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Expanding Retrieval Practice for Preschoolers

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Expanding Retrieval Practice for Preschoolers

By Megan Sumeracki

Today’s post features a set of experiments conducted by Catherine Fritz and colleagues (1) with preschool children. We have actually cited this paper a few times on our blog, when we covered why the spacing effect has failed to make it into mainstream practice (Part 1, Part 2), and when I wrote about whether retrieval practice is likely to help all of our students learn (see here). However, we have yet to write in detail about the design and results of the experiments in this paper, and we know there is interest in understanding how the most effective learning strategies may work for different types of learners.

Compared to older children, preschool children are easily distracted, are poor at predicting how much they will remember, and tend to forget things quickly (1). Preschool children also do not tend to attempt to adopt effective learning strategies on their own. Given all of this, it is important to understand whether relatively simple strategies, like spacing and retrieval practice, can be implemented in preschool classrooms to help preschool children retain more of what they are learning in school.

Interestingly, the four of us Learning Scientists have observed that when speaking to preschool-aged children, adults often tend to implement retrieval practice naturally (even if they are not intentionally using the strategy). When talking with very young kids, we often say things like “what color is this?” or “what does the cow say?”. Given that, at least anecdotally, many are already doing this with preschool-aged children, it is useful to know whether this truly helps them learn and remember, like it does for older kids. If so, then teachers and parents can use spaced retrieval even more with preschool-aged children.

The goal of this set of experiments was to investigate whether spaced retrieval practice with preschool children would help them learn. Specifically, the authors tested expanding retrieval practice, where the first retrieval attempts are closely spaced, and the amount of space between subsequent retrieval attempts gets larger (i.e., the spacing expands).

Experiment 1: Design and Procedure

Mystery Money

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Mystery Money

Use your imagination to write the opening of a short story or poem inspired by this photo — or, tell us about a memory from your own life that this image makes you think of.

Post it in the comments, then read the related article to learn the real story.

Want more Picture Prompts? Find them all in this column.

Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.

Word of the Day: pro bono

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Word of the Day: pro bono

The term pro bono has appeared in 68 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on Dec. 15 in “For This Theater Leader, a Mission That Goes Beyond the Stage” by Bob Morris:

… After his first community theater production, which, he said, sold out its 500 seats for several nights to racially diverse audiences, he directed three more shows for the Players. Then he said he was told that the diversity funding the company had been receiving had ended. So, the company said goodbye.

He recalled wondering, “What am I going to do with all these actors I brought into the theater?”

With a nudge from several of his early supporters, he decided to incorporate. A lawyer did the paper work pro bono. But without a permanent home (an old white van served as a storage unit, a dressing room and more) and even with positive reviews for his shows (performed at churches and community centers), the pressure was overbearing, as was the debt.

Can you correctly use the term pro bono in a sentence?

Based on the definition and example provided, write a sentence using today’s Word of the Day and share it as a comment on this article. It is most important that your sentence makes sense and demonstrates that you understand the word’s definition, but we also encourage you to be creative and have fun.

Then, read some of the other sentences students have submitted and use the “Recommend” button to vote for two original sentences that stand out to you.

If you want a better idea of how pro bono can be used in a sentence, read these usage examples on Vocabulary.com.

If you enjoy this daily challenge, try one of our monthly vocabulary challenges.

Students ages 13 and older in the United States and the United Kingdom, and 16 and older elsewhere, can comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff.

Is Taking the SAT a Necessary Step in Preparing for Post-High School Life?

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Is Taking the SAT a Necessary Step in Preparing for Post-High School Life?

What do you know or what have you heard about the SAT? Have you taken the test, or will you take it someday?

How do you feel about standardized tests in general? How well do you think the scores reflect what you or other students have learned and the skills you have? What have been your experiences in taking tests like the SAT, ACT, PSAT or tests administered by your state that all students have to take at certain grade levels?

In “Put Down Your No. 2 Pencils. Forever,” Stephanie Saul writes about changes to the SAT that are on the horizon and shifts in the role this test has played in college admissions over the past several years:

The SAT will soon be taken exclusively on a computer, the College Board announced on Tuesday, ending an era in which high schoolers have had to make sure their No. 2 pencils were sharpened and their answer bubbles were completely filled in.

