Mnemonics are an Effective Tool for Adult Beginners Learning Plant Identification

Abstract

Most beginners are introduced to plant diversity through identification keys, which develop differentiation skills but not species memorisation. We propose that mnemonics, memorable 'name clues' linking a species name with morphological characters, are a complementary learning tool for promoting species memorisation. In the first of two experiments, 64 adults in a group-learning environment were taught species identification using mnemonics, an educational card game and a text-based dichotomous key. In the second experiment, 43 adults in a self-directed learning environment were taught species identification using mnemonics and a pictorial dichotomous key. In both experiments, mnemonics produced the highest retention rates of species identification based on vegetative characters. The educational value of these findings is discussed for vegetative plant identification and broader applications.

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“…Stagg, Donkin, and Smith 2014;Stagg and Donkin 2015), including the number of focal species, length and format of research trials.…”

Expanding the Role of Biodiversity in Laypeople’s Lives: The View of Communicators

“…Finally, the interviewees mentioned creative forms to translate biodiversity to a broad audience, such as metaphors, mnemonics and games, which according to past studies add to people's learning process. For instance, it has been demonstrated that good mnemonics linking the name of a species to its morphology produce higher retention rates than pictorial determination keys, making them an effective teaching method in education alongside field work [137].…”

Self-Generated Memory Cues: Effective Tools for Learning, Training, and Remembering

“…Mnemonic cues may be especially helpful to re-code information in domains where learners must master a wealth of unfamiliar vocabulary or abstract concepts. Indeed, students report generating mnemonic cues for classes that specifically involve learning a lot of new facts and terminology (McCabe, Osha, Roche, & Susser, 2013), and relying on memory cues has advantages for complex domains with vast new vocabularies, including chemistry (Banks, 1941), physics (Gough, 1977), biology (Stagg & Donkin, 2016), and psychology (Richmond, Carney, & Levin, 2011).…”