STRATEGIES 1: RETRIEVAL PRACTICE
1. INTRODUCTION to retrieval practice
“Using your memory shapes your memory” – Robert Bjork
Retrieval practice refers to the act of recalling and retrieving information learned from memory (with little or no support). And every time this information is retrieved, the memory around it is reinforced.
“The more we know, the more we can know. The more we know, the more we can understand. The more often we retrieve knowledge from our vast complex stores of memories in different ways – all those facts, words, ideas, concepts and experiences – the stronger those memories become and the more fluently we can recall them. (…) The more we know, the more creative we can be”. – Tom Sherrington.
This practice that you can use in your Spanish learning process will ensure that, after having codified this information, you can store and retrieve it so that you can apply it when necessary in any of the four language skills: Listening, speaking, reading and writing. It is precisely this ability to recover from what we have learned that reflects our long-term memory, so exercising this ability will make your learning process stronger and optimized.
2. WHY does retrieval practice improve learning and reduce forgetting?
- Retrieval practice helps students “use it or lose it” Just like when we learn how to play an instrument or like in this case: learning a new language.
- With retrieval practice, struggling is a good thing for learning This is what scientists call a “desirable difficulty”. Recent evidence suggests that generating errors, especially errors made in attempting to predict or anticipate a to-be-remembered answer or association, can promote rather than impair learning.
- Retrieval practice improves students’ understanding of their own learning process Retrieval practice helps us to identify gaps in learning. In other words, not only does retrieval improve learning and help us figure out what we do know – more importantly, it helps us figure out what we don’t know. And this is a crucial benefit in order to make better study decisions.
3. APPLYING the retrieval practice in your learning process
Let’s see it with an example. Imagine that in a week you have the exam of one module, related to one topic (ie: The health). Here we present an example of a retrieval practice that could help you to review the entire module. Remember also the importance of the time-spaced revision. It is better to study 4 days one hour each day, than a single day during 4 hours.
- Begin your revision session with a brainstorm of grammar concepts and vocabulary that you remember from the whole module.
- With this information, make a mind-map organizing the grammatical concepts.
- With the vocabulary you have remembered, create a list.
- Look at your outline and write down the questions of the issues that are not clear to you. This will help you know what information you need to clarify. Go deeper with the learning materials you have, and if after this you have not been able to clarify your doubts, share the questions with your teacher in the next session.
- Using a different color, complete your mind-map. Write down the missing grammar points using the learning materials.
- Do the same with the vocabulary list, expand it with more words related to the topic of the module.
- On another paper, and only consulting this material that you have just completed (the mind-map and the vocabulary list), write sentences that serve as examples for the different grammar concepts included in the module and make use of the specific vocabulary.
- Make a list of the connectors that you remember and think about which ones could help you connect the sentences you just wrote.
- Rewrite the sentences including the connectors, in such a way that you structure everything well in paragraphs if necessary.
- Read out what you have written.
Do you want to learn Spanish? Contact us, we offer a free trial lesson! 🙂
