Preventing Forgetting

Arguably, with respect to learning effectively, the two most important issues that need addressing are:

1. preventing memory loss of knowledge and
2. improving the ability to retrieve knowledge easily, accurately and be able to use that knowledge (knowing more, remembering more, using more).

Both of these issues are linked and we can address them with a number of strategies, which we can use in the classroom and teach the students to use at home, which prevent memory loss by moving learning in the short term memory to learning in the long term memory. Below are some graphs that try to visualise this. They highlight the need to revise by space retrieval learning over time and not having to relearn everything just before exams. Ultimately we want our learners to leave STMLC with knowledge securely embedded into the long term memory, with the ability to retrieve it easily, accurately and use it for their exams and long after they leave STMLC. We also want them to have the disposition, motivation and skills to be life long learners.