Have you ever read a page very carefully, and then realized that you had already forgotten everything before you got to the end of the text? If so, you are not alone! Many Dutch people experience this phenomenon every day. And unsurprisingly, research has shown that the best-known study technique – using a paper and manual – is by no means the best.
Audiovisual learning and practicing has proven to be much more effective for comprehension and the retention of information.
Audiovisual learning and practicing ensures better retention
Did you know that you only remember 20 percent of what you read or watch? Quite a depressing statistic, isn’t it? Though you would imagine that this percentage improves when considering learning via audio. Sadly, pure audio, i.e., just listening to information, is not that effective either. Solely audio learning yields a mere 10% improvement versus merely visual learning.
The percentage of retained information only starts to become impressive when you consider combining ways of interpreting information. If we learn something through an audio & visual aid simultaneously, we end up remembering approximately fifty percent of everything.
However, if you add practice to the mix, retention is better still. If learners immediately practice using the new information that they have been exposed audiovisually, they will remember about 80% of it. Without a doubt, audiovisual learning followed by practice is by far the best way to remember things. Most qualified teachers and trainers across the world agree.
Why is audiovisual learning so effective?
It is more interesting
Audiovisual learning is more interesting and engaging than simply listening to or reading something. If something is boring, understandably, the learner won’t remember much.
Most people prefer, for example, to watch a movie than to read the book or listen to the audiobook version. A movie transmits the data to the viewer audiovisually. If a learning video with sound is fun as well as informative, it will beat any book or or podcast easily. Our concentration span is considerably longer if we learn with audiovisual learning materials.
Practice stores data into our long-term memory
After watching and listening to a videos, learners rembember more data and for much longer if they practice what they learned. When we can see the practical relevance of something, it means more to us, so we are more likely to store it in our long-term memory.
Students, teachers, and trainers should never fall into the trap of believing that if a text is written in easy-to-understand language, the learner will absorb the data and remember it. This might happen with some people, but not with most. It is most definitely the least effective way to learn and remember something compared to audio, audiovisual, or audiovisual plus practice.
Do you get score higher through audiovisual learning + practice?
Paul Bongenaars, from VCA course provider ‘Construction Media’, says the following:
“All our courses, both online and in class, are 100% audiovisual. We are the only provider that does this and have resolutely chosen this route. No less than 93% of the people who take a VCA exam after our courses pass. This is an unprecedented success rate!”.
So, if you have plans to learn something new from either a textbook or a podcast, you should seriously consider trying to learn it audiovisually if possible.
Hopefully, after reading this article, you now understand why audiovisual learning plus practice is the best way to understand and remember new information.
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Interesting related article: “What is Training?“