A new research paper has revealed that the type of recall task a teacher chooses can substantially influence the effects of learning by retrieval practice.
It matters how to recall – task differences in retrieval practice (Endres et al, November 2020) explores how 54 university students studied two expository texts, followed by retrieval practice tasks.
According to research, retrieval is a key process for both learning and understanding. As well as being a neutral assessment of a learner’s knowledge, the act of retrieval itself also produces learning.
But how best can teachers test what pupils have learnt in the classroom? What do you know about memory and how can you develop its capacity to learn?