Techniques to encourage students to recall what they've learned

Contents:

• How to use individual boards for retrieval practice
• How else to encourage students to recall what they have learned

How to Use Individual Boards for Retrieval Practice

Janelle Blunt shares her successful experience using individual mini-boards for students. She carries them with her in a rolling suitcase, moving from one classroom to another. This method has proven highly effective in the educational process. For example, one of her knowledge elicitation methods is oral questioning on a topic already covered. Blunt notes that when she simply asks a question to the class, usually only one student raises their hand, while the rest don't think about an answer. However, when students know they need to write their answers on mini-whiteboards and present them to the teacher, it significantly activates their thinking and participation in the discussion. This approach promotes deeper learning and increases student engagement in the learning process.

The teacher notes that students respond positively to the use of whiteboards in class. Since text written with a marker is easily erasable, mistakes can be quickly corrected. Janelle Blunt emphasizes that this practice creates a safe environment for students, allowing them to answer and make mistakes without fear. Since implementing this methodology in their course, students' exam grades have increased by 20%.

Plastic whiteboards can be effectively replaced with sheets of white cardboard placed in multi-format transparent file folders. These sheets can also be written on repeatedly with a marker and erased. However, ordinary paper cannot replace whiteboards, as Blunt notes. She emphasizes that using paper does not provide students with the same sense of security and comfort that a whiteboard and an erasable marker create, allowing them to easily correct mistakes.

Blunt revealed her methods for using individual whiteboards in the educational process. She believes that the use of these boards promotes active student engagement and improves understanding of the educational material. Individual whiteboards allow students to solve problems independently, as well as receive instant feedback from the teacher. This helps develop critical thinking and increases the level of knowledge acquisition. Blunt also recommends integrating individual whiteboards into various types of activities, from lectures to practical exercises, which makes learning more interactive and effective.

• Have students spend two minutes writing down the key points they remember about the lesson topic (brainstorming).
• During the lecture, stop about every ten minutes and ask students a question on the topic so they can write down and show you the answer. To help them remember this, the teacher adds reminder slides to her presentations.
• Ask students to give examples that relate to the concept being taught. For example, in a psychology class on personality traits, Janelle Blunt suggests: "Write down which Disney characters you know that are extroverted."
• Have students illustrate the concept being taught with their own drawing.

Blunt doesn't cover the topic in her article, but the benefit of students writing down information by hand rather than simply recalling it is well-founded. Research shows that writing by hand promotes better memory. Scientists have found a neurological explanation for this phenomenon. Writing information by hand activates certain areas of the brain, which helps strengthen memory and improve learning. Therefore, using handwriting in the classroom can significantly enhance learning and improve student outcomes.

To maximize the effectiveness of using whiteboards, teachers recommend considering several key aspects. First, it's important to choose the right type of whiteboard based on the lesson content and learning objectives. Second, prepare materials and visual examples in advance to make the lesson more interactive and engaging. It's also important to actively engage students in the process, encouraging them to ask questions and share their thoughts. Finally, regularly updating the information on the whiteboard will help maintain interest and promote better learning. Following these recommendations not only improves student performance but also creates a more dynamic learning atmosphere.

• The earlier you start, the better. If students know from the very beginning of their lessons (for example, at the beginning of the course you teach) that you expect them to regularly and actively work on recalling what they've learned, they'll quickly get used to it.
• Don't allow students to peek at their notes and textbooks. The point of retrieval practice is for students to try to recall information on their own, rather than relying on notes. It's okay if they make mistakes during these attempts; it's still more effective for learning than simply rereading something.
• Don't give marks for this. This will also hinder the effectiveness of retrieval practice, because students will be afraid of making mistakes.
• Social pressure is useful, but in moderation. From time to time, Blunt practices such sessions, lasting from 15 minutes to an hour, in which the entire group is required to write down what they can remember on a large whiteboard in the classroom. On the one hand, the fact that everyone can see each other's answers encourages students to be more responsible and take the assignment seriously. On the other hand, this shouldn't be overused, otherwise the need to answer in front of their classmates will cause stress and anxiety.