The exam, which students will complete on laptops or tablets at testing centers, will also be shortened from three hours to two hours. The changes will begin in 2024 in the United States and in 2023 in other countries.

The College Board is trying to retool the exam that has stressed out millions of students in the face of questions about whether college admissions tests are fair, or even necessary.

A growing number of colleges have eliminated the requirement that applicants submit scores from the SAT or the competing ACT, and the trend of “test-optional” admissions accelerated greatly during the coronavirus pandemic. More than 1,800 schools did not require standardized test scores for 2022 admissions, according to the nonprofit organization FairTest.

The number of SAT test takers declined from 2.2 million high schoolers who graduated in 2020 to 1.5 million in the class of 2021, according to the College Board. About 1.7 million students in the class of 2022 have taken the test to date.

In addition to its transition to a digital test, the College Board will also allow calculators on the entire math section, shorten reading passages and reflect a wider range of topics.

The author also includes an argument from a critic of the SAT and a response from the College Board, the organization that administers it:

In recent years, the SAT has come under increasing criticism from those who say that standardized tests handicap poor and minority students, partly because they may not have access to expensive test preparation classes.

Bob Schaeffer, executive director of FairTest, which questions the use of standardized tests in college admissions, said in a statement that the shift to a digital SAT “does not magically transform it to a more accurate, fairer or valid tool for assessing college readiness.”

In response to criticism of its test, the College Board has said that SAT scores serve to strengthen the applications of many students who test better than their high school grade-point averages would indicate.

Students, read the entire article, then tell us:

  • If you plan to go to college, and if submitting an SAT or ACT score with your application is optional, would you still take the test? Why or why not?

  • What do you think of forthcoming changes to the SAT that are outlined in the article? Who, if anyone, do you think will benefit from them? Do you think that the changes will lead to more students taking the test? Why or why not?

  • How do you respond to Bob Schaeffer’s criticism of the SAT? Is it valid? What, if anything, do you think should be done to make the test more fair?

  • Why do you think many colleges and universities have made the SAT and ACT optional?

  • Tell us about your experiences with standardized tests. Do you think they do a good job of assessing skills and knowledge that will be valuable to you and to society as a whole? Or do you think they often fail to measure your true understanding of, or ability with, a subject area? How much pressure do you feel to do well on them? How much of a role do you think they should play in determining an individual’s abilities, or in measuring the worth of a teacher or school? Why?

Want more writing prompts? You can find all of our questions in our Student Opinion column. Teachers, check out this guide to learn how you can incorporate them into your classroom.

Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.

Brady

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Brady

What information is this graph conveying? It was published on Feb. 2, 2022. How does it relate to or comment on current events? What is your reaction to it?

Before you look at the related article, we will tell you that there are four graphs in all. Take a guess: What do you think could be the headline of the article that features all these graphs? (And if you’re really knowledgeable on the topic, what additional graphs do you think the article included?)

Tell us in the comments, then visit this related article to see if you were right, and to learn more.

Want more Picture Prompts? Find them all in this column.

Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.

Weekly Accessible Learning Activities: Football Vocabulary, Cold-Water Plunges, Comics Reporting

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Weekly Accessible Learning Activities: Football Vocabulary, Cold-Water Plunges, Comics Reporting

Each Wednesday we shine a spotlight on five student activities that support a broad range of learners. In this week’s roundup of accessible activities, we invite students to learn how to illustrate their feelings, reflect on their experiences with cold water, meet a Times comics reporter, listen to the pronunciation of a new word and use football vocabulary in context.

Note: To learn more about this new weekly feature, read our introductory post. Please share your thoughts in the comments section or by emailing us at LNFeedback@nytimes.com.

1. Illustrate a feeling.

In this Lesson of the Day, students will learn about how an artist created an illustration to represent the word “languishing.” Then, they will illustrate a pervasive feeling they experienced during the pandemic and illustrate a word or feeling they would like to carry with them into 2022.

2. Reflect on experiences with cold water.

This Student Opinion question asks students to share how they feel when they encounter cold water — whether an ice-cold drink, a cold shower or a frigid swimming pool. Students can share their responses with their classmates, or in the comments section.

3. Learn about the work of a comics reporter.

Have you ever wanted to see the behind-the-scenes experience of a New York Times reporter? What about of a New York Times comics reporter? Students can read a comic by the Times reporter George Gene Gustines and the artist Bill Walko, about learn how Mr. Gustines researches and writes about comics. Looking for more teaching resources? We have a whole lesson plan based on this comic.

