Dave have at school? c How did Dave improve at school? d Why is memorization a skill and not a gift? e What do you think is Dave’s best piece of advice? Why?

I feel that ... I believe that ... Look at twenty cards in random order for thirty seconds. Then tell your partner how many cards you remember – and in the right order!

Dave Farrow congratulates Angel Yuen Man Lai on winning the first-ever Canadian Memory Championship in Toronto on June 10, 2012. spades heartsVurderingseksemplar clubs diamonds

Talk about it!

How do you learn best? Make a list of tips and put it up in your classroom.