How else to encourage students to recall what they've learned

Michelle Rivers presented effective and simple retrieval practice methods that require minimal time investment and are ideal for regular use. These techniques allow you to quickly and easily integrate practice into your daily life, providing stable results and improving your overall well-being. Using these techniques can be an important step toward personal growth and improving your quality of life.

Michelle asks students a multiple-choice question. Students demonstrate their solutions by displaying the number of fingers they use: one finger for option "a," two for "b," and so on. The teacher then invites students to pair up to discuss their answers with those who chose the other option and try to persuade each other to change their minds. After the discussion, students vote again for the answer they consider correct. As Michelle Rivers notes, after such discussions, students often reach a single correct answer. This technique not only promotes better understanding of the material but also develops critical thinking and argumentation skills in students.

The effectiveness of "explain to someone else" practice has been confirmed by scientific research. This method activates cognitive mechanisms such as comprehension, selection, and integration of information. As a result, it promotes a deeper understanding of the material and improves long-term memory. Using this approach in teaching allows not only for the assimilation of information but also for its consolidation on a deeper level.

Teachers typically formulate learning objectives for each lesson, but Michelle Rivers offers an interesting approach that involves transforming these objectives into a key "question of the day" that should be articulated to students. For example, during a lecture on the mechanisms of memory, one might ask, "Why are some pieces of information remembered for a long time, while others are quickly forgotten?" This approach promotes deeper student engagement in the learning process and helps them better understand the material being studied.

According to the teacher, questions stimulate student reflection, arouse their interest, and encourage them to recall information they already know on the topic. Even if students initially give incorrect answers, this is not a problem. The main thing is that by the end of the lesson they have absorbed the new knowledge and received the correct answer. Mistakes, according to Rivers, can play an important role in the memorization process: "I made a mistake—I thought it worked one way, but it actually doesn't. This needs to be remembered." This approach promotes a deeper understanding of the material and the development of critical thinking in students.

Find out more:

Do we really learn from mistakes? Research shows that this is not always the case, but there is an opportunity to change this approach. Many people tend to view failure as a negative experience, which prevents them from learning from it. However, with the right strategy and mindset, mistakes can be turned into valuable sources of knowledge and growth. Understanding the causes of failure and analyzing the consequences will help build a more sustainable foundation for future success. It is important not only to acknowledge your mistakes but also to actively use them as stepping stones to improvement. Thus, changing the perception of mistakes can be key to personal and professional development. Teachers often use multiple-choice tests as an effective tool for assessing student knowledge. This method allows for quick and convenient assessment of student performance. However, multiple-choice tests have been criticized for their potential to encourage superficial learning. Students may choose the correct answer based on their general familiarity with the topic, rather than delving into and memorizing information. This highlights the need for more comprehensive assessment methods that foster a deep understanding of the subject matter and develop critical thinking in students.

To overcome this limitation of tests, Michelle Rivers encourages students to justify their answer choices in free-form: "Explain why you chose this option." Some students share the logic of their reasoning, ruling out other options, while others rely on information learned in lectures. This approach not only develops critical thinking but also allows teachers to better understand students' thinking processes and their level of material acquisition.

Recent Research Studies have shown that the method of justifying choices significantly improves student performance. Participants who explained their decisions performed better on tests than those who simply selected options. As researcher Rivers notes, even when teachers lack the time to study students' explanations, this practice still provides significant benefits. Justifying choices activates metacognitive processes, which contributes to a better understanding of one's own thought processes. This, in turn, helps consolidate information in memory and establish connections between new knowledge and existing knowledge. Thus, introducing this practice into the educational process can significantly improve the level of material acquisition. This technique can be successfully combined with various methods, including the use of individual whiteboards. When students answer questions on the material covered, the teacher asks them to rate their confidence in the answer on a scale from one (minimum confidence) to five (maximum confidence). If there is a discrepancy between the correctness of an answer and a student's level of confidence, Rivers believes this provides students with an opportunity to recognize their misconceptions and identify areas that require deeper exploration. This approach promotes the development of metacognitive skills, allowing students to better understand their own learning processes and build confidence in their knowledge.