Muscle Up With Note Cards, Part 1 talked about how to write note cards that were actually useful for helping massage therapy students with their anatomy. But what do you actually do with them besides accidentally drop them all over the floor at awkward moments when you’re trying to appear suave and put-together?
How to Use Note Cards for Study
Step 1: Write the stinking cards.
This is actually important. Studies show that hand writing information helps you to remember it better than typing or just reading it.
Step 2: Try to identify the muscle name based on the information given while reading aloud.
Yes, aloud. You can say to yourself, “This muscle originates on ribs 1-8. It inserts on the vertebral and inferior angle of the anterior surface of the scapula. It abducts the scapula and rotates it upward, and in RMA it elevates the ribs when the scapula is stabilized. This muscle is innervated by the long thoracic nerve. This muscle is … serratus anterior.”
If you want, you can answer in the form of a question and pretend your cup of coffee is Alex Trebek. This helps keep things interesting. If you’re a dork.
If you get it right, move on to the next one. If you get it wrong, read it out loud again with the name this time. “Serratus anterior originates on ribs 1-8. Serratus anterior inserts on the vertebral border … etc. You’ll feel like a fool, especially if you study in public places, but you’ll start to remember your stuff.
Step 3: try to identify the ACTION of the muscle based on the name, including any reverse muscle action (RMA), still speaking aloud.
Step 4: try to identify the ORIGIN and INSERTION of the muscle based on the name
Step 5: try to identify the whole OIAN, all four pieces of information, for the muscle based on the name
An optional step to be used at any stage: record yourself reading the information on your cards aloud, and listen to the recording while in the car, out for a run, or while doing dishes. I’m not an auditory learner, and this doesn’t work for me at all, but if you’re the type who’s constantly jacked into an iPod anyway, you might as well make it work for you.
Bonus tips:
- Massage therapy school, work, and family doesn’t always leave you extensive swaths of time to study. Note card study can be done in little snippets, all day long. Keep a few in your right back pocket at work. Take one out periodically through the day at test yourself. Whatever step you’re at, if you get it right, move it to your back left pocket. If you don’t, put it back in your right. Continue pulling from the right pocket throughout the day.
- Handwriting matters. Take the time to make it legible, or your brain will be so busy trying to decipher your chicken scratches that there won’t be any left for learning the muscles.
What else do you do with note cards? Tape them to your bathroom mirror to read while you brush your teeth? Use them as kindling? Share your note card study tips with the world.