Retrieval Practice

Retrieval practice is simply the act of calling information to mind that has been previously learned. Said another way, it is when information is recalled and deliberately pulled out/recalled. This practice has been shown to boost learning and improve recall. The struggle it takes to recall or retrieve information we have learned is beneficial and makes the learning more durable. It also helps us identify what gaps we might have and where we need to do further work. It can also be done without any special technology or money!

One way to do retrieval practice is to test students. But this does not need to be included for marks! The typical structure of a test is that questions are asked and students need to retrieve that information in order to answer. That is a fairly good definition of retrieval practice! But adding marks to it doesn't help students have more durable learning. So in order to do retrieval practice, a teacher might want to give a series of quizzes at different times (perhaps right at the end of the lesson, and then again at the start of the next lesson, etc.) that are not for marks, but simply to help the students do some retrieval practice. 

Research has shown that after a topic is introduced, retrieval practice is more effective at making the learning more durable than if a student decided to reread the textbook passage that contains that same information. 

Does retrieval practice increase test anxiety?

One might think that having more tests/quizzes would make students more anxious, but in fact it decreases test anxiety! Students not only become used to the process of retrieval, but because learning increases, they become more comfortable with course content and less anxious about upcoming exams. Below are the results of a survey of nearly 1,500 middle and high school students who were asked about how anxious they feel about tests after having engaged in retrieval practic. It confirms that a decrease is test anxiety of 72% by the end of the year. 

Excerpt(s) from https://pdf.retrievalpractice.org/RetrievalPracticeGuide.pdf 

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