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Regularly ask students questions about the material and encourage them to quiz themselves. Asking practice questions is likely effective for two reasons. First, students have to make an effort to recall the correct answer. This means they are actively engaged in retrieving information, which ensures it is stored more strongly in long-term memory. As a result, students forget the material less quickly (see forgetting curve). This is also known as the testing effect or retrieval practice (see image). Additionally, practice questions provide students with insight into what is expected of them on a test and what knowledge they still lack. This helps them better understand what and how they need to learn next. It is important to provide students with the correct answers. Incorrect answers can actually be harmful to learning because students may continue to believe their answers are correct. Try to start each lesson with a few questions or statements about the material from the previous lesson(s). Or give the students flashcards so they can test their knowledge in groups during the lesson. Also, encourage the students to test their knowledge at home. They can test their knowledge, for example, by making flashcards at home and working with them. Additionally, you can help them by providing a practice test that they can complete at home. By asking different types of practice questions, spaced over increasing intervals, the information sticks even better in memory (see spaced practice and interleaved practice). Therefore, occasionally ask practice questions that refer back to lessons from some time ago.
Agarwal, P. K., Karpicke, J. D., Kang, S. H., Roediger III, H. L., & McDermott, K. B. (2008). Examining the testing effect with open‐and closed‐book tests. Applied Cognitive Psychology: The Official Journal of the Society for Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 22(7), 861-876.
Carpenter, S. K., Pashler, H., Wixted, J. T., & Vul, E. (2008). The effects of tests on learning and forgetting. Memory & Cognition, 36(2), 438-448.
Dunlosky, J., Rawson, K. A., Marsh, E. J., Nathan, M. J., & Willingham, D. T. (2013). Improving students’ learning with effective learning techniques: Promising directions from cognitive and educational psychology. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 14(1), 4-58.
Roediger, H. L., Putnam, A. L., & Smith, M. A. (2011). Ten benefits of testing and their applications to educational practice. In J. Mestre & B. Ross (Eds.), Psychology of learning and motivation: Cognition in education, (pp. 1-36). Oxford: Elsevier.
