The Power of Active Recall: We don't do lazy learning!

Active recall has a remarkable impact on learning. Unlike traditional study methods that rely on passive reading or re-reading, active recall engages the brain in the process of recalling and reproducing information through quizzes, questions and frequent tests for example. This method forces the brain to work harder, making the learning experience more robust and effective. This powerful strategy not only enhances memory retention but also transforms the way we grasp and understand information. In this blog post, we'll explore the concept of active recall and how out Talearnted Tutors leverage it to propel students toward academic success.

The problem with passive learning:

There is a huge difference between recognising information and remembering and understanding information. Passive learning such as re-reading notes or highlighting does enable one to recognise that information elsewhere; however the problem comes in when there is no prompt and students are required to understand or regurgitate the information. A thorough meta-analysis on 10 different learning techniques, found that passive learning approaches—including activities like re-reading, highlighting, and summarising notes—proved to be methods of low utility as seen in figure 1. These techniques were observed to have minimal impact on memory retrieval and failed to effectively assess one's knowledge (1).

Figure 1: A bar graph showing the increase in retention when there is passive recall such as rereading vs when there is active recall (Image from TransverseLink)

Enhanced Understanding and Transfer of Knowledge:

Dr. Mark A. McDaniel's study on quizzing/testing knowledge (which is a form of active recall) proves that active recall contributes to a deeper understanding of the material. This is because the act of actively retrieving information facilitates a more robust comprehension of concepts and promotes the transfer of knowledge to different contexts, fostering a versatile and applicable knowledge base (2). Further studies have supported this conclusion (3) and have shown that the benefits of active recall are not limited to the retention during initial learning but rather extend to the transfer of knowledge in a variety of contexts (4).

Conclusion:

By actively engaging with the material through techniques like self-quizzing, flashcards, and collaborative learning, our students do not only enhance their retention but also deepen their understanding of the subject matter. Active recall proves to be an efficient and beneficial tool for sustainable and long term understanding and learning.

Reference:

1.Dunlosky J, Rawson KA, Marsh EJ, Nathan MJ, Willingham DT. Improving students’ learning with effective learning techniques: Promising directions from cognitive and educational psychology. Psychological Science in the Public interest. 2013 Jan;14(1):4-58.

2.Brown PC, Roediger III HL, McDaniel MA. Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning. South Asian Journal of Management. 2020 Oct 1;27(4):208-11.

3. Karpicke JD, Blunt JR. Retrieval practice produces more learning than elaborative studying with concept mapping. Science. 2011 Feb 11;331(6018):772-5.

4. Butler AC. Repeated testing produces superior transfer of learning relative to repeated studying. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition. 2010 Sep;36(5):1118.