Definition
Encoding strategies are the techniques learners use to give new material meaning at the moment of study: connecting it to prior knowledge, imagery, emotion, or action.
Why it matters
How you encode determines what you will later be able to retrieve; shallow encoding (rote reading) yields shallow memory, deep encoding yields durable, flexible memory.
Scientific basis
Levels-of-processing research shows that semantic, associative, and generative encoding produce stronger and more durable traces than perceptual encoding.
How to apply it
- Rephrase new material in your own words before moving on.
- Connect each new idea to at least one thing you already know.
- Generate examples from your own life that illustrate the new concept.
Common mistakes
- Re-reading the same sentences multiple times instead of re-encoding.
- Highlighting and underlining without actively elaborating.
- Treating passive note-taking as encoding, when notes are only useful if reviewed and reworked.
Examples
- Instead of reading that 'conduction is heat transfer through solids,' think of holding a hot mug.
- When meeting a new word, picture the object and create a small story about it.
Related concepts
- Elaboration (is an instance of)
Elaboration is the canonical deep encoding strategy. - Mnemonics and the Memory Palace (complements)
Mnemonics add imagery and spatial hooks on top of deep semantic encoding. - Dual Coding (complements)
Pairing words with images is an encoding strategy that uses two channels.
Where it shows up
Domains: student-learning, language-learning, professional-skills. Appears in the Memory & Encoding cluster alongside 5 other concepts.
Source books
- Make It Stick: Brown, Roediger & McDaniel
- Learning How to Learn: Barbara Oakley
Articles that use this concept (5)
- Why Highlighting Your Textbook Doesn't Work: highlighting study technique
- Speed Reading Is Mostly a Myth: speed reading myth
- Five Encoding Strategies That Make Material Stick: encoding strategies
- Express the Same Idea Three Ways: deep processing for beginners
- The Two-Pass Reading Method: two pass reading