“Ten Ways to Use Retrieval Practice in the Classroom” is the headline of one of my Education Week columns.

 

The teaching/learning/studying strategy called “retrieval practice” has been gaining a lot of attention recently as more and more studies have found that is very effective.

A simple definition of the idea is challenging students to remember something they have already learned – but not necessarily immediately after they learned it.

Many of us teachers use it already in different ways. For example, I’ll often ask students to take a moment and think about a fact or strategy we’ve discussed (for example, “What is a thesis statement?”) and then have them share with a partner.

One purpose for this list to push myself to be more conscious of this instructional strategy and look for more ways to easily implement it in my classroom:

Here’s the best practical piece for teachers that I’ve found on the topic: Retrieval Practice: The Most Powerful Learning Strategy You’re Not Using is from Jennifer Gonzalez.

USING THE DO NOW FOR RETRIEVAL PRACTICE–AN UPDATE FROM ALEX LANEY is from Doug Lemov.

How is a Student’s Memory at Test Time? is by Eric Jensen, and offers some particularly good advice about retrieval practice in the classroom.

Promoting Metacognition with Retrieval Practice in Five Steps is from The Effortful Educator.

Check out RetrievalPractice.org

Learn how to Study Using… Retrieval Practice is from The Learning Scientists.

RETRIEVAL PRACTICE: A TEACHERS’ DEFINITION AND VIDEO EXAMPLES is from Doug Lemov.

Here’s How I’m Trying To Incorporate More Retrieval Practice In Class – Let Me Know How I Can Improve

Why Students Forget—and What You Can Do About It is from Edutopia.

RETRIEVAL PRACTICE IS THE PERFECT TOOL TO ‘WIN BACK THE MARGINS’ is from Doug Lemov. It makes a good point about using any available opportunity for using retrieval practice with students. Unfortunately, some of the examples shown in the videos don’t seem to me to maximize “whole class processing” (as my former principal Ted Appel calls it) – the idea that all students are thinking and showing their thinking. That’s why I use warm-ups, as well as mini-whiteboards, as superior moments for this kind of activity. This is also probably a good time to point out that some teachers will say they are already using retrieval practice by doing assessments like chapter tests. But, in reality, retrieval practice for learning means constantly creating low-stakes opportunities – like warm-ups and using mini-whiteboards.

What is retrieval practice when you’re learning math? is from Rough Draft Talk.

Incorporating retrieval practice and brain dumps in the FL class is from Maris Hawkins.

Retrieval Practice: Hiding Broccoli in the Brownies is from Learning Scientists.

Help Me Find TV & Movie Clips That Show The Value Of Retrieval Practice

Videos: “Inside Out” Clips That Could Be Useful When Teaching About Retrieval Practice

A NEW STRATEGY I’M USING TO PROMOTE RETRIEVAL PRACTICE IN CLASS (STUDENT HAND-OUT INCLUDED)

RETRIEVAL PRACTICE UPDATE

Retrieval Practice – the what, why and how of (ahem) total recall is from Behavior Buddy.

Getting Test Ready? Try Some Retrieval Practice is from Middleweb.

10 Techniques for Retrieval Practice is from Tom Sherrington.

NEW REFLECTIVE ADDITION TO RETRIEVAL PRACTICE NOTEBOOK THAT I THINK IS A GOOD IDEA (IF I SAY SO MYSELF)

How to not screw up retrieval practice is from A Chemical Orthodoxy.

3 Brain-Based Strategies That Encourage Deeper Thinking is from Edutopia.

ASSESSMENT & HOMEWORK IN THE AGE OF COVID-19

I LEARNED A LOT ABOUT MEMORY, ASSESSMENT & TEACHING IN THE FALL FROM THIS ARTICLE

An Example Of Concept Attainment & Retrieval Practice In The Classroom

These two tweets talk about “Retrieval Practice Grids,” which seem interesting:

Retrieval Practice Consistently Benefits Student Learning: A Systematic Review of Applied Research in Schools and Classrooms is a new study.

The Five Things You Need to Know About Retrieval Practice is from The Learning Agency Lab.

7 Ways to Get Retrieval Practice Right is from Edutopia.

Retrieval Practice: One Minute to Better Student Learning is from ASCD.

Rehearsal first; retrieval practice later – an important distinction. is from Teacherhead.

When daily quiz regimes become lethal mutations of retrieval practice. is from Teacherhead.

HOW TO AVOID LETTING RETRIEVAL PRACTICE BECOME GIMMICKY IN YOUR SCHOOL is from InnerDrive.

Save All is a tool to help you remember what you learn through the use of retrieval practice.

Forgetting is natural, but learning how to learn can slow it down is from Science Daily.

Study Highlights Intriguing Combo Of Retrieval Practice & Students Teaching Their Classmates

RETRIEVAL PRACTICE IN PRIMARY SCHOOL: A CASE STUDY WITH 8 PRACTICAL STRATEGIES is from InnerDrive.

Let me know what I’m missing!