Keep it in Mind – The Forgetting Curve and how to flatten it!
The Forgetting Curve
Humans have been forgetting things long before car keys were invented. In the age of the Life-long Learner and Bite-sized learning, it’s important to remind ourselves that our brain is not as effective as your computer at filing away information for later. We have all done a motivating 1-day course that left us buzzing and enthused but come 2 weeks later it’s likely we only remembered one key element or 10% of the information… if we’re lucky!
This isn’t a failing on the part of an individual, it’s just the way our brains work and was confirmed in a study in the 1880’s by Hermann Ebbinghaus. Here we will explain the theory and provide three ways to help learners retain information.
Ebbinghaus researched how our memory of a subject we have learned declines over time when we don’t make an effort to retain what we learnt. The graph below, known as the Forgetting Curve or the Ebbinghaus Curve, shows how the retained information rapidly drops off shortly after learning.
Now that you feel better about forgetting peoples’ birthdays, how do we help people in training remember what they’ve learnt? Here are 3 examples to retain knowledge.
Active Recall
Reviewing what you have learnt shortly after the event reduces the amount of information typically lost. And, by reviewing and repeating multiple times over the coming days and weeks it is possible to flatten the curve out even further. See below an example of revising a new topic highlighted in red and its effect on the Ebbinghaus Curve.
Applying this in the workplace can be done via follow-up activities, for example after a Compliance training module. Once the training is complete, it can be followed the day after in a conversation with the learner’s supervisor or manager to go through a list of the key points. Another day or two later and they can be sent a short online test to complete. And a third follow-up could be repeated by showing the learner a company poster highlighting the workplace compliance requirements.
Short study periods
Research has shown that we are better off learning information over several short periods, rather than one long study session. For example, instead of studying and learning a new skill over a 4-hour period, the learner can spread the information over a few days or week/s in half-hour segments. By taking breaks and rests between our learning, the ability to remember the information is enhanced as the brain becomes more efficient at reaching the connections it has made.
Interest in the topic or interesting learning
Ok, this can be a challenge, especially when we are talking about something like compliance! In this situation, rather than providing a detailed document on compliance for staff to read and memorise, learning material developed in a relevant and interesting way will make it more engaging and increase retention:
Clearly written text in a simple to read format
Explained through real-life examples
Presented in a colourful and interactive training resource
Include exercises and gameplay to acquire the key element
With the Ebbinghaus Curve showing us how to improve our memory of new information, we can support learners to attain a higher skill level and more consistency across the organisation.
By partnering with SAARA we can provide advice and support in all these areas allowing businesses and learners to better enhance their learning experience. So what are you waiting for? Get in touch with us today.