Can We Boost Elaboration with Retrieval Practice?
The other interesting thing they did was changing up the conditions of retrieval practice. Some students took an open-book test, where they literally had the text sitting in front of them while they answered the questions. Some took a closed-book test (no text available), but some were in a closed/open switch task. Essentially, students could…
Prior Knowledge and Retrieval Practice
By Althea Need KaminskeA few weeks ago I wrote about the effects of prior knowledge on new learning. I reviewed research which found that students who had stronger prior knowledge of a topic were more likely to remember more new information on that topic (1). This suggested a “rich-get-richer” effect, where it is easier to…
School Meals and Academic Achievement
By Althea Need KaminskeNote: This post focuses specifically on education within U.S. school systems. When we give presentations and talk to people about effective learning strategies, one of the most common questions that we’re asked is: “If this is so effective, why isn’t it being taught in schools?”. This is a complicated question with a complicated…
Pedagogy vs. Andragogy: What’s the Difference?
References:(1) Roediger III, H. L., & Karpicke, J. D. (2006). Test-enhanced learning: Taking memory tests improves long-term retention. Psychological science, 17(3), 249-255.(2) Karpicke, J. D., & Bauernschmidt, A. (2011). Spaced retrieval: absolute spacing enhances learning regardless of relative spacing. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 37(5), 1250.(3) McDaniel, M. A., Agarwal, P. K.,…
The Effect of Supervision and Instruction on Students’ Use of Retrieval Practice
By Carolina Kuepper-TetzelWhile there is clear evidence for the benefits of using retrieval practice as a learning strategy (1), we also know that students may not necessarily chose to use retrieval practice when studying on their own (2). A very recent experiment (3) investigated study choices in university students who were tasked with learning English-Swahili…
Warming up the Room: Icebreakers and Cold-Calling to Increase Partcipation
by Althea Need KaminskeAs school is starting this fall, teachers and students are participating in a time honored first day of class ritual: the awkward icebreaker. While students might think they’re a bit cheesy, icebreakers serve several very important roles in class and are an excellent way to start a class. An obvious reason to use…
The Benefits of Combining Collaborative Learning and Interleaved Practice
By Carolina Kuepper-Tetzel In a recent paper, Danzglock, Berger, and Hänze (1) investigated the effects of combining collaborative learning with interleaved practice using complex material in physics in 376 secondary school students. Interleaved practice is when tasks or concepts are practiced together instead of organizing their practice in a blocked (and homogenous) fashion. To give…
Retrieval Practice Improves Learning, but Will it Help ALL of my Students? (repost)
References:(1) Roediger, H. L., Putnam, A. L., & Smith, M. A. (2011). Ten benefits of testing and their applications to educational practice. Chapter in J. Mester, & B. Ross (Eds.), The Psychology of Learning and Motivation: Cognition in Education. (pp. 1-36). Oxford: Elsevier.(2) Fritz, C. O., Morris, P. E., Nolan, D., & Singleton, J. (2007).…
Retrieval Practice with First Graders (6-7 years)
In today’s post, I present a paper from 2020 by Xiaofeng Ma and colleagues (1) investigating retrieval practice with first grade students (children ages 6-7 years). They wondered whether retrieval practice would be effective for children this young, given that children’s memory systems are less mature at this age. Children this age are much less…
Six Strategies for Effective Learning: A Summary for Teachers
By Megan Sumeracki If you read our blog often, you are familiar with the six strategies for effective learning. We have a number of resources already, but this guide provides a brief explanation of each strategy and compiles a set of links on the website all in one place. So, if you’re wanting a single…
