When we think about learning, we typically focus on getting information into students’ heads. What if, instead, we focus on getting information out of students’ heads?
Retrieval practice boosts learning by pulling information out of students’ heads, rather than cramming information into students’ heads. Just like students practice an instrument, they need to practice their knowledge, too.
We tend to think that most learning occurs during the initial encoding stage–when students get information “in” by re-reading, reviewing, and taking notes. However, one of the most robust findings from 100+ years of cognitive science research is that a significant amount of learning occurs when students pull information “out” by using a strategy called retrieval practice.
Retrieval practice is a learning strategy, not an assessment strategy.
For example, what was the name of the ship on which Charles Darwin made his famous scientific voyage? At what age did King Tut become a pharaoh? By thinking for a moment and trying to recall the answer to these trivia facts, you just engaged in retrieval practice and boosted your learning.
Here are quick research-based teaching tips that don’t require additional lesson prep or grading:
Rather than starting class by reviewing content (“here’s what we did in class last week”), simply ask students to retrieve (“what did we do in class last week?”). This tiny switch from encoding to retrieval practice will boost your students’ long-term learning and reduce their forgetting.
Brain dumps: ask students to write down everything they can remember from a previous lesson
Two things: ask students to retrieve two things they learned at the end of class
Unleash the power of retrieval practice
Research demonstrates that retrieval practice can increase students’ grades from a C to an A.
Research by cognitive scientists demonstrates that retrieval practice consistently boosts student learning. A recent review of the literature found benefits for a diverse range of:
Student populations (K−12 to medical school)
Subject areas (e.g., history to CPR skills)
Long-term assessments (days, weeks, and months)
Developmental stages (preschool, young adults, and older adults)
Why does retrieval practice improve learning and reduce forgetting?
Retrieval practice helps students “use it or lose it,” just like practicing a language or an instrument
With retrieval practice, struggling is a good thing for learning (what scientists call a “desirable difficulty”)
Retrieval practice improves students’ understanding of their own learning process (what scientists call “metacognition”)
Learn more about retrieval practice from cognitive scientist and founder of retrievalpractice.org, Pooja K. Agarwal, Ph.D.
