The Top 5 Learning Techniques Your Child Probably Isn't Using

In every educational institution, there are a variety of learning techniques taught to and implemented by students. You may have heard of techniques like writing summaries of texts, re-reading texts, or creating mental images of text material. You may have even used some of these techniques yourself! However, educational psychologists now say that there are 5 crucial learning techniques that kids aren't developing.

Here are the top 5 learning techniques that your kids probably aren't using:

1. Practice Testing.

The technique involves self-testing or taking practice tests over to-be-learned material. Simulating the testing environment and the question style will increase your ability to apply concepts, rather than simply regurgitating memorized facts, which quickly leave your working memory as soon as they're used.

2. Distributed Practice.

Distributed practice implements a schedule of practice that spreads out study activities over time. You might get lucky with the classic "cram session" from time to time, but typically, it's better to allow yourself time to mentally digest what you have learned. This way, information can be stored in long-term memory, which makes it easier to recall over time.  

3. Elaborative Interrogation.

Generating an explanation for why an explicitly stated fact or concept is true will reinforce logical connections between events or facts, especially in non-fiction work, like science and social studies. Practicing this technique will encourage children to follow theories, theses, and arguments by looking for support throughout a work for the overall idea. 

4. Self-Explanation.

Explaining how new information is related to known information, or explaining steps taken during problem solving is a step that allows children to use their fundamental skills to build more complex ones. Especially in math, where larger, more difficult formulas and concepts are derived from simpler ones learned in previous years, the ability to relate a new fact to an old one helps children to learn faster. 

5. Interleaved Practice.

Utilizing a schedule of practice that mixes different kinds of problems, or a schedule of study that mixes different kinds of material within a single study session also helps to reinforce a concept by applying it in different ways. This technique also encourages time-management and discipline, because children will need to complete multiple small assignments within the same study block. 

To learn more about these techniques, visit our source for this week's Top 5:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/raising-readers-writers-and-spellers/201307/5-learning-techniques-psychologists-say-kids-aren-t