Learning methods

In the Cabin Pressure episode “Limerick”, Arthur is trying to learn the phonetic alphabet using the spot check method of revision. Being requested to name a random letter on demand wasn’t really working for him.

Well, when I was learning the phonetic alphabet for my Cabin Pressure fan fic, guess what?

I didn’t enjoy the spot check method of revision, either.

However, I did notice that when it came to G-T-I (the plane’s call sign), I could always remember Golf, Tango, India. (Or when they call her G-ERTI: Golf Echo Romeo Tango India).

It dawned on me that learning the letters as parts of words made sense.

Juliet, Alpha, Mike, Echo, Sierra…

Tango Alpha Mike Alpha Romeo Alpha… easy.

Alpha Papa Alpha Charlie Hotel Echo… also easy.

Golf, Uniform, India, November, November, Echo, Sierra, Sierra… easy peasy mac and cheesey.

You get the idea.

If you had asked me to just reel off the alphabet, there wasn’t any way possible that I would remember it. By associating the letters with words, it makes much more sense.

Think about it:

If I know Apache is Alpha, Papa, Alpha, Charlie, Hotel, Echo, it’s easier for me to remember what P is when I can put it in the context of a word.

Amazingly enough, it works for Arthur, too. *grin*

It got me thinking, though.

Some people learn by repetition. Some have to get creative.

I tend to do a little of both, while the boss favors the spot check method.

If that doesn’t explain my whole panic attack from a few days ago, I don’t know how else to describe it.

(alpha, bravo, charlie, delta, echo, foxtrot, golf, hotel, india, juliet, kilo, lima, mike, november, oscar, papa, quebec, romeo, sierra, tango, uniform, victor, whiskey, x-ray, yankee, zebra)