How Can You Use Retrieval Practice to Make Learning More Effective?

Students forget 50% of what they learn within just 24 hours — half of your carefully crafted lesson, gone by the next day. How can you help them retain more and truly learn? Retrieval practice is the answer. It’s not just about testing; it’s the act of actively bringing information to mind from memory, a process that strengthens learning and fills knowledge gaps.

In this 20-Minute Mentor program, Michelle Blank Rentz, PhD, Director of Academic Success at Goshen College, explores why retrieval practice is so effective and shares strategies that can be implemented immediately in any course. This program highlights methods such as brain dumps to expose areas of weakness, spaced practice to turn forgetting into a tool for retention, self-quizzing to encourage active recall and accurate self-assessment, and structured study plans that promote consistent review. Retrieval practice is not just a tool for assessment — the act of retrieving itself is the learning process.

LEARNING GOALS

After viewing this Magna 20-Minute Mentor, participants will be able to:

• Explain the cognitive science behind retrieval practice and its role in memory retention
• Compare retrieval practice strategies for their effectiveness in different teaching contexts
• Design retrieval-based activities for immediate use in courses
• Implement methods to teach students how to apply retrieval practice in their study habits
• Evaluate the impact of retrieval practice on student learning and engagement

TOPICS COVERED 

• How retrieval practice improves memory and learning
• Key retrieval strategies: self-quizzing, spaced repetition, and brain dumps
• Teaching students to use retrieval practice effectively
• Designing activities that reinforce learning through recall
• Building a classroom culture of active learning

AUDIENCE

This program will benefit:

• Faculty and Instructors
• Adjuncts
• Teaching and Learning Center Staff
• Instructional Designers
• Faculty Developers
• Academic Support Staff

Product Code: PM25OA