Maybe it’s just me, but I think teachers are pretty good at making things more difficult than they need to be. Take spaced practice and retrieval practice, for example, which are two of the most researched and effective learning strategies any teacher can employ in their classroom to positively impact student outcomes. While I appreciate being really granular about the research surrounding these topics and more, the most important thing we can do is just employ them in the classroom. Can you look at research studies varying spacing from five minutes to five months? Yes. Can you look at research varying the types of questions asked for retrieval? Absolutely. But when we start focusing and worrying too much on the details, we sometimes get in the way of ourselves. Doing something is almost always better than doing nothing…at least when it comes to retrieval and spacing.
So, I want to provide a simple way I am planning on using both of these strategies in my classroom daily for the next unit of study I teach. It’s simple. It’s powerful for learning. It stimulates discussion. It gradually becomes an instrument of study for students that can be used when preparing for a summative assessment on the unit topic (psychological disorders and treatment). And it is so easily modified for all classrooms at all levels.
First, here’s a little bit about my classroom and my students: I teach AP Psychology in high school. I have 90 minutes per class and I see my students every day for lessons. I know not everyone teaches at the high school and not everyone has 90 that amount of time with their students and some only see their students every other day. That doesn’t preclude this from being beneficial for your students. You’ve just gotta do what teachers do really well…adapt and modify.
So, the prep before the unit starts is pretty minimal. I will look at the unit test and note topics and concepts that are asked. My tests are already aligned with the AP exam topics and terminology, so if I daily ask students about the topics on the unit test as formative assessment, I am also asking students about possible content on the AP exam I am also preparing them for in May. So, noting the topics on the unit summative assessment, I find three different concepts or terms.
On day one, I prepare three questions; two either multiple choice or fill in the blank questions and one short answer question. I will task my classes with answering these three questions from the first lesson of this unit before we even begin the first lesson. It may seem somewhat odd to ask students questions about a topic we haven’t covered, but there is growing evidence that pretesting has beneficial effects on student learning. It creates a kind of target for the brain during the lesson and gives them a particular focus during class.
After students attempt the questions and a brief explanation of the answers, the lesson will commence and students know that at some point during the lesson, the questions asked at the beginning of class will be answered. It can be kind of a fun treasure hunt of sorts for them to listen and find the answers during the lesson. When the lesson is over, they will put up their notes or any other external aids, and they will again attempt to answer the three questions that were asked at the beginning of class. The idea here is for students to experience the feeling of performing better after the lesson and understanding that because of their attention and focus during class, they now have knowledge they didn’t previously have. They don’t always understand that, so I’ve found that a little conversation about this goes a long way.
The next day (day two), instead of just answering three questions at the beginning of class, they will now answer six; the same three from the previous day (so now they’ve attempted to answer those questions three times) and three new questions from today’s lesson.
Hopefully, students see that they remember the answers from the previous day. If they don’t, it can be quite fruitful to point out that just because we may know something one day, that doesn’t mean it’s in our long-term memory forever. Memory decay is a real thing and the best way to combat this is to revisit the material again…which is what we’re doing in class now.
At the end of day two, depending on how much time we have, I may have them answer just that day’s three questions again or I may have them attempt all six again. And if they balk at answering the same questions over and over again, I just point out that this is just proper studying…none of that rereading notes or simply highlighting key terms to study at home, which elicits very little cognitive effort. Attempting to answer questions is a much more effective method for studying and remembering. More effort equals better results.
On day three, I drop the three questions from day one and students attempt the three questions from day two (spacing out that retrieval) and then pretest them on the questions for day three…and this pattern continues for the entirety of the unit.
Now, the real magic in this is that they are seeing the very concepts and terms they will be tested on during the unit summative assessment several times before they even consider studying for that test. And, when it is time to study and they wonder what they should look at for review…they’ve already got three questions from every lesson to use. It’s really cool when the light seems to click on and students realize they’ve been studying for the test the whole time and spacing out their studying very easily and with little planning on their part. It is so vital to model what spaced practice looks like to students. Cramming is the norm and is so much less effective than spaced practice.
And that’s it. While my written explanation may be somewhat wordy and confusing (sorry), the actual implementation of this spaced retrieval practice is so easy. Students will eventually walk into class knowing exactly what to expect and when they see the benefits on the summative assessment in the form of a better grade, they will probably be motivated to continue using similar strategies. We can talk about how to study properly all day long, but I don’t think anything is as powerful as actually showing them in class so they can see the results.
So, now some questions for you:
How do you use similar strategies in your classroom?
How would you modify this for your students and your classroom?
What am I leaving out? What are some other benefits of spaced retrieval practice?
If you’d like more information on topics of memory, attention, and learning strategies to create a more effective classroom…boy do I have the book for you. Okay, so I’m a little biased because I wrote it. : ) It’s called Do I Have Your Attention? Understanding Memory Constraints and Maximizing Learning. If you access this link, you can find more information on the book, endorsements from Dr. John Hattie, Dr. John Sweller, Dr. Dan Willingham, and more, and methods to order in both the US and UK.
I have also presented at many conferences and to many faculties on these topics. If you are interested in collaborating, don’t hesitate to reach out. You can find me on Twitter, Bluesky, or feel free to contact me through my website.
Feature image by Pavel Danilyuk: https://www.pexels.com/photo/student-sitting-at-her-desk-8423101/
I love simple these simple and replicable ways to help students with retrieval and spaced out practice. These go across grades, subjects and units.
Your book has inspired my teaching this summer. It will continue doing so in semesters to come. Thank you!