There are two things we recommend people do in order to guarantee better retention of their daily language lessons: The first is to use it in real speaking practice; the second is to summarize it in their own words on some form of recording medium (like a notebook or a journaling software).
Both of these things can help affix the lessons to memory much better than simply sitting down and taking in a lecture, as they promote a more active approach to language learning. Try them for a week or two, then compare your results.
Speaking Practice
If you can go out and use today’s lessons in a real interaction, then do so. In case such an opportunity isn’t available, however, including it in a monologue or a pretend conversation with your language buddy should also make do. Either way, you’re applying the lesson in your use of the language — a critical step to promoting better retention.
Summarizing
When you write down the lesson in your own words, you’re both recalling it and interpreting it — two mental activities you normally don’t engage in when you sit down to listen to your language learning trainers. Doing so makes your relationship with the lesson more active and, in all likelihood, more likely to stick.
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