Active Recall

An article in this week's Chronicle of Higher Education states that the old study method of "Active Recall" may actually be the best method of getting information to stick in a student's mind.

After years of neglect, this method is being touted by two significant Psychology journals, namely Psychological Science and Contemporary Educational Psychology, and it seems that "Put the book aside and hide your notes. Then recall everything you can. Write it down, or, if you're uninhibited, say it out loud" may be the best way to effectively remember the information being studied.

The more popular method of "Read carefully, Write down unfamiliar terms and look up their meanings. Make an outline. Reread each chapter" is criticised as creating a false confidence about the amount of information retained.

For those involved in ministry this poses the challenge of how do we get our people to retain the information that we teach them, or encourage them to study on their own? If we seek to be effective teachers, then we cannot ignore this question - if people do not remember what we are teaching them, then what use is our teaching them?

There are those in our congregations who have never experienced much formal education and, it seems to me, there is a duty to teach them how to learn and how to study. There are those who have had many years of education and we must be careful to continue to help them learn and study in the most effective manner. If we want our congregations to be truly Berean, then we must give them the tools, or sharpen the tools, to get to grips with the Scriptures, mine them and hold fast on to the great treasure which is contained within them.

Knowing how to study for our University classes is important, but studying the great truths of Scripture is vastly greater - let us use all means possible to encourage our congregations to use their minds and get to grips with the Word, and treasure that Word in their hearts.