How WE make sure YOU remember

In one of our earlier articles, we investigated how effective learning via audio actually is. In conclusion, research shows that audio-learning is at least as effective as using conventional study material for studying (e.g. textbooks), and might in fact even be more effective. It would be naïve to assume, however, that this efficiency doesn’t depend on the quality of the audio-learning content itself.

In this article, we will therefore look at some techniques Anywyse uses to transform listening into a well-established learning experience, and we will explain the science behind them.

Repetition, repetition, and repetition

One of the topics of memory people seem to be most interested in, is when it lets us down. A great example of this is the Ebbinghaus forgetting curve, which is used to demonstrate how quickly and easily we forget new information.

Usually, this curve looks something like the most-left line in the graph below.

(Chun & Ja, 2018)

The graph demonstrates that when we learn something, we already lose 40% of this new knowledge within the first three days. This loss of information increases to a staggering 90% after only one month (Woolliscroft, 2020).

Luckily, this graph also shows how to counter the forgetting curve. The second, third and fourth line represent the reviewing of the information. See how the forgetting curve becomes less steep the more we revisit the information? That’s why, at Anywyse, we always repeat the most important information a few times in a Wyser, so that it’s better remembered. 

However, as also shown in the graph, remembering does not just depend on immediate repetition. In fact, it must be repeated over a period of multiple days. This is caused by the fact that we learn better through distributed practice than through massed practice (Sternberg, 2011). This means; it’s more effective to study a lesser amount over various sessions, than to cram in all the information all at once.

At Anywyse, we tap into the fact that we learn better through distributed practice. Instead of making one hour-long Wysers in which we cram in all topics of a course, we bound each Wyser to the explanation of one single topic in 15 minutes. Each Wyser/topic can then be easily listened to multiple times, to support distributed practice, and prevent massed practice.

Activating schema’s

The importance of activating schema’s is another very interesting phenomenon in learning. But, before explaining what it means, let’s do a short experiment. Try to remember the following passage:

“The procedure is actually quite simple. First, you arrange items into different groups. Of course one pile may be sufficient, depending on how much there is to do. If you have to go somewhere else due to lack of facilities that is the next step; otherwise, you are pretty well set. 

It is important not to overdo things. That is, it is better to do too few things at once than too many. In the short run this may not seem important but complications can easily arise. A mistake can be expensive as well. 

At first, the whole procedure will seem complicated. Soon, however, it will become just another facet of life. It is difficult to foresee any end to the necessity for this task in the immediate future, but then, one can never tell. 

After the procedure is completed one arranges the materials into different groups again. Then they can be put into their appropriate places. Eventually they will be used once more and the whole cycle will then have to be repeated. However, that is part of life.” (Sternberg, 2011)

Don’t feel discouraged if this passage was fairly difficult to remember; most people struggle to make sense of it. Now, I want you to try to reread the text, but this time, keep the following title in mind: “doing laundry”.

By just adding two words, the passage became much easier to remember. This is because an extremely important part of learning is how meaningfully you combine it with your pre-existing knowledge and experience (Sternberg, 2011). 

And this is where we come back to ‘activating schemas’. A schema is a framework of pre-existing knowledge; the context in which we integrate new information to make sense of it. In this example, your schema is your knowledge and experience with doing laundry. Activating the right schema’s is very essential, and leads to significantly better learning effects (Cho & Ma, 2020). By activating your ‘laundry’ schema in the example, you were able to incorporate the new information much better, compared to when you did not activate this schema, which lead to remembering the text better.

That’s why at Anywyse, we pay high attention to activating schema’s. At all times, we let the listeners know what is being discussed, why it is essential, and how it relates to other information or real-life examples. That way, the right schema is activated, which makes it easier to make sense of the information, and enhances learning.

Examples

Another way to establish meaningful learning, is by using examples. We could just tell this, but that would miss the whole point. So instead, let's use an example to show it. Consider the following information:

According to Tuckman, groups develop in 5 stages. The first stage of a group is called forming. Characteristics of this stage are: socialising, feeling of excitement, politeness, formation of little groups, and an unsure feeling about the rules.

Now let’s add an example to this information:

Thus, the first stage of group-forming is called ‘forming’. To remember those characteristics, I invite you to go back in time; all the way to your first days of secondary school. Do you remember walking into your new classroom? You were so excited, maybe even a little anxious, to meet all the new people that you would spend a whole year with. Almost immediately, you probably started socialising with some people. And, before you knew it, little groups were already formed. During all this excitement, there was also place for some feelings of awkwardness, and you might have felt unsure how to behave. This is common during the ‘forming stage’, because the rules and expectations are not clearly established yet. This causes most people to act nice and polite to others, and to avoid controversies, because everyone is still uncertain about the rules and norms in this new group…

See how one example changes the entire picture? By using examples, information is much easier to remember because it’s meaningfully compared to your knowledge and experience, and because it often provokes some kind of emotion, which has significant effects on learning (Tyng et al., 2017). At Anywyse, we therefore use real-life examples to enhance learning.

Questions

Last but not least, we will shed a little light on the importance of asking questions. Asking questions to listeners during podcasts has shown to increase knowledge acquisition and retention (Weinstock et al., 2020). But why is that?

We will explain this by the use of an example. First, we invite you to answer the following question, and then we will explain what happened when you did so. So, try to answer the following:

Can you explain the characteristics of the ‘forming’ stage in your own words?

Let’s now see what processes get in motion when trying to answer such a question. 

Firstly, you rehearsed the information, which lead to repetition. We’ve already established that rehearsing information leads to better retention. 

Secondly, this question gave insight in how much you actually know about the topic. Questions provide almost instantaneous feedback, which is a key principle in learning (APA, 2010), as it allows you to determine whether to revisit a topic. 

Finally, a question can help to maintain interest. Whenever you’re dozing off, a question can help keep you invested, as it engages you personally in the learning experience.

Conclusion

In this article, we’ve highlighted a few tools Anywyse uses to facilitate learning. By emphasizing activating schema, using examples, asking questions, facilitating distributed learning, and repeating important information, we make sure you remember what’s being explained.

That is how Anywyse transforms listening into learning.

Anywyse, December 15th, 2022