It is said that a childs brain is like a sponge that can soak up a lot of information in a short period. This is why young children can learn multiple languages with ease. But how can we ensure that the child retains all the knowledge that he acquires?
The ‘relearning method’ is a measure to test the amount of memory that a person has retained from what he has learned.
What is relearning?
Suppose you have to memorize a grocery list with 15 items on it. Say it takes you 45 minutes to memorize all of them. If one week later I ask you to repeat all 15 you might not remember many of them. However if you have to memorize the 15 items again, this time it might only take you 30 minutes or so. This is because you have already learnt and memorized the information and the recall is easier the more number of times you ‘relearn’ it. This is called relearning and the process of learning again or revision is called the relearning method.
Why do we forget things we learnt?
There are certain reasons for forgetting things in the first place. Researchers have identified causes such as; ineffective encoding which happens if the learning that takes place is not ‘encoded’ on a deeper level due to reasons like distraction or disinterest then the learning is not effective and the person will forget the information that is learnt easier. Another is decay, which is when time fades the information that is stored in the brain and the memory ‘decays’.
How to prevent your child from forgetting the things they learnt
This is why it is important to make sure that the child learns properly and this learning is reinforced through ‘relearning’ by worksheets, workbooks or oral revision of what the child has learnt. Revising these things often will encode the knowledge in the child’s brain.
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