In a recent webinar, Pooja K. Agarwal, Cognitive Scientist and Associate Professor at the Berklee College of Music in Boston and co-author of Powerful Teaching: Unleash the Science of Learning, talked about retrieval practices as an impactful teaching strategy.
What is retrieval practice?
Retrieval practice enhances student learning by asking students to frequently access and recall information and knowledge. According to Agarwal, students need to practice their knowledge, just like they practice skills. This doesn’t mean more testing or grading; Agarwal recommends that formative assessment activities be sprinkled throughout each class and the entire course.
Adding retrieval practice into your course planning doesn’t have to take a lot of time. Below are some examples of how to easily integrate this practice:
- Brain dump
- Exit ticket with retrieval focused prompts:
- What did you learn in class today? What questions do you still have?
- What did you learn in class last time ? (The concept of “spacing” includes to continually bring back past learned information over time) What do you remember about the topic? Why are these parts important to you?
- What is one thing I didn’t ask you about the topic that you want to learn about?
- What is a question you have about the topic that you would like to discuss during class? What do you hope to learn from that discussion?
- How does the topic relate to your job, hobby, or favorite TV show?
- Metacognitive discussion prompts:
- How confident do you feel that you understand this concept?
- How do you feel about your understanding of the topics from today?
- Think-pair-share
- Note: Don’t skip the “thinking” step! That is where retrieval happens. This is a good activity for English as a Second Language learners or introverted students because it builds confidence.
- Note: Don’t skip the “thinking” step! That is where retrieval happens. This is a good activity for English as a Second Language learners or introverted students because it builds confidence.
- Question Roulette: Students write questions on index cards which the instructor first collects, and then randomly chooses some to answer in class. Other questions can be addressed outside of class (shared Google question document, discussion board, Canvas announcement, recorded video, etc.).
Things to keep in mind
When implementing retrieval practice in your classroom for things like processes or step-by-step tasks, make sure you follow the concept of interleaving. This means, first teaching something in the correct order for students to get a good grasp of the information, then leveling up students’ learning by asking them to retrieve their knowledge while mixing up the order. You might think of this as shuffling the flashcard deck, which will help improve the “muddy middle” (remembering the first and last steps is often easier than the ones in between). For example, instead of asking them to recall a procedure from step one, they could start at step three or five and then go backwards.
Visit Agarwal’s website for more information on cognitive science and additional retrieval practice strategies. Are you interested in leveling up your teaching and students’ learning experience? Submit a CTL consultation request or attend one of our many workshops and events.
References:
Agarwal, P. K., & Bain, P. M. (2024). Powerful teaching: Unleash the science of learning. John Wiley & Sons.
Bjork, R. A. (2014). Forgetting as a friend of learning. In Remembering (pp. 39-52). Psychology Press.