Comparison of Memletics and other accelerated learning resources
By Sean Whiteley - creator of Memletics
I wrote the Memletics Manual because I couldn't find anything like
it. There are many references out there, however I haven't found any
that cover, in detail, the major contributors to faster learning. Many
books and materials are out of date. For example, there are many
resources (and sites that sell them) that describe how music can
significantly increase learning performance, even though many credible
controlled studies demonstrate little or no effect. This is part of the
reason why I spent so much time researching the manual.
On this page I provide an overview of why I believe the Memletics
Manual will save you time and money, compared to other resources. If you
are searching for good information on Accelerated Learning, here's an
overview of where you might be thinking you can find this information:
There are very few (none?) good accelerated learning sites that are
comprehensive and free. In my research I referenced material from over
one hundred and fifty websites, however to find those I visited many
times that number of sites. Much material in the manual is from paid
subscription services, offline
references and books not found on the Internet. It took me more than a
year to research,
collate, write and update the manual (not to mention the last 10 years
of exploring accelerated learning for everything from college study to
learning to fly).
If you have time to do that research, I suggest you use the Memletics
Introduction on this website as a framework to start your research. Use the
summaries to gain keywords for your searches.
If you don't have time to find all that information, I believe you
will find the Memletics Manual a great time saver. You can get started
with improving your learning performance immediately, and you can focus
on what you want to learn.
Learn more about the Memletics
Accelerated Learning Manual.
On a more positive note, there are a few books out there that
specifically cover Accelerated Learning. As you will see though, I don't
believe they cover the breadth, and in some cases the depth, that I do
in the Memletics Manual. Lets take a look at two of the more popular
ones:
| Title |
Original Pub. Date |
Covers State? |
Covers Process? |
Covers Techniques? |
Covers Styles? |
Covers Approach? |
Covers Common Challenges? |
General comments |
Start reading today? |
| Memletics Manual |
2003 |
Yes - cells, body and
mind |
Yes, including over 30
exploration techniques |
Yes - over 30 specific
techniques |
Yes - 7 learning styles
+ Excel based quiz |
Yes |
Yes - 5 major areas |
Based on recent
research.
Comprehensive website, discussion forums, etc. |
Yes - online download |
| Accelerated Learning for the 21st
Century |
1998 |
Only small part of Mental state |
Mainly Locate, Explore and eNquire
steps. Not much info on repetition or skills. |
Some, only limited descriptions. |
Yes - paper based quiz. |
Partial |
No |
Some sections out of date.
Half the book is on other related topics. |
No |
| Accelerated Learning Handbook |
2000 |
No |
Yes, although focused on training
course delivery |
Some |
No |
Unclear |
No |
Aimed more at someone delivering
training using Accelerated Learning |
No |
| More to come (Mega Memory, Buzan and more)... |
Full details of the books above:
- Memletics Accelerated Learning Manual - Sean
Whiteley. For more information close this window and return to the
Memletics.com site.
- Accelerated Learning for the 21st Century -
Colin Rose and Malcolm Nichol. ISBN 0440507790.
- The Accelerated Learning Handbook - Dave Meier. ISBN 0071355472.
To obtain the information included in the Memletics Manual, you'd
need more than just one book. In addition, I've referenced many more
books in the creation of Memletics. While the Memletics Manual may be
more expensive than some books, it does cover a wider range of material
than most. That's why I believe it will save you money.
In addition, your support will help fund further research into
accelerated learning, rather than 95% of the purchase price going to
large publishing houses and bookstores. This is part of the reason why
we publish our material online (another is we can get the information to
you much faster!).
Learn more about the Memletics
Accelerated Learning Manual.
Let's look at two learning systems or
techniques I support - NLP and Mind Mapping.
Many people believe that NLP is an accelerated learning system,
however in reality it only covers a certain part of learning. It focuses
primarily on mental state. As you can see below, mental state is only
one (although important) part of accelerated learning. Let's compare NLP
(in general) to the Memletics Manual:
| Title |
Original Pub. Date |
Covers State? |
Covers Process? |
Covers Techniques? |
Covers Styles? |
Covers Approach? |
Covers Common Challenges? |
General comments |
Start reading today? |
| Memletics Manual |
2003 |
Yes - cells, body and
mind |
Yes, including over 30
exploration techniques |
Yes - over 30 specific
techniques |
Yes - 7 learning styles
+ Excel based quiz |
Yes |
Yes - 5 major areas |
Based on recent
research.
Comprehensive website, discussion forums, etc. |
Yes - online download |
| NLP |
Early 1970's |
Mental state in detail. No other. |
No |
Only those related to state. |
Three - visual, aural, kinaesthetic. |
No |
State challenges. |
Very good for mental state. Doesn't
cover many other accelerated learning topics. |
No |
Learn more about the Memletics
Accelerated Learning Manual.