4. Learn — and listen to — a new word.

This week Word of the Day debuted a new feature: audio word pronunciation. Going forward students will not only be able to learn a new word from The Times and write their own sentence, but they will also be able to listen to the pronunciation of the word from Vocabulary.com.

5. Practice using football-related vocabulary terms.

This vocabulary quiz allows N.F.L. lovers to show off their knowledge as they practice sports-related reading comprehension and vocabulary skills.

Film Club: ‘How To Run a TikTok-Famous Bodega’

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Film Club: ‘How To Run a TikTok-Famous Bodega’

5. After you have posted, try reading back to see what others have said, then respond to someone else by posting another comment. Use the “Reply” button or the @ symbol to address that student directly.

The short video clip is filmed from behind a store counter.

“If you get this question right,” the cameraman, a store clerk, can be heard telling a customer, “you have five seconds to pick up whatever you want.”

“All right,” says the customer, a man with a gray beard.

“Ten times 10 minus 50,” the clerk says.

“Fifty!” the man answers instantly.

“Five! Four!” the clerk shouts, counting down.

The man turns around quickly toward the small store’s shelves and bends down to reach for his prize.

The video has been viewed more than five million times on the video-sharing platform TikTok, elevating the profile of the clerk, Ahmed Alwan, and bodega culture itself.

It’s no longer necessary to live in New York to get a feel for the city’s bodegas, thanks to Mr. Alwan and others who use TikTok to post funny video clips that highlight the stores’ distinctive culture. They’re going viral in the process.

Mr. Alwan plays the math game with regular customers at Lucky Candy Deli in the Bronx. A 20-year-old borough native of Yemeni heritage, he has close to 500,000 TikTok followers and he has been featured in reports on CNN, Al Jazeera and several local television stations.

Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.

What Students Are Saying About Laziness, Local Cuisine and an Abandoned Phone Booth

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What Students Are Saying About Laziness, Local Cuisine and an Abandoned Phone Booth

Haitian restaurants in Miami are special in so many other ways; besides the fresh food and welcoming atmosphere, they are filled with Haitian pride. The most obvious place to go for Haitian cuisine in Miami is the Little Haiti neighborhood (north of downtown) and North Miami (near West Dixie Highway). I would absolutely recommend Chef Creole, a place where Haitian music and Creole compete to welcome guests. I probably eat here twice a week, or any other chance I get! My favorite Chef Creole dish is the griot (fried pork) with rice and green peas… A lesser known Haitian spot is in Little Haiti, Piman Bouk. Walking into Pimak Bouk you instantly feel like you are in Haiti. Tables are lined with colorful printed clothes and walls are covered in Haitian history, photos, flags, posters. Just be prepared to be greeted in Creole, “Bonswa.” Although I have never had the opportunity to visit my country, Haiti, it is very dear to my heart.

— Hailey, Miami Country Day School

Living on the coast, an essential food in our community is seafood. There are many restaurants near the beach that have amazing seafood like Blue Water, Fish House, and Bridgetender, however, nothing compares to the flounder dish at Brasserie Du Soleil located in Lumina Station on the way to Wrightsville Beach. The flounder is soft on the inside and crispy on the outside drizzled in a light, creamy butter sauce with capers sprinkled on top. It comes with buttered green beans and roasted potatoes cut into the size of a half-dollar coin on the side.

— Grace, Block 2, Hoggard Highschool in Wilmington, NC

Each country, state, or city have their own unique and native dish. In my case, my essential home dish is pupusas. This dish is made up of a stuffed flour tortilla, usually the stuffing is beans & cheese or “revuelta” which is a mixture of cheese, beans, and pork. Furthermore, this essential dish is paired with a thinly-cut pickled cabbage, carrot, and jalapeños with a side of salsa which is composed of tomatoes, jalapeños, and unions. Despite the fact that pupusas are my essential hometown food others may vary depending where they come from. Of course, pupusas are a famous dish throughout Central America, but are only native to certain countries.

