The Power of Reteaching: How Revisiting Material Builds Stronger Understanding in 2-6 Year Olds
As educators, we all know that repetition and practice play an essential role in the learning process. However, when it comes to teaching young children, it’s not just enough to repeat the same material over and over again. Retelling stories, revisiting concepts, and reviewing skills are equally important for building stronger understanding and knowledge retention. In this article, we’ll explore the power of reteaching and how it can benefit 2-6-year-olds’ learning.
The Benefits of Reteaching
Revisiting material has several benefits for young children. First, it reinforces previous learning and helps children retain information better. When young children can recall information without any prompts, they feel more confident and motivated to learn further.
Second, reteaching helps children better understand a concept or skill. Children may have trouble comprehending a concept the first time around, and by revisiting it, they get a chance to think about it more deeply, ask questions, and explore its various aspects.
Third, reteaching can help children connect the dots between different concepts or topics. Often, young children learn new skills or concepts in isolation, and they struggle to see how these skills and concepts fit together. By revisiting previously learned material, children can make connections and understand how these concepts relate to one another.
When to Reteach?
Knowing when to reteach is as important as what to reteach. Here are some scenarios where reteaching is particularly useful:
1. When children haven’t understood a concept or skill
2. When children haven’t retained the information
3. When children are struggling to apply learned skills or concepts in different contexts
4. When children are not making progress despite repeated instruction
How to Reteach?
Reteaching doesn’t mean repeating the same material word for word. Instead, it involves revisiting concepts or skills in a new context or format that helps children see the material in a different light. Here are some strategies that can help with effective reteaching:
1. Story Retelling: Ask children to retell a story they have heard or read. This can help them cement the story’s plot and characters in their minds while practicing their language and storytelling skills.
2. Vocabulary Games: Play games that involve recalling and using previously learned vocabulary. This can include word match or memory games that involve matching words to their meanings or pictures.
3. Seatwork: Give children independent seatwork that revisits previously learned skills such as number sense or phonics. This can include worksheets, games, puzzles, and other activities that require children to apply their knowledge in new ways.
Conclusion
In conclusion, reteaching is an essential strategy that can help young children build stronger understanding and retention of material. By revisiting previously learned concepts, children can reinforce their knowledge, deepen their understanding, and connect different ideas. As educators, we need to be mindful of when and how we reteach, choosing strategies that are engaging, effective, and promote learning. By harnessing the power of reteaching, we can help young children develop into knowledgeable and confident learners.
