Two cognitive scientists you need to know

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Two cognitive scientists you need to know

For our readers, Roediger and Karpicke are (or soon will be) household names – they are leaders in research on retrieval practice and they have published many of the highest cited articles on how humans learn and remember information. Learn more about who they are, the boom of interest in retrieval practice in the past 10 years (due, in large part, to them), and how to access their valuable research.

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But what about multiple-choice questions?

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But what about multiple-choice questions?

When we talk about retrieval practice, here's one question that frequently pops up: Does retrieval practice with multiple-choice questions boost learning? Here's the quick answer, based on cognitive science research: Yes! Read on for research, recommendations, and this week's multiple-choice retrieval practice.

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How can we reduce student anxiety?

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How can we reduce student anxiety?

Retrieval is great. But how do I get my students on board? We know that retrieval practice is a learning strategy, not an assessment strategy, but our students may feel otherwise. How can we "package" retrieval practice for our students? How can we flip retrieval practice from a negative to a positive? This week, we share research and our recommendations on reducing students' anxiety.

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Push beyond "one and done"

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Push beyond "one and done"

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.

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