Videotape students before class to establish a baseline of the information they already know about a subject. This assessment helps you gather information on what needs to be discussed and helps the student get an idea of what types of questions he should be knowledgeable about. Give each student five minutes to summarize the highlights of a subject. Students in a history class might be asked to explain the events leading up to World War II. After the lesson, videotape each student giving a presentation on the subject. Review each video with the class and constructively discuss the presentations.
Students should create mnemonic devices to remember lists or groups of items. A memory device used in music to summon note names is "Each Good Bus Delivers Fine." The first letter of each word in the phrase spells the names of the notes on the lines of the treble clef. In science, the phrase, "Roy G. Biv" is used to remember the colors of the rainbow from darkest to lightest. Help students create mnemonic devices when they have to remember several ordered details about a subject.
At the end of a lesson unit, try to secure a guest speaker to come in and speak to the class. In the absence of a guest speaker, you can create a combined lesson with one of the other teachers in the school. Changing up the daily routine can add a fresh element to the classroom providing students with new material to help learn the subject. Learning through subject integration helps give the students additional context for remembering lessons.
Use several methods of learning to help children remember. Some students learn better with a visual approach, others learn through auditory means, and still others need kinetic and tactile approaches. Don't teach material in just one way. If you have a lesson about the rotation of the Earth around the sun, show students pictures, explain the concept and have one child stand in the center to act as the sun while another child turns in a circle to represent the Earth's rotation. Visual learners should take notes, auditory learners should read aloud, and kinetic learners should have have hands-on experience.