Lessons for learning: How cognitive psychology informs classroom practice

The learning sciences span multiple fields, including psychology, computer science, and neuroscience. In particular, cognitive psychology focuses on complex operations that occur inside the brain. Attention to these hidden processes can reveal ways to promote lasting learning. Pooja Agarwal and Henry Roediger draw on research in both the laboratory and the classroom to identify four important strategies — retrieval practice, feedback, spaced practice, and interleaving — that have been shown to help students learn. The effects of these practices apply across multiple grade levels and subject areas, and teachers can often incorporate them by making minor tweaks to their current practices.