Tuesday Teaching Tips: Episode 216

“To learn, retrieve”

““And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, ‘John baptised with water, but you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit.’” (Acts 11:16 NAS95)

Intro

– Responsibility to teach in a way to help people remember

– Jesus effective at this

– “Make it Stick”

1. Tie the knot

– “Retrieval ties the knot for memory. Repeated retrieval snugs it up and adds a loop to make it fast.” Brown, Peter C.. Make It Stick (p. 28). Harvard University Press. Kindle Edition.

2. Repeat, repeat, repeat

– “To be most effective, retrieval must be repeated again and again, in spaced out sessions so that the recall, rather than becoming a mindless recitation, requires some cognitive effort. Repeated recall appears to help memory consolidate into a cohesive representation in the brain and to strengthen and multiply the neural routes by which the knowledge can later be retrieved.” Brown, Peter C.. Make It Stick (pp. 28-29). Harvard University Press. Kindle Edition.

3. Space it out

– “When retrieval practice is spaced, allowing some forgetting to occur between tests, it leads to stronger long-term retention than when it is massed.” Brown, Peter C.. Make It Stick (p. 32). Harvard University Press. Kindle Edition.

4. Later

– “The act of retrieving a memory changes the memory, making it easier to retrieve again later.” Brown, Peter C.. Make It Stick (p. 41). Harvard University Press. Kindle Edition.

5. Applied

– “Repeated retrieval not only makes memories more durable but produces knowledge that can be retrieved more readily, in more varied settings, and applied to a wider variety of problems.” Brown, Peter C.. Make It Stick (pp. 43-44). Harvard University Press. Kindle Edition.

Conclusion

– What Jesus taught was remembered

    – Remembering not automatic

    – Helped by practicing retrieval

– Peter reminded them even though they already know what he was telling them: “So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have.” (2 Peter 1:12 NIV11)

– How can you make your learning stick?

    – Part 1: Create a learning culture.

    – Part 2: To learn, retrieve

– Question: “What is the first step you can take to put more retrieval into your lessons?”

Please add your comments on this week’s topic. We learn best when we learn in community.

Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here’s the email: [malcolm@malcolmcox.org](mailto:malcolm@malcolmcox.org).

If you’d like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, “How God grows His people”, sign up at my website: http://[www.malcolmcox.org](http://www.malcolmcox.org/).

Please pass the link on, subscribe, leave a review.

“Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” (Psalms 100:2 NIV11)

God bless, Malcolm

PS: You might also be interested in my book: [“An elephant’s swimming pool”](https://dqzrr9k4bjpzk.cloudfront.net/images/9167082/379662794.jpg), a devotional look at the Gospel of John