Chapter 2: To Learn, Retrieve
The chapter begins with a story of a surgeon who has to operate on someone with a peculiar wound: the vein that is supplying blood to the brain had been ruptured. It goes on to tell us how the surgeon thinks in a procedure but this time, he had to do something that was not written in any medical books. It was something he had devised by himself and other than slightly poor vision, the patient survived.
The authors explained how reflection can “involve several cognitive processes that lead to stronger learning”. These include the retrieval of knowledge and earlier training from one’s memory as well as connecting these to new experiences, while visualizing and mentally rehearsing what you might do differently another time. The surgeon described his reflection as a reflex that had been created from memorizing the list of things and drilling on them.
Then the authors go on to explain what is called the testing effect or the retrieval-practice effect and that for it to be most effective, it has to be repeated over and over again, in spaced out sessions so that it would require cognitive effort. However, the general laymen disagrees with testing. Additionally, a principal, whose school was where the retrieval-practice experiments were going to be conducted at, disagreed at first, saying that it is too similar to rote learning.
The authors argue that to compare the learning of basic knowledge with the development of creative thinking is a false choice. They posit that both abilities must be cultivated. “The stronger one’s knowledge about the subject at hand, the more nuanced one’s creativity can be in addressing a new problem.” “… creative absent a sturdy foundation of knowledge builds a shaky house.”
In 2006, the experiment was decided to be implemented in a school on the subject of Social Studies. The students who had been quizzed scored a full grade higher on the material that was quizzed than the material that was not quizzed. Other than the additional quizzes for the material, other factors remained as control.
Some examples of the instruction from the book:
- After reading passages on the history of slavery, students were asked to write down ten facts about slavery the hadn’t known before reading.
- Quizzes were scheduled before and after class, as well as before a chapter test. Note that the quizzes were low stake assessments.
- In a English comprehension class, after reading a paragraph, a teacher would probe her class to explain the meaning and what might have been going on in the characters’ minds.
- Students expressed disappointment on days when clickers (tool for formative assessment, link provided) because the activity broke up the teacher’s lecture and proved enjoyable.
The principal who first expressed his concern in the beginning said, “Retrieval practice has a significant impact on kids learning. This is telling us that it’s valuable, and that teachers are well advised to incorporate it into their instructional technique.”
The next part, the chapter went to describe a story of a college professor who was at first rather reluctant, but tried the experiment. He failed the first time because the students were given quizzes randomly, but when he scheduled them into the course as compulsory tests that were spread out instead of 3 major exams, the attendance improved during regular non-quiz days.
The key thing that I noted here was that the quizzes were cumulative and I think more cumulative retrieval practices should be done in schools, allowing the teachers to, as the professor said, teach much more rather than repetitively rereading. He also said, “… I now recognize that as good a teacher as I might think I am, my teaching is only a component of their learning, and how i structure it has a lot to do with it, maybe even more”.
The chapter goes on explaining the effects of spaced feedback after testing. Spacing out feedback provides students with spaced out practice. Additionally, students had positive attitudes towards frequent testing (provided that it was made away as opposed to being random pop quizzes) and rated their classes more favourably.
The authors suggest that RPs that require the learning to provide the solution or answer, like essays or short-answer tests, or flashcard practice, appear to be much better for cognitive retrieval as compared to multiple choice or true/false tests.
Students should also be encouraged to use RP as a studying tool. Ironically, students who were aware of the technique only used it so that they could study the material more. The authors say that students don’t realize that the retrieval itself creates greater retention for parts of the material that they already know.
The key idea of this chapter would be: “Practice at retrieving new knowledge or skill from memory is a potent tool for learning and durable retention“.
The entire section of ‘The Takeaway’ is perfectly summarized but you’d have to buy the book. I included some of the examples given, because it would be much more applicable to teachers and myself.
I love how this chapter ends. It is a comment from the reluctant principal whom I mentioned earlier.
“What I’ve really gained a comfort level with is this: for kids to be able to evaluate, synthesize, and apply a concept in different settings, they’re going to be much more efficient at getting there when they have the base of knowledge and the retention, so they’re not wasting time trying to go back and figure out what that word might mean or what that concept was all about. It allows them to go to a higher level.”
Teachers should always go back to Bloom’s taxonomy. In fact, the revised version with the verbs is truly something that needs to be appreciated and relished as part of education. And I think this brings back the focus of education to two main things: how curriculum and instruction are structured as well as the realization by stakeholders that the learning of the students are from their own effort.
I think it should be more emphasized in schools as well as accepted in school conversations that when it comes to academics, a three way focus is important:
1) Teacher instruction that consists of interleaving and research supported strategies
2) Students’ learning of reflecting skills and retrieval practices, as well as effective ways of study
3) Motivation through data collection and progress tracking
The Million In My Head 