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GCE Editorial Team
Teachers can improve learning retention by using teaching strategies like mnemonic devices, active recall, spaced repetition and hands-on, experiential learning activities. It’s also helpful to make the material engaging, relevant and interesting.
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Approved and verified accurate by the Dean of the College of Education on Nov. 24, 2025.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Grand Canyon University. Any sources cited were accurate as of the publish date.
Teachers spend much of their time working with students on new material, teaching everything from the space-time continuum to the causes of the English Civil War and beyond. Yet, all this knowledge doesn’t do students any good if they forget much of what they’ve been taught. Because of this, effective teachers need to focus on learning retention just as much as teaching new material.
There are several strategies educators can use to work on how to retain knowledge better. Teachers could, for example, work on supporting different learning styles or take a blended learning approach by integrating technology to enhance student interest. Other tips can align with scientifically backed methods of enhancing knowledge retention.
Effective learning retention isn’t one-size-fits-all — what helps a 17-year-old master complex concepts can look very different from what a class of 6-year-olds needs to remember foundational skills. Older students can typically handle abstract thinking, multi-step reasoning and independent study strategies, while younger learners rely more heavily on concrete experiences, repetition and play-based reinforcement.
Recognizing these developmental differences allows educators to select age-appropriate techniques that align with students’ cognitive, emotional and social maturation levels. When teaching methods align with learners’ developmental stages, retention may improve, as students are not just receiving information but engaging with it in ways that better suit their current stage of cognitive development.
Despite the Ebbinghaus forgetting curve, there are plenty of things you can do to increase learning retention in your classroom. Consider the following methods for improving memory among your students:
A mnemonic device is a memory aid. It can be helpful when students need to memorize sets of information. For example, the use of acronyms is a common mnemonic device. Consider the acronym HOMES, which can help students remember that the Great Lakes consist of Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior.
Other types of mnemonic devices include rhyming (e.g., 30 days hath September), music (e.g., the ABC song) and visualizations.
Spaced repetition can help beat the forgetting curve by periodically reinforcing learned information. This teaching strategy is straightforward. Simply review previously taught concepts at regular intervals, lengthening the time between intervals as you go.
This is an active method of studying, as it involves active retrieval of information from the student’s memory as opposed to reading or listening to concepts over and over again. For example, you can quiz the class about concepts, calling on students individually.
Another way to help improve knowledge retention is to develop lesson plans that include hands-on activities. When students are actively engaging with learning materials, they can deepen their understanding of the concepts.
During the 1880s, psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus underwent a series of tests to evaluate the capacity and limitations of the human memory. The results of his work culminated in the Ebbinghaus forgetting curve — a memory model that demonstrates how knowledge is lost over time. According to Ebbinghaus' findings (and a later experiment that replicated them), about 50% of all new knowledge is lost within one day of learning it, and about 90% of all new knowledge is lost within one week.1
The Ebbinghaus forgetting curve illustrates the importance of discovering the best ways to retain information and help students continue in their progress. Ebbinghaus didn’t just evaluate the percentage of information that is lost, however. He also explored the factors that lead to the decline in memory and how to better retain information.
According to Ebbinghaus’ research, the degree of knowledge retention depends upon factors such as:1
Understanding the science of knowledge retention is crucial for learning how best to help your students engage and learn. You can combat the forgetting curve through a number of strategies, such as:
Grand Canyon University looks forward to supporting you as you work toward your dream career as a teacher. The College of Education offers a wide range of teaching degrees for all types of future educators, such as the Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education degree, the Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education degree and the Bachelor of Science in Mathematics for Secondary Education program.
Here, you can immerse yourself in a Christian learning environment while exploring how best to help your future students grow and thrive.
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Pursue a teaching career and help students improve how they retain and apply what they learn. Earn an education degree at GCU!
When considering how to improve learning retention among your students, consider the following approaches:
All students have different learning styles, which means that all students will make connections differently. Teachers need to get to know their students first, so they know how to connect to each individual student. Then, the teacher can identify specific teaching strategies to address what each student needs to flourish in the classroom.
Students may retain knowledge better through inquiry-based learning.4 This teaching method helps build critical thinking skills and sparks curiosity by empowering students to ask questions and investigate issues. This provides a firsthand approach to education.
For example, you can provide your students with an existing issue that they will then try to solve. Students will need to ask questions, investigate the matter and then develop solutions.
Teachers can also boost classroom engagement by getting students out of their seats. For instance, if you’re teaching a unit on measurements, pass out some tools and let the students roam around the classroom measuring things. This method is known as kinesthetic learning or, more widely, as hands-on learning. This approach emphasizes active participation in the classroom to help with understanding.
Kinesthetic learning benefits students who learn best through hands-on activities, as it promotes direct interaction with the material rather than passive methods like listening. Hands-on activities help with learning retention in students because they provide them with something tangible to commit to memory, allowing them to pull from the experience and the feeling of the materials in their hands when they are later attempting to recall them. Additionally, incorporating physical activities into the curriculum can help students combat fatigue and stay engaged with the content being presented.5
Experiential learning can help students build connections between theory and application, and it can be a memorable way to deliver a lesson. Setting up computer stations and experimenting with a new approach can also be a good way to boost student engagement.
A popular approach that has gained traction since 2020 is blended learning. This approach incorporates technology to enhance understanding of the content being taught. Blended learning is the integration of face-to-face and e-learning experiences. Use of technology in education has caused better teaching and learning across the board in the form of images, audio, videos, web links and various other platforms.
Blended learning has proven to positively impact learning retention by increasing motivation, engagement and interest in the content. This type of learning can help students stay engaged in the material, as most have grown used to the presence of technology being a big part of their home and social lives. Providing them with learning material in a format they are familiar with will lead to better engagement and long-term retention.6,7
If you aim to become a teacher, your teaching degree will cover a range of content areas. For elementary education, teaching degrees explore teaching strategies in all subjects, while secondary education degrees focus on a specific subject area.
For example, a Bachelor of Science in Biology for Secondary Education degree will focus heavily on biology, including molecular and cellular biology.
However, you’ll also dive into topics that may facilitate better knowledge retention, such as:
You may also explore adolescent development and psychology, which can provide some insights into how students learn and how to construct an effective learning environment that both motivates students and helps them retain knowledge.
By the time you finish your classes, you should have a firm understanding of teaching theories. You’ll then be able to apply them in classroom settings during your student teaching experience.
