I get very frustrated when trying to help students work through algorithms when they have difficulty recalling prerequisite information. For example, when helping a student determine the y- and x-intercepts of a function for his Precalculus homework, I asked him what 9 divided by 0 means. He said that it is equal to 0. When I reminded him that division by zero is undefined, I could tell that he felt stupid for having forgotten. It is never my goal to shame students, but with all the responsibilities that go along with teaching, we simply do not have enough resources (time, energy, patience, ideas, student persistence, etc.) to be able to guide students through rediscovery or tie up loose ends in comprehension/meaningfulness of the content.
The effects of tests on learning and forgetting have been studied at length since Ebbinghaus introduced his model for how we retain (and fail to retain) information. It is suggested that in a typical schoolbook application (e.g. simple knowledge or algorithmic skill), most students remember only 10% after 3–6 days (depending on the material). Repetition of material increases retention by increasing the height of the curve:
The effects of tests on learning and forgetting have been studied at length since Ebbinghaus introduced his model for how we retain (and fail to retain) information. It is suggested that in a typical schoolbook application (e.g. simple knowledge or algorithmic skill), most students remember only 10% after 3–6 days (depending on the material). Repetition of material increases retention by increasing the height of the curve:
However, we rarely have time for such intensive remediation in the classroom. Can testing itself be a way for us to utilize the benefits of active recall? If so, how should these be framed and structured to best benefit our students? Feel free to ask questions and comment below as we generate ideas on this.
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