Elaboration: a simple learning technique to better understand and retain new information

It is very common to go to class, struggle to pay attention through a lecture, be dismissed and immediately forget about 90% of the material. We don’t pay much attention to the information until we need it again later. Usually for a test.

Information just seems to leave us faster than it comes in.

This can be very frustrating in academic scenarios like college where missing even a tiny bit of information can completely throw you off and cost you the entire course.

Thankfully, things do not have to be like this. There are many methods of study and techniques that you can apply to stop feeling like you can’t remember or learn anything.

Classrooms are normally uninviting places. You are crammed with a bunch of other people in a small space. There always seems to be a funny smell… Anyways… classrooms are just not the place most people want to spend their time in.

This is exactly why many people seem to run out the classroom immediately after being dismissed. Not giving the information much though for the rest of their day. The thing is, one of the best study/learning techniques out there can be applied in that particular moment, just after class ends.

Once you are dismissed from class, rather than just hastily exit the room, take a moment to think about the materials you were just taught. I do not mean reread your notes and call it a day though. No, before reviewing, elaborate.

Elaboration is a simple process. To begin, simply try to explain the information in your own words from memory by writing a couple of paragraphs on it.

-“But I hate writing!!” or “I suck at writing…” might be some of the thoughts that crossed your mind just now. That’s irrelevant.

The point of this exercise is not how well you write, but how you are able to take the new information and relate it to something different that you already know. Explaining in your own words does several things to aid your understanding and retention.

Elaborating helps you connect the new material to something else that you already have mastered. This makes it easier to remember because it increases the number of connections your brain has around the material. Your understanding also goes up because of these connections.

Let’s take a simple physics lecture to illustrate an example

“Physics is usually introduced to us through movement.

Physics seeks to precisely describe the movement of objects. Not just simply object A got to point B, but also describe the forces that caused the movement, consequences of the movement, the relation to the object to its environment as it moves, and so much more.

To start, you discuss one-dimensional motion. Starting with vectors and scalars.

A vector has magnitude and direction. Like a box moving 5 meters to the right. This is known as displacement.

A scalar only has direction. Like a box moving 5 meters. This is distance

This differentiation might seem trivial, seeing as the only difference is that one says, “to the right” and the other one doesn’t. This difference will be important later on as everything gets more complex. For example, in everyday life people use speed and velocity interchangeably (they probably don’t even use velocity period).

In physics though, there is a clear distinction between speed and velocity. Speed is scalar, it only has magnitude, not direction. Like moving at 50 m/s. On the other hand, Velocity is a vector. It has magnitude and direction. Like moving 50 m/s to north.”

This is a very simple introductory physics lecture. It should be enough to illustrate this point.

Hopefully, during any sort of class or lecture, you take notes. When engaging in this exercise, it is very important that you do not use the notes until after you have attempted to explain in your own words. Write as much as you can from memory.

It does not matter how bad you think you are doing, what is important is that you do it.

Once you have finished writing, it is crucial that you seek corrective feedback to ensure that you where able to correctly elaborate on the material.

For example, given the example lecture, I might write something like this:

“A big part of physics is about describing the movement of specific objects. The most basic blocks of movement are vectors and scalars.

Vectors have a size (magnitude) and direction. Like an arrow. Which has a certain length and points in a specific direction.

Scalars only have a size. Like a line which is only a certain length but doesn’t really point anywhere specific.

This differentiation is important because when you want to describe movement you want to know where an object was and how fast it moved.

Speed is a scalar it only has a size. Like 30 mph. This movement is known as distance.

Velocity on the other hand has both direction and size. Like going 30 mph north. This movement is known as displacement. (an arrow points from this place to the other)”

Again, really simple, but you can see how I changed the material to make it my own without losing the meaning. This is a lot easier for me to remember and understand.

Let me make one thing clear though. Elaboration is challenging and will not just simply happen.

The first few times you attempt elaboration you will feel awkward. You will find yourself struggling to even remember what exactly the material you learnt in the lecture was. Even though you will be tempted to consult your notes, do not.

The challenge of remembering and then, from memory, writing about the topic, and expanding on it by relating it to something you already know is a big part of where the benefit of this technique lies.

Do not be discouraged if after you finish writing your paragraphs you discover you forgot certain parts. This is normal, and not consulting your notes until you are done with the exercise will lead to better learning, even on the specific areas you did not recall during the elaboration.

Another point on elaboration. You do not have to stop at only one time. As you learn more about the subject you are studying, you might make new connections which make it easier to understand previous materials.

Continue to elaborate on everything you learn to ensure you are getting the benefits of this exercise. Also, when you go back and review past chapters of your class to freshen up on them, it does not hurt to try elaborating on them with the new knowledge you have now.

Better understanding of the information through elaboration leads to better retention and ease of retrieval. When you understand something well, it is simply easier to apply.

Elaboration is simply one of many methods for more effective studying and subsequently better learning.

The good thing about this specific technique is that you can apply it immediately to something you are struggling with right now. Remember to always relate the material to something you already know well.