How to Increase Students' Retention Rate

Have you ever taught a lesson only to find that your students forgot everything by the next day? Do you feel like information goes in one ear and out the other? Some days it may feel like our students are more like a leaky vessel than a sponge. So how can we increase students' retention rate? Well, there are several things we can do to help our students remember what we teach them. First, research has shown that when information is presented in lecture form only 5% of that information is retained. One way to increase retention is to use multiple modes of presentation like visuals and songs. Teaching to different learning styles can make a big difference. Here's a fun learning styles assessment I made for preschoolers.

One of the best things we can do is have our students practice a skill once we've taught it. Students learn best when they are able to learn from their own mistakes. We can increase retention to 75% when we immediately apply what we've learned through practice with the new concept or skill. Even better, have students teach others their newly learned concept. This is said to increase retention by a whopping 90%!

I have often used these strategies in my own learning without even knowing it. For example, whenever I would attend a teaching conference (or nowadays a homeschool conference) I would get so excited about what I learned that when I got home I immediately went through all my notes and looked up any website that was recommended. I would also make activities based on the ideas that were presented. Little did I know I was helping myself retain the knowledge I gained from the conference. It was always a thrill for me to implement a new teaching strategy or activity I learned. I knew that if I didn't immediately put what I learned into practice I would quickly forget it.

The learning pyramid shows how to increase retention...

Here's a little poem I wrote to help kids learn about retention rates.

Retention Rate

by Kelsea Studebaker

In school, we listen and learn each day,

But just sit still and knowledge fades away.

When we practice, we remember much more,

Learning is fun, it opens many a door.

God gave us minds so we could learn,

And inform others in return.

The best way to remember is to teach a friend,

Sharing what we learn helps us comprehend.

As we discover and share, our knowledge will grow,

Together we’ll thrive, as we learn to sow.

Here are a Few of our Favorite Activities...

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