Again, many people tend to believe that Mind Mapping is an accelerated learning system
on its own. However, after my own experiences and discussions
with Memletics users who have also used Mind Mapping, it's clear that Mind Maps
should be used as part of a larger learning sytem. Let's compare Mind
Mapping to Memletics:
| Title |
Original Pub. Date |
Covers State? |
Covers Process? |
Covers Techniques? |
Covers Styles? |
Covers Approach? |
Covers Common
Challenges? |
General comments |
Start reading
today? |
| Memletics
Manual |
2003 |
Yes - cells, body and
mind |
Yes, including over
30 exploration techniques |
Yes - over 30
specific techniques |
Yes - 7 learning
styles + Excel based quiz |
Yes |
Yes - 5 major
areas |
Based on recent
research.
Comprehensive website,
discussion forums, etc. |
Yes - online
download |
| Mind Mapping |
Late 1970's |
No. |
Partly - only related to
creating Mind Maps. |
One technique - Mind
Mapping. |
No. |
No. |
Only related to Mind
Mapping |
Very good for describing the Mind
Mapping technique. Not much else covered. |
No |
Don't misinterpret me here though. I am a big fan of Mind Maps. I use
them regularly and I describe them in the Memletics Manual. Here's some
key points:
- They are part of the Explore, Arrange
and Reinforce steps of the Memletic Process. They can be used to explore
new material, arrange it and help you memorize it.
- They are very helpful for visual learners.
- There is less assistance on how to memorize it or use repetition
effectively using a variety of techniques. The primary methods for
memorizing Mind Maps are just "looking at it" or redrawing it
several times.
The Mind Map materials don't cover how to:
- Use various other techniques to better memorize
the Mind Map.
- Make sure your body and mind are in the right
state for learning.
- Discover and use the seven key learning styles.
- Target, plan and track achieve specific
learning goals.
- Overcome general learning challenges such as motivation, fear,
nervousness, pressure, making mistakes etc.
As I said, I am a big fan of Mind Maps however I suggest you use it as
one of many techniques in your learning toolkit.
Learn more about the Memletics
Accelerated Learning Manual.
Here's some interesting information on other popular learning systems -
SuperLearning, Subliminal Learning and Sleep Learning. I also have some
general comments on these at the end of this section.
SuperLearning, the Mozart Effect, Relaxed Learning etc
This quote from a government-sponsored research program into training
programs for government use sums up the effectiveness of programs using
Superlearning principles (eg based on Dr Lozanov & suggestive learning):
The committee finds little scientific evidence that so-called
superlearning programs, such as Suggestive Accelerative Learning and
Teaching Techniques, derive their instructional benefits from elements
outside the mainstream of research and practice.
Written in 1988 by the
Committee on techniques for the enhancement of human performance.
In other words, the non-traditional elements of Superlearning (such
as breaking material into 4 second chunks, varied readings, deep
relaxation etc) don't contribute to faster learning any more than
standard well-designed lessons. In many reports these elements appear to
distract students and result in significantly decreased
performance.
My view is that yes - it's hard to learn while stressed and so yes -
relaxation before learning can improve memory and learning. However, if
you are already relaxed it's unlikely that further relaxation exercises
will help you learn faster.
In the manual I describe ways to use relaxation effectively in
learning. I also describe one of the better relaxation techniques based
on medical research into relaxation and pain control - it's simple!
In the manual's references I also provide free links to the full text
of these government research reports. If you didn't know where to look
you'd be buying these from Amazon.com.
Subliminal Learning
Another quote from a government-sponsored research program:
The committee's review of the available research literature leads
to our conclusion that, at this time, there is neither theoretical
foundation nor experimental evidence to support claims that subliminal
self-help tapes enhance human performance.
Written in 1992 by the
Committee on techniques for the enhancement of human performance.
Sleep learning
From yet another government-sponsored research report:
Yet, most formal studies of sleep learning have yielded negative
results, and most instances of positive findings were either anecdotal
in nature or marred by the absence of proper controls or inadequate
psychophysiological monitoring of sleep.
Written in 1994 by the
Committee on techniques for the enhancement of human performance.
Overall comments
Frankly I'm amazed that while some of these reports were published
more than ten years ago, there are still many people selling materials
based on these techniques. While there are many ways to improve
learning, they still require effort on your part. I believe the
popularity of these systems stems from our desire to get "something for
nothing," but what results is "nothing for something."
I'm currently documenting more of my research into a short report
titled "Accelerated Learning Secrets, myths, deceptions and
half-truths." Memletics Members will receive this free when it's
available.
As I mention above, the Memletics Manual
references contain links to these free research findings. If you didn't
know where to look, you'd have to buy them from places like Amazon.com. Where to go now...
- If want to learn more about the Memletics
Manual, the only reference for Memletic learning, go to the
Memletics Manual Home Page or
order now.
- If you'd like to explore Memletics further, use the links at the top
right of this page.
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