8 Key Strategies to Enhance Student Memory with Brain-Based Learning
It might surprise you to learn that the average student forgets half of what has been taught within one week. Such statistics explain why students need to learn and practise good memory strategies
In this blog post, there are eight techniques of improving memory retention supported by research that both teachers and learners can follow. These are learning strategies that are meant to enhance or increase learning and its effects, from active learning to the management of stress. The approaches described in this blog—active approach, Well timed repetition
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Expert Strategies to Enhance Student Learning
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1. Active Learning Techniques
Definition:?The process of active learning engages the students to be an active participant rather than just a passive receiver of information, which enhances their knowledge retention and understanding of difficult concepts. This is not a passive approach and requires the students to question, solve and even perform some physical tasks.?
Examples:?
Benefits: Educational studies prove that the application of active learning approaches
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2. Well timed Repetition
Definition: Well timed repetition is a powerful way of getting information back into long-term memory and overcoming the forgetting curve when information is reviewed at increasing intervals of time.
Implementation:
Scientific Basis: The Ebbinghaus forgetting curve demonstrates that memory retention declines rapidly without reinforcement. However, Well timed repetition combats this by reinforcing memory at optimal intervals. Studies have shown that students who use Well timed repetition techniques perform better in exams and retain information longer.
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Definition: Learning through one's senses is common since using many senses during the learning process forms long-term memory connections and makes the received information memorable.?
Applications:?
Advantages: The use of more than one mode of learning helps the brain to develop multiple connections to the same piece of information thus enhancing its ability to remember such information. From research, it is evident that strategies through which more senses are involved yield better results in terms of understanding and retention since students will hardly forget concepts that have twice walked through senses within their context.
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Definition: Mnemonic devices are pedagogical aids designed in such a way that the information to be taught and learned is associated with aids of some sort making it easier to memorise.?
Types:?
Examples: Some of the examples used may include PEMDAS to help remember the order of operations in doing mathematics; rhyme used to remember dates in history has also been known to be effective. Such techniques work with how the brain works, specifically its pattern recognition capability hence enabling students to memorise information better.?
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5. Retrieval Practice
Definition: Reactivation practice comprises explicitly recalling information from the memory and hence strengthening and stabilising the content hence enhancing its storage for long-term retrieval.?
Strategies:?
Evidence: Research evidence compiled from cognitive psychology proves that retrieval practice improves memory retention. This technique enhances the connectivity in the brain thus enhancing the performance in academics since information is easily retrievable the next time it is required.
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6. Teaching Others
Definition: Teaching others involves explaining concepts to peers or others, reinforcing the teacher’s understanding and memory by organising and clarifying information.
Methods:
Impact: Teaching challenges the learners to transmit information in a better way hence enhancing knowledge retention and understanding. It is found that when students themselves are involved in teaching others, they also grasp more material and have improved comprehension as well.
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7. Mindfulness and Stress Management
Definition: Time management and stress reduction strategies enable the learners to concentrate and minimise stress because they affect learning and thinking processes.?
Techniques:?
Benefits: Mental stress if well managed by mindfulness leads to enhanced cognition hence memory. Research has revealed that students who incorporate Mindfulness into their learning process have better concentration, lesser anxiety and better grades.
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8. Creating a Positive Learning Environment
Definition: A positive learning environment supports and enhances student learning by providing a supportive, well-organised setting that fosters engagement and concentration.
Components:
Impact: A positive learning environment reduces anxiety, increases engagement, and supports better concentration and memory retention. Research indicates that students in supportive environments perform better academically and retain information longer.
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Conclusion
Using an active learning approach, timed repetitions, multiple intelligences, mnemonics, testing, instruction of others, meditation, and a positive learning environment will enhance learners’ memory and performance on academic tasks. Teachers, it is about time that you incorporate these methods in your practice in the classroom setting. All the above techniques should be practised by students during their study routines, and one will surely notice the difference in the retention of information in their memory.
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