• Testing• Spacing• Interleaving

Robert BjorkCognitive Psychologist UCLA

So how does it stick?Why do we remember some things and not others?

Storage Strength

Ret

rie

val S

tre

ngt

h

High storageEasily retrieved

My current address

Low storageEasily retrieved

An address I’m on the way to now

High storageLow retrieved

My university address

Low storageLow retrieved

An address someone told me this morning

Testing

• Which study pattern will result in the best test results?

1. STUDY STUDY STUDY STUDY – TEST

2. STUDY STUDY STUDY TEST – TEST

3. STUDY STUDY TEST TEST – TEST

4. STUDY TEST TEST TEST - TEST

“Taking a test often does more than assess knowledge; tests can also provide opportunities for learning. When information is successfully retrieved from memory, its representation in memory is changed such that it becomes more recallable in the future and this improvement is often greater than the benefit resulting from additional study.”

What have we been doing?

• Pre tests - found to have improved resulting effect to long term memory. Provides cues for the then to be learnt learning.

• Tests as a starter, mid lesson activity or even plenary.

• Multiple choice tests as have a higher effect.

Bjork’s advice is to make testing experiences low risk, frequent, and designed to include variation and distracting difficulties, such as providing competing alternative answers to trigger retrieval of information that might be tested at another opportunity.

• Multiple choice questions• Test your partner (what can you remember about x?)• Picture link (What Unit x topics and keywords can you remember that link to this

picture)• Mind map (All of the information you can remember from topic x)• Concept map (Using t-charts, cause and effects maps, venn diagrams, double bubble

maps…..)• Article link (what points from Unit x are covered in this article?)• Keyword test (what are the meanings of these words?)• How many keywords can you remember about….? (List all of the key terminology and

definitions from topic x)• Can you remember 5/10/15 points from topic x?• Scenario pull out (Share a scenario, students have limited time to pull out as many

related topics, key words, information and facts as they can)• Just a minute (Students must speak for 1 minute without any hesitation or repetition

about topic x. If it breaks down, swap goes. Next person can use information given by previous person. Winner is person who can talk for the full minute)

• Knowledge builder (Students have a set time to write down information about a topic before their sheets are rotated with their peers. Students check their peers work for accurateness and add any additional points. Rotate and repeat the process).

• Crossword (All of the clues lead to key terminology from chosen topic)

• Exam questions (Short answer questions for quick factual recall. Quick to mark as well)• Rapid fire challenge (1 minute countdown timer. Students work in pairs. One has back

to board which has key words on it. They have to say as many as they remember from unit x. Partner faces the board and counts correct information. Swap for new topic.)

• Key word challenge (Split a blank sheet up into sub topics. Students have to write down as many keywords, terminology, definitions and examples as they can for each topic).

• #Test (Remember as many points from the chosen topic but use # to start each fact, idea or definition)

• Key question (Pose a challenging key question on the board which forces students to retrieve previous knowledge to link/answer it)

• Flash card quizzes (Not making flash cards, but using them with a partner/individually to actively challenge memory retrieval)

Hermann Ebbinghaus, 1885