Teach Smarter with Your iPad: Study Techniques That Boost Student Retention

School districts have poured millions of dollars into classroom devices, yet students still zone out, skim content, and forget it before the end of class. The truth is, technology alone doesn’t transform learning.

The real difference happens when you combine proven cognitive strategies with the right digital tools. When teachers are provided the right combination of resources, that’s when things click. Students engage more meaningfully, have a deeper understanding of the lessons, and retain more of what they’ve learned.

Here are three research-backed methods you can start using today, along with iPad-ready activity ideas to bring them into your classroom.

1. SQ3R Method: Make reading active

Many students treat reading as a checklist: open the book, turn the pages, done. The problem? None of it lingers past tomorrow.

SQ3R changes that. Students Survey the text, pose Questions, Read with purpose, Recite what they’ve learned, and then Review to lock it in. Instead of glazing over, they’re interacting with the material at every step. The repetition and retrieval build stronger connections, so information actually sticks.

Classroom integration:

• Share reading assignments as PDFs in Apple Books or LiquidText. Have students skim headings, visuals, and bold terms, then write three preview questions at the top of their page before they dive in.
• Use a digital SQ3R worksheet in Goodnotes with five labeled boxes. Students can handwrite or type into each section as they move through the process.
• For Recite, have students record a quick 30–60 second voice memo explaining what they just read without notes. Afterwards, they listen back, compare to the text, and jot down what they missed.
• End with a Review step: Students write a short 3–5 bullet summary, one line per heading, to condense what matters most.

SQ3R slows down the act of reading just enough to turn pages into real learning.

2. Feynman Technique: Learn by teaching

Students think they understand a concept until they try to explain it. That’s when the cracks show.

The Feynman Technique flips the script: if you can’t teach it simply, you don’t fully get it. By breaking ideas down into everyday language and quick sketches, students reveal gaps in their knowledge. Closing those gaps is where real learning happens.

Classroom integration:

• Assign each student (or pair) a slice of the lesson. Their task is to teach it back using Keynote or Explain Everything. Limit them to three slides: definition, how it works, and one real-world example.
• Ask students to film a 60–90 second video explaining the concept as if they were posting it. Use Capcut, Edits, or iMovie to edit them. Would they scroll past their video or stop and watch? Collect them all to post in a class “study feed” that students can revisit later.
• Use Apple Freeform as a shared teaching space. Groups can build a collaborative whiteboard with diagrams, sticky notes, and arrows, then walk the class through their thinking.

The Feynman Technique isn’t about polished performances. It’s about embracing the stumbles and confusion that show what students truly know.

3. Elaborative Interrogation: Ask “why?” until it sticks

Facts are easy to memorize. And just as easy to forget.

Elaborative Interrogation slows things down by constantly asking: “Why is this true?” or “Why does this make sense here?” 

Instead of taking information at face value, students dig deeper and connect new facts to prior knowledge, real-world logic, or underlying principles.

That simple questioning forces deeper processing. If a student learns that “plants need sunlight to grow,” asking why makes them recall photosynthesis. Ask again, and they might connect it to energy transfer in ecosystems. Each layer of reasoning strengthens the web of memory, making recall much more durable than rote repetition ever could.

Classroom integration:

• Add side-column “Why?” prompts to digital handouts. Each time a student writes a fact, they add at least one “because…” statement beside it.
• Set up a Padlet or FigJam board labeled “The Why Wall.” Students post one fact from the day’s lesson, then classmates respond by stacking reasons and explanations beneath it.
• Organize peer “why rounds.” One student makes a statement, and their partner pushes with a “why?”. The pair volley back and forth until they run out of answers. Quick, fun, and revealing.

Asking “why” might seem simple, but it’s one of the fastest ways to anchor knowledge for the long term.

Bringing it together: A retention-boosting lesson flow

Each of these strategies can strengthen learning on its own. But together, they deliver something more powerful: deeper comprehension. In under an hour, students move from surface-level reading to explaining and questioning the material, sharpening understanding and revealing connections they’d otherwise miss.

Here’s how a 45–60 minute class might look:

Minute 0–5 | Preview & setup
Open with one essential question on the board to frame the day. AirDrop an SQ3R template to each iPad so students know exactly how they’ll approach the text.

Minute 5–20 | SQ3R in action
Students open the reading in Apple Books or LiquidText. They skim headings, jot preview questions, and fill in the SQ3R worksheet in Goodnotes. For Recite, each student records a quick 30–60 second voice note explaining what they just read. They finish with a 3–5 bullet summary at the bottom of the page.

Minute 20–50 | Choose your focus

• Feynman mini-teachbacks. Split students into pairs or trios and assign each group a subtopic. They create a short 2–3 slide presentation in Keynote or sketch a quick board in Freeform, then present back to the class. Explaining concepts in simple terms exposes gaps and gives classmates a fresh perspective on the content.

• Elaborative Interrogation. Bring everyone together for a “Why?” roundtable. Open a Padlet (or FigJam) titled The Why Wall. Each student posts one fact from the day’s lesson. Peers then build out reasoning chains underneath with layered “why” responses, digging as deep as possible.

Minute 50–60 | Wrap-up & reflection
End with a digital exit ticket: three whys I can answer, two whys I still need help with, and one why that connects to my life. Collect responses via Google Forms or your LMS for an instant snapshot of comprehension. 

From there, you can use the exit tickets to guide tomorrow’s warm-ups, turn the strongest “why” responses into a ready-made study guide, and circle back later with spaced retrieval activities like flashcards or a short quiz.

By the end of the period, students haven’t just read the material, they’ve either explained it in their own words or delved deeper with “why” questions. Both routes reinforce the lesson from multiple angles and keep knowledge alive well past the test.

Tools & apps to support these methods

The strategies are solid on their own, but the iPad makes them easier to run, track, and revisit. With the right mix of apps, you can move from static lessons to interactive sessions that keep students engaged.

Here are some picks that pair especially well with SQ3R, Feynman, and Elaborative Interrogation:

And because so much of this depends on annotation and sketching, many teachers find that the Paperlike™ Screen Protector makes work smoother. That bit of friction between the Apple Pencil and screen makes handwriting feel natural and keeps diagrams from sliding into scribbles.

Bottom line? You don’t need dozens of apps. Choose a few essential apps, create an intuitive writing setup, and your iPad becomes a powerful learning tool that makes your teaching more effective, not more complicated.

Teaching that sticks

When you incorporate strategies like SQ3R, the Feynman Technique, and Elaborative Interrogation into your lessons, you give students more than just content. You give them tools to engage deeply, remember longer, and connect ideas in meaningful ways. The result? More engaged classrooms, stronger retention, and lessons that feel alive instead of routine.

If you’d like to explore even more evidence-based methods, take our quick quiz below to discover which study strategy might have the biggest impact in your teaching. From there, download your free copy of 10 Ways to Study: A Paperlike Guide to Learning Anything. It’s packed with ten proven techniques, plus iPad workflows you can adapt directly into your classroom.

Because great teaching isn’t about cramming more in, it’s about creating learning experiences that last.