Want to promote learning? Promote talking.

"I often don't know what I really know or think until I hear myself in conversation with interested and positively-focused folks." -- David Allen

David Allen (of Getting Things Done fame -- a book I recommend) has hit upon an important truth about how many people learn.

Most learners will remember a small fraction of what they heard. But they will remember virtually everything they said. Speaking reinforces and sharpens fuzzy thoughts. I'm sure you know some people who rattle on, and they may even say they're "thinking out loud." This is all good news for learning.

So as you are preparing lessons, engineer opportunities for your students to speak. Challenge them to paraphrase a passage, summarize a point, or give two reasons why they like this passage. Their retention and understanding will skyrocket.

Are there exceptions to this pattern? Certainly. But they're relatively few people who learn better without their voice being engaged.

P.S. By the way, as I discuss in my book, Teach the Bible to Change Lives, speaking out loud promotes greater understanding of Scripture. That's why I recommend reading the Bible aloud as you study it -- you'll engage more of your brain, and you're much more likely to comprehend it.