Spacing boosts learning by spreading retrieval opportunities out over time so learning is not crammed all at once. With spacing, students’ knowledge has had time to rest and be refreshed. Forgetting is good for learning.
Here are two no-prep strategies you can use in your classroom that engage students in "crowdsourcing" learning via retrieval practice. Also, registration is now available for two workshops with the authors of Powerful Teaching this summer!
Download our free Spacing Guide to improve students' long-term learning! Written by cognitive scientists, take a moment and download our free Spacing Guide, full of practical spacing strategies – and the research to back it up.
Did you read about our end-of-semester activity from last week, Flash Forward? This week, we have two strategies to add onto Flash Forward – by readers like you!
In this retrieval activity called Flash Forward, ask your students: “What do you want to remember 10 years from now?”. This is a critical question – one that you and your students need to ponder.
How can we help students build connections beyond the classroom? It can be hard. Really hard. Don't despair! This week, we feature Connection Notebooks, a quick evidence-based strategy by teaching expert and collaborator James M. Lang. They're the perfect opportunity to boost students' transfer of knowledge and extend learning from the classroom to the world beyond.
Are cumulative exams the same thing as spacing or interleaving? Actually, not quite. Cumulative exams can be beneficial for learning. But there are also some subtle ways we can take cumulative exams to the next level – by ensuring that we (and our students) are using spacing and interleaving throughout the semester, not just before the exam.
So far, we've focused on retrieval practice – improving learning by bringing information to mind. But when and how often? Is more retrieval practice better than less? This week, we feature research on successive relearning. In a nutshell, successful relearning is a combination of engaging in retrieval practice multiple times, while also spacing those retrievals out over time.
What is the optimal timing for retrieval practice? The answer—from the world’s expert on spaced retrieval practice, Dr. Shana Carpenter—may surprise you. Learn about spacing (aka spaced repetition), Dr. Carpenter’s research, and how to incorporate spacing in your teaching.