Cramming, highlighting, and re-reading are some of the most utilized methods for studying. However, research shows that active learning strategies have longer-lasting effects. In this session, participants will learn how to design lessons that utilize retrieval practice. Attendees will walk away with concrete skills for boosting student memory and retention.
Forgetting is much easier than remembering. In fact, within 24 hours of learning something, you’ll have forgotten 70% of it, and that number increases to 90% within a week no more how exciting your content is (Ebbinghaus, 1885/1964). According to overwhelming research by cognitive scientists, the simple fact is that learning occurs best when our brain is required to practice retrieving knowledge through testing and other recall strategies.
Despite this evidence, non-retrieval practices such as cramming, re-reading, and highlighting are the most common study strategies students report using, but they are by far the least effective, producing little or no benefit at all to learning (Callendar & McDaniel, 2009). So why do students persist with these methods?
A major point of resistance to adjusting these age-old study methods is that passive re-reading of a text seems easy compared with more effective methods for mastering and remembering a subject. However, effortful retrieval practice is what leads to long-term learning and retention. In addition, cramming one’s short-term memory with information provides an illusion of mastery, but does nothing to actually help students remember the information long-term or apply it.
In this interactive session, attendees first will learn the science behind how to best learn and retain information. Then, participants will get a try out a variety of retrieval practices through student response systems using mobile devices, such as Socrative, along with small group brainstroming discussions based on case studies. Additionally, attendees will discover best practices for implementing retrieval exercises in their own courses. Finally, attendees will walk away with a tool kit they can provide students with data-proven strategies on how to improve their study habits.
Objective 1: Attendees will be able to explain 3 benefits of retrieval practice.
Objective 2: Attendees will be able to apply retrieval practice to their course design.