Hi Michael Some other interesting reading is bob bjork's retrieval strength vs storage strength http://bjorklab.psych.ucla.edu/research.html Jim Sibley Sorry for brief message -sent from my iPad On 2013-06-29, at 4:49 PM, "Michael Kramer" <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > There is an ongoing research program on something called Retrieval Practice > (RP), which could have profound effects on pedagogy, and which I am > attempting to integrate into my new TBL course that begins in September 2013. > > I have done a search of this listserv and found no references to RP, so I > would like to open a new thread on it. > > Here are some links on RP: > > http://blog.questionmark.com/professor-roddy-roediger-on-applying-the-retrieval-practice-effect-to-creating-and-administering-assessments > > > http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/research/2011/110120KarpickeScience.html > > http://scholar.google.com/scholar_url?hl=en&q=http://testology.co.il/articles/retrieval_practice.pdf&sa=X&scisig=AAGBfm0RNTTRVFy6ve0yvTKPXhLfIzWw9w&oi=scholarr > > The key insight of RP research is summarized in the first paragraph from the > Karpicke-Blunt article, above. Assessments do not merely inform instructors > and students of how much knowledge the students acquired during previous > learning sessions. Rather, assessments are themselves learning experiences. > Not only that, there is a growing body of evidence supporting the claim that > assessments are one of the most powerful tools available for creating > learning: more powerful than repeated studying or creating concept maps. > > The term "assessment" in the context of the RP research program comprises > any attempt to recall information as long as THE INFORMATION IS NOT > AVAILABLE DURING THE ASSESSMENT. In the context of a typical classroom, > that means that books and notes cannot be used. The essence of an assessment > is that the student is recalling information from memory. > > Note that the RP concept of assessment differs fundamentally from the > well-known concept of "formative assessment." Formative assessments are > administered for the purpose of determining how much test-takers have > learned. They are not administered because the test-giver believes that the > test, in itself, will increase what test-takers have learned. > > In the context of TBL, iRATs are assessments. It is important to note, > however, that if someone were to give "iRATs" online, the likelihood is high > that students would use books, notes, internet searches, etc. Thus, they > would not be retrieving from memory. Accordingly, learning from online > "iRATs" is likely to be significantly attenuated compared to closed-book, > in-class iRATs. The tRATs, especially when using IF-ATs, enhance the iRAT > process, because feedback enhances learning outcomes. > > The RP research program does not address group learning, so I can't draw any > conclusions about group activities, per se. > > However, memory research in general, and RP research in particular, > demonstrate that the typical classroom structure leads to learning outcomes > that fall significantly short of their potential. > > If we take a paradigmatic TBL course, the semester is divided into units. > Once a unit is complete, the likelihood that assessments and application > exercises will refer to prior units is low. In order to learn, it is > essential that learners be prompted to recall previously learned material > repeatedly over extended (days, weeks) periods of time. > > This suggests that RAPs and assessment activities should on week 8, say, > should be referring to material covered in weeks 1-7. > > Another possible implication of RP research for TBL is that the fear of > overtesting is misplaced. Virtually all human beings, if RP research is > confirmed, lack a proper understanding of the best learning strategies. We > all tend to overestimate how much we understand after we've heard or read > something. We all tend to test our recall less than would be ideal to > optimize our learning. > > For the last few weeks, I have been attempting to use RP learning strategies > in my own studies. Instead of taking notes as I read a text, I read a few > pages or a passage in a text, then I put the text away. I then write what I > recalled of the text. Then I review the text and write some more. > > What I have not done is repeat these exercises days and weeks later. > Changing habits ingrained over decades is not easy. But if the result is > more efficient learning, it would be worth the effort. > > As I plan for my new September TBL course, here are some modifications that > I am considering: > > 1. Give RAPs weekly. These are closed-book quizzes on the reading, which > have been demonstrated to improve learning. > 2. Include questions on RAPs that cover prior weeks' content. I did not do > this in my Fall 2012 TBL course, which was my first attempt at TBL. > 3. Have students do individual freewriting activities in class, in order to > increase the number of retrieval practice sessions. This means that students > write continuously for a number of minutes on a topic without editing or > attending to penmanship, grammar, or, even, correctness of information. > 4. Have students pair off and "freespeak" for two minutes on a focus > question. This mean one student speaks continuously and the other student > merely listens and nods. Then the students switch roles. > 5. Make some application exercises closed-book > > I'll end this too-long post with a personal anecdote. For the past 10 or so > years, I begin my classes by playing the "name game." My classes are > designated "writing intensive" so they are capped at 25 students. I > recognize that many here teach classes 10 times as large as mine, so this > activity would not be possible for them. > > In the name game, we all stand up (if we are physically able) and form a > circle. The first person states her name. Then the next person states the > first person's name followed by her own name. The third person states the > first person's name, the second person's name, and then his own name. > > I got this idea when my son started preschool and the preschool teachers > began a parents' meeting by doing this name game. > > It is only since I started researching RP did I realize that this name game > is a powerful form of retrieval practice and has been researched. It turns > out that it is more effective to run it in reverse. That is, if I am the > seventh person in the circle, I announce my name, then I state the name of > the sixth person, followed by the fifth person, fourth person, etc. > > In the past, I merely used the name game to send a message that the focus of > this class would not be the "sage on the stage" but the "scaturient student." > > Having studied RP I now realize that I need to state explicitly that the > point of the name game is that we learn best by forcing ourselves to recall > repeatedly the information we have been exposed to. In a matter of minutes, > almost everyone learns almost everyone's name. The lesson is clear and it is > a message I will need to hammer home every class: repeated recall of studied > material is an effective method for deepening learning.