By Pooja K. Agarwal, Ph.D.

Craving a refresher on the science of learning and teaching tips for your classroom?

Here are three resources for you:

• Reach out to our featured scientists for a workshop or interview

• Read our retrieval practice activities that take one minute or less

• Check out the list below for my upcoming in-person and virtual events

Quick retrieval for long-term learning

Retrieval practice doesn't take much classroom time – we promise. Here are our quick strategies to implement this powerful research-based strategy and improve long-term learning in your classroom:

1. Warm Ups: Ice breakers are okay, but Retrieval Warm Ups are better. Students retrieve their experiences with fun prompts that spark a one minute conversation or class vote. Reduce anxiety and demonstrate that retrieval is part of everyday life. (Download our free templates!)

2. Two Things: Ask students to retrieve and write down two things they remember from class last week or even two things they're learning in another class. Keep this quick and simple with paper or index cards.

3. Brain dumps: In one minute, have students write down everything they can retrieve or remember about a specific topic. For example, if students are in a World History course, ask them to write down everything they've learned about Ancient China. 

Want more quick activities? Watch this video on YouTube.

Join us in person and virtually this fall

Learn about the science of learning at these upcoming events:

• October 19–20: MassCUE in Boston, Massachusetts (hybrid, starts at $50/ticket)

• Saturday, October 22: ResearchED in Frederick, Maryland (in person, $45/ticket)

• Friday, November 5: Top Hat webinar (free online)

• Saturday, November 12: ResearchED in Santiago, Chile (in person, $60/ticket)

A huge thanks to thousands of educators around the world who joined us this summer for our Zoom parties, Powerful Teaching book club on Facebook, virtual Q&As, and in-person workshops.

Looking for a scientist for a speaking engagement, workshop, or interview? Support our diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts: invite one of these 35 cognitive scientists we feature on our website. You can sort by areas of expertise, view publications, follow them on Twitter, and email them directly.