You need to repeat information at least 6 times for it to be retained

It has been said that for information to be moved from the short term memory to the long term memory, information needs to be presented at least 6 times to the average learner.

This might sound like a mission but it is relatively easily done if you use plenty of revision activities. A lot of the warm up activities described are a type of revision already.

The more memorable you make your learning the less you need to repeat. Think about the time you were at school and you had to learn the times tables (1 x 1 = 1, 1 x 2= 2 etc ) how many times would you have repeated those before they were retained to the extend that you can still recall them today.  Especially the 7,8 and 9 tables were hard to remember.  If only the teachers could have made this fun it would have been a lot easier and less frustrating. So the message is that "rote" learning is not the most effective way of teaching. Make it fun, make it memorable, provide them with memory anchors and they will soak it up without realising.

How to repeat information without it looking repetitive is the key good to facilitation.
Lets look at a topic of communication skills- questioning techniques.

1. Start with an introduction to check what your learners already know. While doing this you can already start with introducing some key words and write them down as you go. Learners can hear it and see it.
2. Read about questioning techniques in the workbook.
3. Students to do an exercise in their workbook
4. Now provide a practical component, for example Sticky activity  described in the Warm up section.
5. At the end of the day  do a Kooshball quiz whereby the students can only use the questioning techniques learned today.
6. At the start of the next day, review what you covered yesterday. If it is questioning techniques make this practical and fun by trying the Drawing activity

You have now effortlessly repeated the same information 6 times and could easily do more without the students saying , "oh no not again".

POUND OF DICE

Having a range of dice creates an amazing opportunity to become creative in the classroom. Dice are not necessarily square and numbered with dots 1 to 6.

Below are just a few ideas to get your brains going. If you have a dice with 20 sides, create a list of questions numbered one to 20. Each student to take a turn.  It does not matter if question has already been asked , repetition is good.

• Give each student group or student a dice and ask them to roll it three times. Each time they write down the number. Using their mathematical skills (remember the 8 intelligences?) ask them to use the number and deduct from each other to make the smallest possible number. They need to use all three numbers. Example 23,5,9= 9, they now need to come up with 9 facts or questions relevant to the topic you are teaching.
• If you have dice with letters instead of numbers, asking them to roll it 5 times, write the letter down and make sentences starting with each letter relevant to the topic.
• With a pound of dice you can make a selection, hand them out randomly and than perhaps say - all the red square dice, all the green triangle dice etc are now a group.
• If you have an alphabet dice split class in small groups and they each need to have a dice. Give them 2 minutes to roll the dice, for every letter they need to think of a word relevant to the topic/subject.
  Make it a competition. They write the words down on a flip chart size paper. After 2 minutes swap flip chart paper around the groups and let each group talk about amongst themselves about the words.
  
  You will be able to think of other ideas as well.
   

QUESTION TIME

Most trainers can't help themselves but ask the question " Are there any questions?" and the response is the shaking of heads and learners looking away too shy to come forward as they don't want to be seen as the idiot who does not understand.

There are great questioning techniques you can learn about that will get a response which are explained in the delivery techniques section but we are now going to look at a revision tool that works wonders.

Split the class up in groups and mix them up thoroughly (number them off 1,2,3 ,etc and group all the "ones" together, all the "two's" together etc).In small groups let them discuss today's session. Ask them to come up with questions about things they are not certain about and would like to have more time spend on. They write this down on small slips of paper, one question per slip.

They put all these questions in a hat/box (be creative and make the container relevant to what you are teaching). You can either draw questions from the hat and deal with it yourself or if you think the class has the answer, have a student answer it. This is a safe way of asking questions, as the learner who raised the question is not identified and the learner probably found he/she was not the only one not understanding that point by being able to discuss it in a group.

RAP

Making learning memorable is the key. Well why not try to let the group make a rap, song, rhyme with or without music. This is great revision tool as the students are making memory anchors. Give each small group a topic /word/statement/concept/certain pages from the workbook to create their song. Let them practise (repeat, repeat and repeat again) and than perform in front of the class.

Everybody will have a laugh, it makes even the most boring content entertaining, the students are doing all the hard work, and you work out how many times they are repeating the same information. Make sure that the lyrics are shared between the groups.

PUZZLES

A simple but effective tool is to put the group in pairs or triples and ask them to make a puzzles as a revision tool for the rest of the class. This gives them a bit of a competitive streak as they will try their hardest to make it really difficult. Not realising that while they are formulating the questions, they need to know the answers themselves as well.

Suggest many different kinds of puzzles, to create as possible and appropriate to what you are teaching. Crosswords, wordfinds, Multi choice, Question and answer, Anagrams, Riddles, Research on the internet type questions etc.

Once the puzzles are created, send the class on a break. Photocopy the sets of puzzles and either hand out after the break or use them throughout the rest of your session as a revision tool. (saves you creating recap quizzes yourself)