[phakding]

When I want to make sure my kids understand what they read, I stop after a page and ask couple of questions. Questions that can't be answered directly by reading the text, but by understanding. You can try this in yourself.

For retention, the more times you recall the same information, the more it is ingrained in your brain. Recalling literally builds neural pathways.

http://www.human-memory.net/processes_recall.html