Studies have shown that changing your study materials and methods will enhance your learning and retention of information.
According to the National Training Laboratory’s “learning pyramid”, also known as “cone learning”, most students remember only 10% of the information they get from their textbooks but nearly 90% when they teach others.
The Learning Pyramid Model suggests that certain study methods are more effective than other study methods and that different study methods lead to deeper retention and learning.
Lecture
According to the Learning Pyramid, “Lecture”, is one of the ineffective ways of retaining and learning information. The lecture is a passive method of learning, where you sit back and let your professor or teacher spoon-feed you information.
It is not effective to learn only by listening to lectures. Auditory learners find lectures stimulating and more educational than non-auditory learners. Students who are prepared for class, participate actively in the class discussion, and take good notes will benefit most from lectures.
Reading
According to the Learning Pyramid, reading is more effective than lectures, but it’s still not the most effective way of acquiring and retaining knowledge. If you are a visual student, then reading textbooks is likely to be more effective for you than students who do not have a visual learning style.
It is important to note that reading textbooks in academic settings is not optional. You can improve your retention and memory of what you read by using strategies.
Audio-visual
According to the Learning Pyramid, audio-visual methods of learning only result in a 20% retention rate. Audio-visual teaching and learning methods can include videos, sounds, pictures, and graphs.
As media and computer technologies continue to develop, new forms of audio-visual teaching are proving to be more effective in learning and retaining material. When combined with more active study methods, audio-visual study and learning are even more effective.
Demonstration
Demonstration is usually a teacher or professor demonstrating a task to students that they can watch. Demonstration, the first study method that is active in the Learning Pyramid structure, involves the teacher or professor providing a learning task for students to observe.
Demonstration is a more effective study method than passive methods. It tends to reduce ambiguity and promotes better understanding. When information is unclear or confusing, a demonstration can be a useful study method.
Discussion
Discussion or “Group Discussion” is a type of Cooperative Learning. This is a method of active learning that can help you retain more information, material, and knowledge. It will also improve your academic performance.
Discussion, unlike competitive or individualistic learning methods that rely on competition and self-motivation to learn and study, is a method of cooperative learning where students interact and work together with instructors and other students. Discussion Groups aim to increase student participation, stimulate thinking, and encourage engagement. Discussions can take place in a classroom or by creating a study group.
Practice by doing
One of the most efficient ways to learn and study is through “Discover Learning”, a type of practice by doing. This study method encourages students to take what they have learned and put it into action – promoting deeper comprehension and moving information from the short-term to the long-term memories.
By putting the material into practice, students can make it more personal and meaningful. Practice by doing leads to a deeper understanding of the material, and better retention and recall.
Teach Others
Teaching others is the key to mastering a subject. You will have superior retention and memory if you can accurately and correctly explain a topic to others. According to the Learning Pyramid Model, students can retain about 90% of what they can teach others.
Peer tutoring is the most common way to teach others. The best place to learn from others is a study group. In an effective study group, peer-to-peer teaching is one of the most important activities. Each group member should take the opportunity to share the material they are studying with the others in the group.
Conclusions
Your learning style will influence the effectiveness of any method as shown in the Learning Pyramid. Visual (spatial) learning is the best way for some students to retain and remember information. Others are auditory (auditory). Discover your learning style to maximize your study effectiveness.
Remember that you should also vary your learning methods. Do not assume that just because the Learning Pyramid says that Lectures are one of the least effective methods for retaining knowledge, lectures aren’t valuable.
Lectures remain very important. The Learning Pyramid includes a variety of learning methods. The notes you take in class can be crucial to your ability later to teach or discuss the material in your group.
