
Does your learner struggle with retaining information? Do you find that they initially grasp the concepts and complete the homework, but then can’t recall or apply that information for a test or later in the school year? Does your student often get frustrated or anxious when unable to remember what they’ve already “learned”?
If so, you aren’t alone. We hear this concern a lot from parents and caregivers. When students have trouble retaining information that was covered in class, it can be frustrating and demotivating … for learners and parents alike. The good news is, Fit Learning’s private, one-on-one tutoring can help. Experts have identified a number of helpful teaching strategies for kids struggling with learning retention. These beneficial methods are key components of Fit’s approach, and so it’s no wonder that Fit Learning is a great resource for helping students better retain what they’ve learned.
Recommendations for Helping Students Retain Information
What Experts Recommend |
Fit Learning’s Approach |
Use active learning. |
At Fit, we get students involved in the learning process. The 1:1 learning sessions are fast-paced and highly interactive. They are led by credentialed learning coaches who are dedicated to motivating students and holding their attention. Fit sessions entail lots of back-and-forth between the student and coach as they work together to achieve personalized learning goals. |
Practice, practice, practice. |
Fit’s method gives learners lots of practice opportunities. The coach and student work on key skills over and over in a fun, encouraging way until the learner becomes fluent. This means that they can apply the skills automatically, without having to think about it. (See below for more information about fluency-based instruction.) |
Make learning multi-sensory. |
Fit learners practice seeing, hearing, doing, and moving as they learn new concepts. |
Chunk out information into smaller pieces.
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Fit enrollments kick off with a comprehensive skills assessment to identify which specific skills the student hasn’t yet mastered. Then, students learn and master those needed basic skills before moving on to more complex skills. |
Switch roles and have the learner “teach” the instructor. |
One way that Fit coaches keep sessions lively and effective is practicing by having the learner “reteach” the skill to the coach, to help them absorb and retain the concepts. |
Be patient! |
At Fit, we meet each learner where they are, and they advance through the program at their own pace. They learn from a curriculum that is uniquely tailored for them based on the results from their intake assessment. And, we celebrate each child is for achieving their personal best, not how they stack up against other kids. So, not only do they learn and retain the material, but also their self-confidence blossoms and anxiety lessens. |
Fit Learning is Different from Traditional Tutoring
The way that Fit approaches learning is unique in many ways, including through its use of precision teaching, goal of attaining fluency, and building-block method.
Fit Helps With Learning Retention Through the Use of Precision Teaching
A central aspect of Fit’s method is the use of science-based precision teaching. So, what is that exactly? As defined in the Behavior Analysis in Practice journal, precision teaching is a “system for precisely defining and continuously measuring dimensional features of behavior and analyzing behavioral data on the Standard Celeration Chart (SCC) to make timely and effective data-based decisions to accelerate behavioral repertoires.” In other words, at Fit we continuously capture data to have a view into how the learner’s performance is progressing as they work toward skill mastery. Fit learning coaches use that performance data to adjust their teaching in “real time” to attain the best possible learning outcomes.
Fit Helps With Learning Retention By Working Toward Fluency, Not Just Accuracy
Fluency is our goal at Fit. Fluency-based instruction teaches skills to true mastery, or functional mastery, which includes retention of skills taught. Traditional education only measures accuracy. Fluency training, on the other hand, incorporates pace as well. So, not only does a fluent learner respond accurately, but they also respond quickly without having to stop and think it through. As Fit cofounder Kimberly Berens explains in her book Blind Spots, “Fluent skills are rapid, automatic, and effortless. Fluent skills are remembered, easily usable for learning more complex things, and resistant to distractions or fatigue. Fluent skills are truly mastered. Thus, a truly mastered skill is a habit – a persistent skill a child can easily and readily engage in wherever and whenever they need to.”
Fit Helps With Learning Retention By Employing a Component Skill Building (or “Building Block”) Approach
Traditional tutoring works as a sort of band-aid solution. It carries the student through the material long enough to pass an exam or course; however, it doesn’t address the underlying skill deficits. Fit Learning’s method, on the other hand, goes deeper by identifying – and then addressing – the actual gaps in the learner’s foundational (or “building block”) skills. Then, after the learner has filled in those gaps and become fluent in those skills, they are ready to move on to learn the more advanced skills being taught in class.
In summary, Fit’s use of precision teaching, a goal of fluency, and the building block approach – combined with our use of the strategies above – makes for a winning combination when it comes to helping students retain what they’ve learned. Additionally, it sets up the student for future success as the material they learn gets more challenging.
Academic Services at Fit Learning St. Louis
Fit provides school-aged instruction in the areas of reading, math, basic and advanced logic, spelling, expressive writing, study skills, and penmanship. And, to support our youngest learners, we offer the Lil Fits (kindergarten readiness) program for preschool-age children. We also provide academic summer camp, a dedicated curricula for homeschoolers, and a program for those who prefer to learn online versus in person.
Learners Served at Fit Learning St. Louis
Because Fit Learning takes a 1:1, individualized approach, the program works well for all kinds of learners. This includes students who have diagnosed learning disabilities or learning differences, ADHD, dyslexia, autism, anxiety, or processing speed challenges; those who are average or gifted; and those who are struggling. (More information on how Fit Learning St. Louis helps students with special needs and learning differences is available here). Note that a lot of learners at Fit Learning have no identified learning barrier but are performing behind grade level.
Regardless of where your child is currently in school, Fit Learning will help take their learning to the next level … and in an environment that is fun, positive, and supportive.
Get Started at Fit Learning and Help Your Student With Learning Retention
Your child doesn’t have to struggle with remembering what they’ve learned – Fit Learning can help! So, to get started, just follow these steps:
- Contact Fit Learning St. Louis and speak with our Director, Janice Smith.
- Schedule an intake assessment for your child.
- Begin at Fit Learning and watch your child’s retention improve and their confidence grow!
Sources:
- Blind Spots: Why Students Fail … and the Science that Can Save Them (Kimberly Berens) – https://www.drkimberlyberens.com/blindspots
- “Eight Working Memory Boosters” (Amanda Morin) – https://www.understood.org/en/articles/8-working-memory-boosters
- “How to Help Kids With Working Memory Issues” (Rae Jacobson) –https://childmind.org/article/how-to-help-kids-with-working-memory-issues/
- “Memory for Learning in Childhood” (Anna Kroncke) – https://cadey.co/is-your-child-forgetting-information-learned-in-school
- “The Precision Teaching System: A Synthesized Definition, Concept Analysis, and Process (Amy Evans, Andrew Bulla, and Andrew Kieta) –https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40617-020-00502-2