multiple encodings are stronger since they end up fusing into not just more robust and general representations, but also more well connected.
i forgot which neuroscience textbook it was that I read all this from from, but Dr. Barbara Oakley talks about this in her course too so anyone can look through there for more details and sources.
> desirable difficulty
Well regarded in anki, music practice, and most problem solving books (Polya's "How To Solve It"). I think some neuroscience texts also try to formalize it but I don't know enough there to point to a more concrete abstraction of the phenomenon.
> As you re-read the explanation
I suggest something even better. Try to do the explanation yourself from free recall, and when you fail, then re-read and note exactly where and why you failed. This is a mid-level efficiency technique (I forgot the source) compared to free call, active testing, and spaced repetition, but definitely better than plain re-reading.