Improving User Recall and Recognition

When we actively recall/retrieve information our brains put a little hashtag on it: #useful. And those tags compound with more retrievals. In addition, memories are best strengthened if they are retrieved just before we forget them. This means that the time between retrievals should increase with each one. Furthermore, the fewer cues we are given for recall increases the likelihood of making more associations between new information and prior knowledge. As such, learners can think analogously & apply concepts across contexts. Strategy 1: Use low stakes formative assessments as retrieval practice to enhance memory retention. Strategy 2: Incrementally increase the space between retrieval practice to maximize the effect. Strategy 3: Gradually increase the complexity of retrieval practice using the three types of recall to enhance depth of understanding. 3-4 of these retrieval events will suffice at about 15 minutes per. 🧠 Go for recall over recognition:  Don’t use multiple choice questions as a summative assessment because in the real world they won’t be given a set of options where one is the correct answer. Learners being forced to generate the information is more effective. Free recall is more effective than cued recall and recognition, though it’s prudent for learners to work their way up from recognition to recall. 🔠 Make sure the context and mode of retrieval is varied:  Mix it up. One day they post a video. Next, have them write something. The Later, have them create a diagram or map, etc. Generating information in multiple modes is even more powerful than being presented information in multiple representations. What’s more, this also goes for practicing related information in varying combinations. See Interleaving. 🌉 Make sure retrieval practice is properly scaffolded and elaborative:  Go from concrete to abstract, simple to complex, easy to difficult; from questions to answer to problems to solve. Each retrieval event along the curve should be increasingly more involved to create a Desirable Difficulty. See also Bruner's Spiraling Curriculum & Reigeluth’s Elaboration Theory. 💡 Push creation of concrete examples, metaphors, and analogies:  Concrete examples and analogous thinking have a high positive impact on memory. Especially if it is learner-generated. This provides students with the opportunity to put new, abstract concepts in terms of what they already know. It updates their existing schemas. 🔁 Give feedback, and time it right:  If you’re not giving feedback that is corrective and often, your learners might suffer from confusion or even start to develop bad habits. But don’t wait too long to do it. Check out PREP feedback and Quality Matters helpful recommendations. Be sure to fade feedback as student develop mastery. #instructionaldesign #teachingandlearning #retrievalpractice

🔍 𝗦𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱’𝘀 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝘂𝗽 𝘁𝗼 𝟰𝟬%, 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁. This finding comes from an experiment demonstrating the generation effect in memory retention. In this study, researchers presented participants with pairs of related words. Some pairs were complete, like foot-shoe, while others had missing letters, like foot-s_ _e. Participants who had to generate the missing word remembered it significantly better than those who studied the complete pairs. The key idea here is that even a small amount of effort in generating information, such as filling in blanks, engages deeper cognitive processes. This effort strengthens memory more than simply reviewing intact information. What are the implications for how we design for learning? ➡ 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀 • Use fill-in-the-blank exercises where learners complete sentences. • Have students create their own questions and answers. ➡ 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀 • Implement short answer questions in quizzes instead of multiple-choice. ➡ 𝗘𝗻𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺-𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗮𝘀𝗸𝘀 • Design scenario-based activities (’What if’) that require learners to solve real-world problems. ➡ 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 • Schedule reviews of key concepts over several weeks. • Use spaced repetition software to manage review intervals. ➡ 𝗔𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱 𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲-𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 • Use short answer questions to promote deeper thinking. • Use questions that require explanations or justifications. ➡ 𝗔𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 • Don’t rely solely on methods like re-reading notes without engagement. • Avoid showing videos without interactive elements like embedded quizzes. ➡ 𝗔𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 (boundary conditions exist) • Allow time for learners to try solving problems before giving the answers • Use delayed feedback to encourage effortful recall 💭 𝐼𝑓 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑜𝑛 ℎ𝑎𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑙𝑢𝑑𝑒 𝑎 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑙, ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑠𝑒 𝑡𝑒𝑐ℎ𝑛𝑖𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑠 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑒𝑥𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑢𝑚? Source: Jacoby, L. L. (1978). On Interpreting the Effects of Repetition: Solving a Problem Versus Remembering a Solution. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 17, 649-667.

12 tips to better retain what you learn. Use these to improve your memory: Whether you're: ↳Studying for tests ↳Trying to memorize a work presentation ↳Learning a new language ↳Or just wanting to remember someone's name or your grocery list It pays to have a great memory. Often, however, people see their memory as fixed. "I'm so forgetful!" they'll say. Or, "I'm bad with names." But the reality is: You can improve your memory with practice. Use these tactics to strengthen yours. 1) Teach It ↳To remember, you must first understand - and to truly understand, try explaining ↳Ex: Learning physics? Describe Newton's Laws in simple terms - if you can't, you've found a gap 2) Space Repetition ↳Review at increasing intervals, adding more space as you improve ↳Ex: Learning Spanish? Review the new words you learn after 1 day, then 3 days, then a week 3) Create Mnemonics ↳Turn less ordinary or more complex info into shortcuts - odder is often better ↳Ex: Memorize the planets with "My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos" 4) Make It Ordinary ↳Connecting new ideas with ones you're already familiar with helps retention ↳Ex: Learning supply and demand? Think of Uber's surge pricing - when demand is up, cost goes up 5) Write It Down ↳Writing things down (by hand) boosts our ability to remember them ↳Ex: Forget names easily? Write them down three times after meeting someone 6) Say It Out Loud ↳Speaking information also reinforces recall ↳Ex: Using names again - Say, "Nice to meet you, Sarah!" to remember her name 7) Chunk Information ↳Break long info into smaller, digestible parts that are self-contained ↳Ex: Want to memorize a speech? Divide it into short, distinct sections 8) Use Memory Palace ↳Tie information to images for recall, placing things in familiar locations ↳Ex: Remembering a grocery list? Picture milk at your front door, eggs on the couch, and bread on the TV 9) Engage Senses ↳You know how sounds or smells sometimes trigger long-ago memories? Use it ↳Ex: Learning a language? Read, write, listen, and speak it in one session 10) Use Active Recall ↳Test yourself - or have someone else test you - instead of just re-reading ↳Ex: Studying from a book? Cover key parts and recall them before checking to see if you were right 11) Don't Multitask ↳Our inability to remember is often tied to a lack of real focus ↳Ex: Studying? Put your phone in another room to avoid distractions and let your brain prioritize one task 12) Sleep Well ↳Memory consolidates during sleep, and good rest improves our retention ability ↳Ex: Study briefly before bed to let your brain reinforce it overnight Have you used any of these before? --- ♻️ Repost to help others improve their ability to retain information. And follow me George Stern for more content on growth.