By Pooja K. Agarwal, Ph.D.

Retrieval practice improves long-term learning, it’s backed by a century of research, and you can implement it in one minute or less. But how do you get students on board? Here’s a simple strategy: start and end class with a trivia question.

What I do in my classroom

On the first day of class, I start by asking my college students a trivia question: “How many seats are in our auditorium?”

Quickly, I have students turn to a partner and guess, while I walk around the room and gather estimates. I announce the range to class, I pause before the punchline (oh, the suspense!), and then I reveal the answer (1,215 seats).

Now that I’ve got their attention, I introduce myself more fully, I preview the game plan for our first class, and I give an overview of the topics we’ll cover throughout the semester. Next, I tell my students that it’s important to me that they remember what they learn and I give three examples to demonstrate why:

I ask them, “You’re spending a lot of time, money, and energy on your college education, so don’t you want to remember beyond the semester and beyond the school year, for years to come?”
I point out that I remember very little from my college classes, which is such a waste (sorry, Mom).
I pose a simple scenario to my students: “You’ve all crammed for a test and done well, perhaps received an A. Cramming works! And then what happened?”

I pause and I enjoy the awkward silence, until a few brave students share that they forgot everything. Everyone begins to nod and we all agree: forgetting is frustrating.

I’ve got them hooked; there’s a common problem to solve. I explain my solution: in my class, we’ll be emphasizing long-term learning, and how we’re going to do it is using a research-based strategy called retrieval practice. I briefly elaborate with what retrieval practice is, what it looks like in my classroom (brain dumps, mini-quizzes, etc.), and how all assignments are low-stakes (learn more in my book). I don’t even present any research. I reassure my students: they’ll have less stress and remember more.

About one-third of the way into the first class, after discussing the nuts-and-bolts of the course, I ask the trivia question again. Approximately half of my class responds: “one thousand, two hundred fifteen.” It takes 10 seconds. We move on, and at the very end of the first class, I pose the trivia question, students respond in unison, and class is dismissed. Boom!

Approximately 6 weeks later (after we’ve discussed research and additional learning strategies), I ask the trivia question in passing. Then I end with it: my trivia question is literally on my last slide on my last class of the semester. My students love it, they remember it, and they know why.

Why a trivia question gets students on board with retrieval practice

It’s unexpected, quick, and engaging
It’s a no-stakes demo where students are successful
It normalizes forgetting as a shared experience
It feels personalized when created carefully (see tips below)
It’s a simple example of how repeated and spaced retrieval practice increases learning
It sets a foundation for more conversations about learning and conversations about studying
Students are more receptive to tips to help them study smarter, not harder
When students remember the trivia fact, they’ll know why they remember it, too

Tips for creating a trivia question

It took me awhile to figure out what works best for this activity. Here are a few tips:

Create a trivia question that is specific to your school, city, state, or country (the year something was created, the height of a notable statue on campus, the state animal, etc.).
The answer should be one word, a date, or a number. This will help your students respond in unison and build community.
Create a trivia question that very few students will know the answer to initially.
Create a trivia question that is appropriate and accessible for English Language Learners and international students who may be less familiar with pop culture.
The question and answer should be appropriate for pair discussion and/or a multiple-choice show of hands to give you added flexibility (particularly if you have large class sizes).
Don’t overdo it by asking the trivia question too often. Keep it unexpected and space it out (think of it like an expanding schedule over time).
Don’t launch into a long explanation about retrieval practice before or after you ask the question. Keep this quick and simple, and introduce research on retrieval practice later on.
What should you do after you start your first class with a trivia question? Ask students about what they learned during the summer/winter break or include a quick Retrieval Warm Up.

Use a trivia question with teachers, too

It can be a challenge to get educators on board with retrieval practice. Try the trivia question demo at the beginning and end of professional development!

Whether you’re leading an in-service faculty workshop, a parent’s night, or a Zoom, start and end with a trivia question. Your audience will find it memorable and “meta” (retrieval practice about retrieval practice). And just like for students, if the answer is the only thing they remember from the professional development, they’ll remember why they remember it.

Watch the demo in action on YouTube

More class activities: