LEARNING TO LEARN
Retrieval practice is just one strategy to develop longterm learning . Techniques should all be spaced and varied , and time was dedicated in class to reviewing studies from ‘ Make It Stick ’ that elucidated these principles . It is unsurprising that students believed that retrieval starters were unhelpful for their end of unit test performance as those tests required more lateral investigations of themes and essay writing ( of which the factual content of the Odyssey is the basis ). Furthermore , only 50 % thought flashcards helped their performance on the end-of-unit tests , reflecting the need to vary the activity . Brown et al . ( 2014 ) remind us that “ Learning gained through the less challenging , massed form of practice is encoded in a simpler or comparatively impoverished representation than the learning gained from the varied and more challenging practice ”. For the second half of the course , I switched the retrieval starter format in favour of a ‘ retrieval booklet ’ of activities for each of the eight units . Each booklet has 12-15 different activities that take five minutes each with no materials needed except paper and pen . Each booklet took me one hour to prepare . Kate Jones ’ handbook ( 2019 ) offers a helpful summary of these activities .
The self-aware learner
At the end of Year 10 , I asked students to reflect on what they have learned about their memory and how they remember information . Six students mentioned the need for spaced revision . One in particular spoke periphrastically about Ebbinghaus ’ forgetting curve , “ I pick up things quickly but forget them quickly as well ”. Other notable responses include “ flashcards are a very useful way of recalling information , as it feels like you are self-quizzing and this better prepares for an exam ” and “ I remember more effectively through writing things down and practice . I also think doing things on paper rather than online is more effective for me .”
When asked to list their most helpful revision strategies , sixteen students listed active strategies , with one still maintaining that re-reading was helpful and one saying that flashcards did not help at all . Interestingly , six students commented that relating the information to themselves , often through humour , assisted their recall . One student said that they remember the course content better when supplemented with extension materials such as audiobooks about Mycenae and Ancient Greece . Other strategies included recreating notes , annotating pictures , Anki online flashcards which have a spaced repetition feature built in , and past paper questions .
Conclusions and recommendations
Learning about learning is important . When students can understand how their brains are working , they ’ re better equipped to make changes . Most of the eighteen students in my class will now think twice before they lazily re-read their notes ahead of a test . It is my intention to vary their resource creation in homework slots , lest fatigue set in . I will continue to carve out time in lessons for retrieval practice , not just as standalone opportunities to recall information , but as opportunities to embellish , re-order , and connect their learning .
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