Parents often pull their hair trying to help their children with their homework and even prepping for a test the next day. It’s not an easy task to do, especially for those seasoned parents who can’t remember how to do “simple math” and are often left Googling subjects to help their child. Now, there’s something you can do that can help your child ace that exam.
New research shows that students who are given information and tell someone about it immediately recall the details better and longer. Think about what happens when you hear gossip, yes it may be juicy information and details, but it’s a similar concept and you remember.
This same strategy can be used when studying because by repeating the information a student just read or learned, it makes them understand the material better when they are telling someone else. “This has to be actively re-playing or re-generating the information—for example, by telling someone the particulars, as opposed to just simply re-reading the textbook or class notes and studying it again later,” said Baylor University psychologist, Melanie Sekeres, Ph.D., lead author of the study.
“What we found in our study was that a week later, the memory was just as good,” she said. “Telling someone else about what you’ve learned is a really effective way for students to study instead of just re-reading the textbook or class notes.”
