How to Boost Student Memory and Recall
I'll now introduce an acronym to help encode a list of key ideas. The letters to recall are simply the name Roy G. Biv. Does it sound familiar? Each letter stands for not only a color of the rainbow, but also a strategies for helping students remember more of what they learn.
R is for Repetition
Repetition tells the brain that this information is more important than a random bit of data. To boost memory, start with the ideal amount of repetition. For example, start repeating the content two to four times within the first hour after the original learning. Follow that up with another repetition within 24 hours and again within seven days. The repetition must occur after, not before, error correction. Otherwise, students will encode the wrong content. Keep in mind, however,
FIGURE 11.1 Roy G. Biv. to boost students' memory
R is for Repetition
O is for Oxygen
Y is for Yearning for Meaning
G is for Glucose
B is for Bias the Attention
I is for Intensity of Emotions
V is for Variety of Word Tools
that students tend to get bored with the same repetition, so be sure to vary the type that you use. Here are a few examples of tools or activities to use for repeating information:
-peer editing
-think, pair, share
-rubrics
-partners quizzing each other
-comparing to a posted model or list
-checklists
-storyboards (like oversized comic strip panels) to illustrate key idea
-increased accountability (have a review checkup at regular intervals)
-small group discussions on the material learned