Testing Yourself is Powerful Learning Tool

New research suggests the time individuals take to reread or review their notes would be better spent self-testing to achieve better learning.

“We continue to show that practicing retrieval, or testing yourself, is a powerful, robust tool for learning,” said Dr. Jeffrey D. Karpicke, an assistant professor of psychological sciences at Purdue University.

“Educators, researchers and students are often focused on getting things ‘in memory,’ so techniques that encourage students to elaborate on the material are often popular. But learning is fundamentally about retrieving, and our research shows that practicing retrieval while you study is crucial to learning.”

Karpicke said self-testing enriches and improves the learning process, and he believes there needs to be more focus on using retrieval as a learning strategy. He also found that most students are not good at judging the success of their study habits.

“When students have the material right in front of them, they think they know it better than they actually do,” he said.

“Many students do not realize that putting the material away and practicing retrieval is such a potent study strategy.”

Karpicke’s findings appear in this issue of the journal Science, and the National Science Foundation supports his work.

In two studies, a total of 200 students studied texts on topics from different science disciplines. One group engaged in elaborative studying by creating concept maps – diagrams that illustrate the complicated connections and relationships in the material.

The second group read the texts and then practiced retrieval; these students put the material away and practiced recalling the concepts from the text. The students returned to the lab a week later for the actual assessment of long-term learning.

The group that studied by practicing retrieval showed a 50 percent improvement in long-term retention scores above and beyond the group that studied by creating concept maps.

“The final retention test was one of the most important features of our study because we asked questions that tapped into meaningful learning,” he said.

“The students answered questions about the specific concepts they learned as well as inference questions asking them to draw connections between things that weren’t explicitly stated in the material.

“On both measures of meaningful learning, practicing retrieval continued to produce better learning than elaborative studying.”

The students also were asked to predict which technique – practicing retrieval or elaborative studying – would be best for their long-term learning.

While the majority thought that elaborative studying with concept mapping would be best, the students actually learned more by practicing retrieval.

“Students do not always know what methods will produce the best learning,” he said.

“It may be surprising to realize that there is such a disconnect between what students think will afford good learning and what is actually best. We as educators need to keep this in mind as we create learning tools and evaluate educational practices.

SKIMMING AND SCANNING SCIENTIFIC MATERIAL

Skimming involves searching for the main ideas by reading the first and last
paragraphs, noting other organizational cues, such as summaries, used by the author.

Scanning involves running your eyes down the page looking for specific facts or key
words and phrases.

Skimming and scanning are particularly valuable techniques for studying
scientific textbooks. Science writers pack many facts and details closely
together, and students react by shifting their reading speeds to the lowest gear
and crawling through the material. Notwithstanding the fact that science
textbooks are usually well-organized, with main points and sub-topics clearly
delineated, the typical student ignores these clues and plods through the
chapter word-by-word, trying to cram it all in.

It is precisely these characteristics, organization and density of facts per page,
that make it so vital that you employ skimming scanning techniques. To
successfully master science test, you must understand thoroughly the major
ideas and concepts presented. Without such a conceptual framework, you will
find yourself faced with the impossible task of trying to cram hundreds of
isolated facts into your memory. thus, a preliminary skimming for the main ideas
by using the author's organization cues (Topic headings, italics, summaries,
etc.) is a vital preliminary step to more intensive reading and maximum
retentions. It will provide a logical framework in which to fit the details.

Similarly, scanning skills are valuable for several purposes in studying science.
First, they are an aid in locating new terms, which are introduced in the chapter.
Unless you understand the new terms, it is impossible to follow the author's
reasoning without dictionary or glossary. Thus a preliminary scanning of the
chapters will alert you to the new terms and concepts and their sequence. when
you locate a new term, try to find its definition. If you are not able to figure out
the meaning, then look it up in the glossary or dictionary. (Note: usually new
terms are defined as they are introduced in science texts. If your text does not
have a glossary, it is a good idea to keep a glossary of your own in the front
page of the book. Record the terms and their definition or the page number
where the definition is located. This is an excellent aid to refer to when you are
reviewing for an examination, as it provides a convenient outline of the course).

Secondly, scanning is useful in locating statements, definitions, formulas, etc.
which you must remember completely and precisely. Scan to find the exact and
complete statement of a chemical law., the formula of a particular compound in
chemistry, or the stages of cell division. Also, scan the charts and figures, for
they usually summarize in graphic form the major ideas and facts of the
chapter.

If you practice these skimming and scanning techniques prior to reading a
science chapter, you will find that not only will your intensive reading take much
less time, but that your retention of the important course details will greatly
improve.

ILS Questionnaire

The Index of Learning Styles Questionnaire contains 44 two choice questions. After completing it you will be given a page showing your learning style preferences which you can print out. It may be interesting to see how the test rates your preferences but remember that the most useful thing is simply being aware of what your preferences may be and to be aware of the range of learning style preferences of those around you - including your lecturers!

Sequential and Global Learning

Sequential learners understand new information in linear steps where each step follows logically from the previous one.

Global learners tend to learn in large jumps by absorbing material in a random order without necessarily seeing any connections until they have grasped the whole concept.

Visual and Verbal Learning

Visual learners understand new information best by seeing it in the form of pictures, demonstrations, diagrams, charts, films and so on.

Verbal learners understand new information best through written and spoken words.

Sensing and Intuitive Learning

Sensing learners like learning facts and solving problems by well established methods. They are generally careful, practical and patient and like new knowledge to have some connection to the real world.

Intuitive learners prefer discovering new relationships and can be innovative in their approach to problem solving. Intuitive learners tend to work faster and dislike repetition and work which involves a lot of memorisation and routine calculations.

Active and Reflective Learning

Active learners understand new information by doing something with it. Active learners are keen to try out and experiment with the new information and often enjoy group work because this enables them to do active things. Sitting through lectures with nothing to actually get involved in can be particularly difficult for active learners.

Reflective learners prefer to think about new information first before acting on it. They often prefer to think through problems first on their own rather than discussing it in groups. Sitting through lectures can be difficult for reflective learners who often like to have some time out to think through new information.