For lifelong learning, the learning strategy is crucial! A study among students shows with which strategy sustainable learning really succeeds. But can this learning strategy also be transferred to adults?
What actually are learning strategies?
Simply put, one could say: A learning strategy is everything you do to remember new knowledge as effectively as possible. Every person has such individual learning strategies, whether a child or an adult. The right learning strategies are the basis for lifelong learning, from kindergarten to professional further education.
Which learning strategy really works?
A study on students showed twenty years ago: Certain learning strategies can greatly improve learning success! A distinction was made in this study between two important learning strategies:
Surface strategies are what is classically recommended by parents and teachers: "Read the text a few times, highlight the most important parts with a highlighter, and just memorize it!" – Who doesn't know that?
Deep strategies aim to find connections in the learning content and transfer them to other areas. This includes, among other things, reproducing the content in one's own words or putting it into another form, for example drawing a sketch of the content of a text.
Result of the student study: Deep strategies achieve higher learning success!
When reading texts, the choice of learning strategy has a strong influence on learning success: Students who naturally use more deep strategies can remember significantly more content from the text. Furthermore, these students can integrate the new knowledge better into their previous level of knowledge than students with superficial learning strategies.
The graphic shows the success of both learning strategies in different content areas from the text that the students worked on.
Result of the study: Students with many deep strategies learn more and better than students with superficial learning strategies.
The right learning strategy for adults?
So students learn better with deep strategies. But can this also be transferred to adult learning?
I think: Of course! Learning is a lifelong process and we apply such learning strategies not only in school but also in adulthood.
In professional adult education, as a trainer or coach, you have diverse opportunities to support deep learning strategies for adults:
Target and build upon the knowledge that your participants already have from their daily work routine and that they need every day.
Offer your participants various types of content instead of just text and images: For example, stimulate them with videos and practical exercises to integrate new knowledge into their professional context.
Motivate your participants to create sketches or mind maps to trigger connections between different topics.
…and so on!
Conclusion: Deep strategies make learning sustainably effective
💡 Adults do not fundamentally learn differently from children, but sustainable learning occurs at any age when content is actively processed, linked, and integrated into one's own context of experience.
The distinction between surface and deep strategies clearly shows: Mere repetition or memorization is rarely enough to secure knowledge in the long term. The decisive factor is whether learners recognize connections, put content into their own words, and combine new knowledge with existing experiences.
Especially in professional further education, there is enormous potential here. Adults already bring extensive practical experience with them. When training sessions target and build upon this and encourage active engagement, real growth in competence occurs instead of short-term factual knowledge.
For trainers, coaches, and those responsible for further education, this means: Successful learning depends less on the age of the participants than on the chosen learning strategy. Those who promote deep strategies lay the foundation for sustainable development and lived lifelong learning.
Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
What are learning strategies?
Learning strategies are methods by which people absorb, process, and permanently retain new information. They significantly influence learning success.
What is the difference between surface and deep strategies?
Surface strategies rely primarily on repetition and memorization. Deep strategies promote understanding, linking, and applying new content.
Do adults learn differently than children?
Adults bring more prior knowledge and practical experience. However, sustainable learning occurs at any age through the active processing and linking of new content.
How can deep strategies be promoted in further education?
Practical examples, reflection tasks, mind maps, discussions, and connecting new content with existing experiences support deep learning.
Why are deep strategies important for companies?
They help employees retain knowledge in the long term and apply it confidently in their daily work. This increases the sustainable benefit of further training measures.
