#183 How to help students remember things with Nick Soderstrom

Cognitive psychologist, Nick Soderstrom, joins me to talk about all things memory and retrieval. We discuss the important distinction between learning and performance, and then dive into four desirable difficulties: testing, spacing, interleaving and pre-testing. Links can be found in the show notes: mrbartonmaths.com/blog/how-to-remember Time-stamps: Memory, learning, and career paths with a cognitive psychologist. (7:04) The importance of retrieval practice in learning. (12:25) Learning vs performance in education. (17:51) Retrieval practice and testing in education. (24:26) The benefits of testing students and how it can improve learning. (29:35) Effective feedback strategies in teaching. (36:11) Math testing formats and feedback. (43:03) Retrieval practice in math education. (47:37) Using retrieval practice and spacing to improve learning. (51:33) Spaced repetition in teaching fractions. (56:30) Optimal spacing for effective learning. (1:01:01) Optimal retrieval practice for learning. (1:05:36) Using hints and cues in retrieval practice. (1:10:03) Formative assessments and learning vs performance. (1:13:30) Interleaving and its benefits in learning. (1:17:41) Interleaving in math education. (1:23:55) Math education techniques and interleaving. (1:27:53) Interleaving practice in education. (1:31:41) Pre-testing in education. (1:36:57) Assessing students' prior knowledge in math lessons. (1:44:24) Pre-testing in education and its potential effects on students. (1:47:35) Pre-testing and its benefits in education. (1:52:48) Retrieval practice and its effectiveness in learning. (1:57:43) Learning strategies and debunking myths. (2:02:21) Learning styles, desirable difficulties, and technology in education. (2:08:32) Learning vs performance in education. (2:14:37) Learning strategies and research-backed techniques for teachers. (2:20:22)