Verbal Repetition

Overview

Having students verbally repeat information such as instructions ensures they have heard the information and supports remembering. With verbal repetition, learners can personalize, interact with, and use their own words to explain the information, activating multiple brain pathways to show understanding and help move knowledge from Short- to Long-term Memory.

Use It in the Classroom

Learn how these elementary teachers use the turn-and-talk technique in different contexts to check for understanding. The video shows snippets of turn-and-talks, which allow students to verbalize their thinking, from different classrooms.

The turn-and-talk discussion technique is one potential way for students to engage in verbal repetition. Students have the opportunity to verbally explain to a partner what they heard and understand, promoting deeper listening and Auditory Processing. Teachers can use this time to check for understanding and clarify any points of confusion.

Design It into Your Product

Videos are chosen as examples of strategies in action. These choices are not endorsements of the products or evidence of use of research to develop the feature.

Starting at 1:06, watch how Imagine Learning, a language and literacy program, uses verbal repetition in its "fluent reader" feature to record students reading aloud and allows teachers to listen to their reading.

Developers can design tasks to encourage verbal repetition, such as learners recording themselves speaking new words, which can be especially useful for learning sounds and building Phonological Processing and Morphological Knowledge.

View References

Resources

Below are additional examples, research, and professional development. These resources are possible representations of this strategy, not endorsements.

Cognition & Memory

Topic that includes cognitive science theories about how the brain processes information on Digital Promise's Research Map

Oral Storytelling

How to bring repetition in with live storytelling activities

Prospective Memory

Subtopic that includes research on the different ways the brain creates prospective memories on Digital Promise's Research Map

Repeat the Directions

Goalbook strategy description with implementation tips and examples

Repeating Aloud Boosts Recall

Summary of studies that show how verbal repetition boosts better memory

Strategies for Better Listening

Edutopia article to promote active listening, including through verbal repetition