Unleash the�science of learning

Pooja K. Agarwal, Ph.D.

Lawn mower?

Every day!

encoding

storage

assess

We focus on getting information IN.

Let’s focus on getting information OUT.

“

Science of Learning

• Foundation: Retrieval Practice
• Power Ups: Spacing, Interleaving, Feedback
• Teaching Strategies
• What’s next?

retrievalpractice.org

Retrieval Practice

The foundation for effective learning

Retrieval Practice

• Bring information to mind
• Pull information out
• Doubles learning
• Improves transfer
• Benefits all students
• Benefits all ages

The Basics

Retrieval Practice vs. Re-Reading

83%

71%

61%

40%

Roediger & Karpicke (2006)

83%

71%

61%

40%

Roediger & Karpicke (2006)

Roediger & Karpicke (2006)

4.8

4.0

Learning that’s easy is like writing in sand. Here today and gone tomorrow.

Make it Stick by Brown, Roediger, & McDaniel (2014)

“

In the Classroom

Including fire alarms and snow days!

10+ years of research

Raised grades: C to A

1,500+ students

How about low-stakes quizzes?

McDaniel et al. (2011)

79%

92%

79%

72%

68%

62%

Retrieval practice, �spacing, interleaving, metacognition, feedback, higher order learning, collaborative retrieval, multiple-choice, �short answer, test anxiety, open-book quizzes, �peer grading, online games

Challenge learning

Retrieval practice is a “desirable difficulty”

Retrieval Strategies

• Free Recall (“Brain Dump”)
• What are two things you remember?
• What’s one takeaway?
• How does this apply?

Retrieval �in Action

Paper and pencil!

Think-Pair-Share

Weekly retrievals

Kahoot or Quizlet

Clickers or Plickers

FlipGrid

Retrieval �Guidelines

Less than one minute

Low or no stakes

Closed-book

Engage all students

The more the better

Challenges are good!

Here’s what we did.

vs.

What did we do?

“

Lawn mower?

“Power Ups”

Spacing, Interleaving, & Feedback

Spacing

• Space retrieval over time
• Forgetting is a good thing
• Another desirable difficulty

What’s your name?

What’s your problem?

Rohrer & Taylor (2006)

75%

70%

64%

32%

Rohrer & Taylor (2006)

75%

70%

64%

32%

How much?

McDaniel et al. (2011)

McDaniel et al. (2011)

�Spacing �Guidelines

The more the better

Use a “hybrid” approach

“Blast from the past”

Make it quick!

What did you learn today?

vs.

What did you learn yesterday?

“

Interleaving

• Mix up content
• Key is discrimination
• Another desirable difficulty!

What’s the song?

How do I choose?

Taylor & Rohrer (2010)

100%

81%

64%

32%

�Interleaving �Guidelines

Mix similar topics

Use a “hybrid” approach

Fruit salad!

Dice or fishbowl games

Use a strategy

vs.

Choose a strategy

“

Feedback

• Reinforces knowledge
• Corrects misinformation
• Critical for metacognition

But I studied for hours!

Ineffective�study strategies

Re-reading

Note taking

Highlighting & Underlining

Flashcards (sometimes…)

Dunlosky et al. (2013)

Illusion of Fluency

�Feedback �Guidelines

Immediate or delayed

Predict future learning

Correct/incorrect is good

Elaborative is best

Do I know it?

vs.

Do I think I know it?

“

Challenge learning

Combine retrieval, spacing, interleaving, and feedback!

Retrieving!

(But not in the classroom).

How can we flip retrieval�from a negative to a positive?

“

Does retrieval practice make you more or less anxious for unit tests?

Agarwal et al. (2014)

Be supportive!

• No consequences, no stakes
• Acknowledge it’s challenging
• How you do now ≠ later
• Share the research

Stick with it!

• Start small
• Tweak what you’re already doing
• Don’t default to reviewing
• Save time in the long run

Retrieve!

One strategy you can use tomorrow?

Retrieval practices are the bomb.

Retrieval practices once a week! ♡

Love that we have nothing for a final!�Best thing ever!

“

What’s next?

retrievalpractice.org

• Weekly email updates
• Retrieval, Interleaving, & Transfer Guides
• Research summaries
• Books, websites, & podcasts

retrievalpractice.org

retrievalpractice.org

Retrieve!

One thing to remember from today?

Lawn mower?

Let’s transform learning by getting information out.

Pooja K. Agarwal, Ph.D.