— Brian, Don Bosco Cristo Rey HS

I think Miami is a great place to try and answer this from, considering how many different kinds of food you can bring up due to the melting pot of cultures that is Miami. There’s Cuban food, Colombian, Venezuelan, Italian, Jewish Kosher, Mexican, Dominican and American food, along with some other types I’m definitely forgetting. My personal favorite food would be a Haitian food called griot. It consists of marinated pork and plantain, meant to be eaten together. It doesn’t sound that exotic but Haitian food is seasoned incredibly and the flavor of the pork combined with the base of the plantain is one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. There’s a lot of different places you can find griot in North Miami and Little Haiti and each is always a little different.

— Nate, Miami Country Day School, Miami FL

New Mexico has so many great foods to choose from but I believe our main essential food is chili. It is a part of our culture and heritage and is also what we are famous for. Chili is an important crop for farmers here and something that we value a lot. Everyone from here knows what the question “Red or green?” means. You have your opinion on whether you like red or green chili better and people here have different preferences. It´s something everyone asks and every New Mexican has their answer. We put chili on just about anything and that really shows when you go out to eat and you see that chili can be added to almost any dish you order.

— Aleigha, New Mexico

When it comes to the topic of Chicago foods, most of us agree that deep dish pizza is seen as a Chicago staple. However, this agreement ends when it comes to the question of who actually eats it. On one hand, many true Chicagoans say that only tourists and suburbanites eat it, while others stress the significance of deep dish pizza as a part of Chicago culture and argue that many people enjoy a nice deep dish pizza from their favorite local spot. Personally, I am one of those suburbanites who loves deep dish pizza, and my Chicagoan brother is on my side.

— Jacob, Glenbard West High School, Illinois

When I moved to the States, four years ago, from my hometown in South Africa, Pretoria, one of the most precious things I left behind is: the food. Where I lived -approximately 2 flight hours away from the gorgeous and very famous CAPE TOWN-there blooms a mini india consolidated with hints of South African culture to create mouthwatering dishes that tickle your tastebuds even years later. Here are some of the most delicious dishes I recommend you give a try if you are lucky enough to take a trip. Barbecues in South Africa are called Braai’s from the Afrikaans language that consists of Dutch influence. Braai’s usually consist of boerewors(farmers sausage), lamb chops and kebabs. While I discuss meat, I want to make sure you know about Biltong, a form of dried, cured meat that varies in flavors similar to jerky in the States. I’m saving the best for last: Desert. First off, we have Malva pudding which consists of both an almost spongy pillow like textured cake and is served with oozing hot custard. I’m going to end off with my classic favorite melktert (milk tart), reminiscent of custard pie but more delicate, with a lighter texture and a strong milk presence that’s finished off with a dust of cinnamon.

— Khadija, Glenbard West HS

What’s Going On in This Graph? | Feb. 9, 2022

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What’s Going On in This Graph? | Feb. 9, 2022

4. After you have posted, read what others have said, then respond to someone else by posting a comment. Use the “Reply” button to address that student directly.

On Wednesday, Feb. 9, teachers from our collaborator, the American Statistical Association, will facilitate this discussion from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern time.

5. By Friday morning, Feb. 11, we will reveal more information about the graph, including a free link to the article that includes this graph, at the bottom of this post. We encourage you to post additional comments based on the article, possibly using statistical terms defined in the Stat Nuggets.

We’ll post more information here on Thursday afternoon. Stay tuned!

More?

• See all graphs in this series or collections of 60 of our favorite graphs, 28 graphs that teach about inequality and 24 graphs about climate change.

• View our archives that link to all past releases, organized by topic, graph type and Stat Nugget.

• Learn more about the notice and wonder teaching strategy from this 5-minute video and how and why other teachers are using this strategy from our on-demand webinar.

• Sign up for our free weekly Learning Network newsletter so you never miss a graph. Graphs are always released by the Friday before the Wednesday live-moderation to give teachers time to plan ahead.

• Go to the American Statistical Association K-12 website, which includes teacher statistics resources, Census in the Schools student-generated data, professional development opportunities, and more.

Students 13 and older in the United States and the Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.

Vocabulary in Context: Urban Fishermen

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Vocabulary in Context: Urban Fishermen

Along the river, people biked, walked, roller-skated, bird-watched, caught up with friends. But I found myself most intrigued by the people who were fishing. In this unexpected environment of concrete, buzzing traffic and litter, the act of fishing seemed almost defiant: a/an outdoors activity against a backdrop of highway overpasses.

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