How can you reinforce key concepts during lectures using repetition?

Using repetition through different formats is an effective way to reinforce key concepts during lectures, as it caters to various learning styles and helps in embedding the information more deeply into the students' memories. Here’s how this can be achieved: 1.Incorporate visual materials like diagrams, charts,etc. that summarize or illustrate the key concepts. 2.Provide handouts or have slides that recap the main points. 3.Use activities such as group discussions, quizzes, or problem-solving tasks. 4.Incorporate videos or animations. 5.Present the concepts through stories or real-life applications. 6.Encourage students to explain the concepts to each other in their own words. 7.Hold review sessions.

If you’re trying to reinforce a key concept or piece of information, having the students engage in the material in different ways can be a good way to repeat the information without getting repetitive and boring. You can present the information, then show them how to apply the information, then give them a novel situation for them to apply it themselves. If you can turn it into a group exercise where the groups present their solutions, then you the reinforcement from the group work and then the group presentation. If you can make it slightly humorous, even better. Those endorphins help with memory encoding.

Discussing a topic from different perspectives can help us clarify our speaking goals. It also makes conversations more interesting by evoking different reactions with different words.

When you’re developing your course, you take a key concept and look at it from different angles over time. This will deepen the understanding of that concept. In psychology, one concept is the question of nature versus nurture. This concept can be revisited over and over again. Then at the end of term, you could ask the students their thoughts on the question.

An easy way is to introduce the concept at the beginning (e.g. the lecture seeks to make a case for the usefulness of this concept), followed by a midpoint evaluation of the usefulness of the concept and the way it has been used, and finally a concluding analysis and reflection of the way the concept has been used in the lecture. This provides a good rationale for repeating the concept without risking sounding like indoctrination.

Great advice! If we don't use it regularly, we might forget what we know. When teaching, reminding students frequently can help them recall information.

One other way is to use quizzes or discussions to ask students to reflect on the concept. For instance, for an important concept, I have gotten students to reflect about it (through a reading as well) in a tutorial session that came straight after a lecture. This also helps in fostering student use of the concept in later assignments.

I'm not sure about quizzes and exercises, but I completely agree that practice makes perfect. Often, it's easier to grasp a concept through hands-on activities than just knowing it. Applying it makes more sense than just understanding how it works.

I use storytelling to elaborate on a key concept, either describing how the concept came into being or debates on it or how it’s been applied. It’s engaging and can add detail to flesh out what you’re trying to present.

Intermittently, teachers can provide a summary of the main concepts discussed in the lesson. This practice helps students solidify their understanding and strengthens the retention of essential information. At the conclusion of the lesson, conduct a concise recap or review session to revisit the main points covered throughout the session. This can be done through various formats such as verbal feedback during class discussions, written feedback on assignments, or formative assessments that gauge student comprehension.

Sometimes, acronyms are a good way to help students to remember a concept. A word of warning is they could be overused, and students may not really enjoy many concepts being "acronym-ed" in their course, but at least, I think selected important concepts be could be considered as candidates for acronym usage.

I don't totally agree with that. While mnemonics can help you remember the order, groups, and other details, it doesn't necessarily mean you truly understand the reasons why. As a Science teacher, I believe it's more important to comprehend the reasons than other routine aspects.