The Major System is a must for memorizing numbers. For memorizing short, ordered lists, the numbered pegs to nicely, but when you need to get serious about memorizing more than one number at a time, especially dates, this system is the industry standard.
As the title suggest, the major system is like a cipher. Each number is represented by a letter. Here are the codes:
0 = /s/ or /z/
1 – /t/ or /d/
2 = /n/
3 = /m/
4 = /R/
5 = /L/
6 = /SH/, /CH/, /J/
7 = /k/ or /G/
8 = /f/ or /v/
9 = /P/ or /B/
Ultimately, it is recommended that you create a system from 00-99. This way, you have a ready-to-go set image for any two-digit number.
To create the image, simply put any vowels around the sounds to create words. For example, you may have tape for 19 (T and P), and you may have fry for 84 (F and R).
If you wanted to remember the date 1984, you simply combine them in one image, with would be tape thrown into a frying pan. If you are trying to remember that someone was born on that date, just think of that person and imagine them throwing the tape into the frying pan. Just be sure you put them in order.
As an educator, you can imagine how handy this would be for remembering the US presidents (or any historical figure). Check out the post discussing that in more detail.
There are all types of example lists online that you can use as guides, but make sure you make the list your own.
Feel free to use images that already remind you of that number. Perhaps your favorite hockey player is Gordy Howe (09) or your child’s birthday is the 12th, i which case you make 12 a birthday cake.
You can experiment. Remember, you can change them if they do not work well. You can also have more than one for each number. Your brain will dictate what it likes and what it does not. Listen to it and trust it.
Working With Bigger Numbers
If you enjoy coming up with images using ciphers such as this, you can save time memorizing larger numbers, like your credit cards, by using more numbers for each image. For example, 4232 could be Ironman. A 16-digit credit card number could be just four images, or maybe even one image if you get creative with a memorable sentence!
It may sound daunting to have to remember a sound (phoneme) for each letter, but you learn them very quickly, and even if it takes you a bit, the time saved in the long run is well worth it.
In addition, the cipher for this system is grouped by similar phonetic sounds, which is a bonus for reading teachers, especially those who are teaching phonics to either younger students or older students who are struggling readers.
This is a gift you give to your students that last far beyond your classroom. I imagine an education system where students work with these techniques throughout their k-12 years. By the time they graduate, and likely earlier, they will never have an issue memorizing numbers again.
That is becoming a reality in a growing number of places worldwide. Let’s make it happen in your school!
