Reinforcement facts
This is how they work
Core facts place the first fragile nodes in a new area of knowledge.
If nothing connects to them quickly, the mind treats them as unimportant and lets them fade.
Reinforcement facts are the first stabilising step.
They connect a new core fact to a closely related second fact while the core is still alive.
That short edge tells the brain “this matters; keep it.”
Reinforcement often adds a small twist—scale, direction, or a concrete detail—so the pair feels richer than a repeat.
A simple example
- Core fact: The Nile is a river in Africa.
- Reinforcement fact: The Nile flows through 11 African countries, from Lake Victoria in the south all the way to Egypt in the north.
Why it helps: the reinforcement adds scale and direction, turning a label on a map into a continent-spanning story.
Two linked facts are far harder to forget than either fact on its own.
Animation 1: Reinforcement at the right time
When reinforcement arrives before the core fact fades, the connection forms and the node stabilises.
Animation 2: Reinforcement too late
If reinforcement comes after the core fact has vanished, there’s nothing to attach to.
The brain treats it as another isolated fact and lets it fade.
Why this matters (for parents and teachers)
Reinforcement isn’t “more revision.” It’s timed connection-building.
- If you connect facts while the first one still exists, a schema begins to form.
- If you connect months later, the first node is gone—so the “connection” never happens.
This is why so many people experience “we covered this last term, you act as this is entirely new to you.”
The child isn’t broken, and the teacher isn’t failing; the timing of the syllabus is.
A content-heavy syllabus pushes on with new topics, and often links after forgetting has already done its job.
The Hundred flips the order.
We are schema builders first. Reinforcement facts are the first edge that keeps fragile knowledge alive long enough
for the next steps (Enrichment, Anchor, Critical Thinking) to lock it in.
Result: instead of “nothing sticks,” learners feel, “I remember this—and it connects.”
Quick design notes (how we use reinforcement)
- Close in meaning: almost the same idea from a new angle (scale, direction, concrete detail).
- Short delay: delivered soon after the core fact, before it evaporates.
- Clear edge: phrased to make the link obvious, not cryptic.